speaker decision help?

[enrique]

Have narrowed decision on some speakers hope you can help.My choices are between def.tech. bp30 and B&W 603s2 or 603s3.Are there any real significant upgrade between the 603s2 and s3 in regards to sound.I will be using rotel rsx1056.All speakers are in the same price range.I have been going back and forth with the wife on which spkrs.Hope you can help narrow this down even further.I have to make this decision asap.I can't listen for myself due to purchase will be online.thanks,by the way the wife likes the B&W(color).

[bacchanal]

I wouldn't recommend buying anything without doing at least some listening first. Why are you in such a hurry?

There are pretty significant differences between def tech and b&w. Personally I'm not a big fan of def tech, but I was pretty impressed with the 603s3s. IMO the def techs are more suited to home theater as they tend to spread the highs out a bit more. To me they sound like the mid range Klipsh speakers, whatever that line is called. The 603s are pretty accurate and neutral, but they seem to be slightly less bright then the average speaker that I've listened to. I've never listened to 602s2s, but there probably isn't a huge sound difference. If there is a large price difference, and you're on a budget, the 603s2s wouldn't be a bad choice. The b&w's are beautiful looking speakers, and it is always a good idea to get something the wife can stand to look at, if it's going to be taking up that much space. Then again, you pretty much have to use your own ears to determine which speaker is right for you...there's just no way around it.

Definitely look around your area, and see if you can find b&w or def tech dealers to do some listening. Also check out any other speakers that may fit your needs, if you haven't listened to them. Just look through the yellow pages for any audio type place and call around. The only b&w dealer in my area is an in home installation specialist, but they have a small showroom too.

[RGA]

If you can;t listen before you buy then B&W is a pretty safe choice because they typically don;t exhibit grossly bad habits - that doesn;t mean you will like em best and I would not buy a speaker based only on looks and marketing power. Nevertheless the 600 series -- 602 603 and 604 are all quite good speakers for the money.

The Series 3 is punchier - the Series 2 a bit more laid back - I like em both generally but some found the Series 2 too polite for their needs. For what it's worth I think the 603S3 is one of the best floorstanders avaliable for under $2,000.00Cdn. It's got some probelms but it's generally clear and doesn't have as much of the cheap box problems of much of the competitors. Also I think you'll find it as good or better than say the Paradigm Studio 100 which is about a $1,300.00Cdn more money.

Another option is the Goo Energy C7 or for more oomph the C9 (These are pretty inexpensive - the C9 goes for about $1400.00Cdn or around ~1100.00US. Depending on how you like your treble this may be more of a rocker than the 603 and it looks very nice too.

[cone]

B&W all the way...Psb also makes good floorstanders in this range....

[svang]

Give JMLab Chorus S a try. They are as good as B & W 600 S3 series.

[topspeed]

You must be buying used because B&W doesn't allow online sales.

I agree with everyone that you should find a local dealer and listen for yourself. Honestly, they don't sound similar at all. Remember with the DefTech's, their bipolar design will require you to set them out into the room quite a bit more than the B&W's to get the right sound. I'd check with your significant other to see how accomodating she'll be having speakers sitting out in the middle of the room. Could be a deal breaker right there.

[Lord_Magnepan]

I wouldnt buy B&W since in my opinion there many others wich sound a lot better.

Vienna Acoustics
Sonus Faber
Dynaudio
Tannoy
JmLab
Hales <-- used since unfortunatly they got run out of buisinsess.

I would try some planar sounds too, like Magnepan, Quad, Martin Logan (Hybrids) etc....

Cheers

[enrique]

I wouldnt buy B&W since in my opinion there many others wich sound a lot better.

Vienna Acoustics
Sonus Faber
Dynaudio
Tannoy
JmLab
Hales <-- used since unfortunatly they got run out of buisinsess.

I would try some planar sounds too, like Magnepan, Quad, Martin Logan (Hybrids) etc....

Cheers

You don'tike B&W and i can respect that.But which tannoy would you say would be better the r3's?And the vienna's which one would compare price wise?Bach? i've searched and so far B&W 603s3 may be my best bet.Unless i could find some Bach's for same price(doubt it).

[Woochifer]

As others have asked, what's your hurry? B&W versus Def Tech is a pretty clear cut difference. It just depends on the type of sound that you're looking for. The Def Techs are generally voiced with a very aggressive and forward sound, while the B&Ws strive for more balance. If you look at B&W and Def Tech as opposite extremes (they're not because there are speakers more laid back than the B&Ws and more aggressive than the Def Techs), there should be plenty of speakers situated in between.

It's really about finding something that meets your priorities. I've never heard of the Def Tech model that you're quoting (I've tried out a few of their BP towers before), and even those two B&W models that you noted will have a different sound because one is a floorstanding version of the S3 series, while the other is a standmounted version of the S2 series. Buying without listening is pretty risky.

I know that the 602S2 is discontinued, and if that BP30 is also discontinued, then I would opt for the 603S3 simply because you can still find matching center speakers and surrounds for the S3 models should you choose to go multichannel. However, buying without listening is definitely not the way to go especially with speakers because the preferences are so subjective. RGA speculates that you'd like those speakers better than a pair of Paradigm Studio 100s, but who's to say what you'd prefer until YOU listen to the speakers in question.

[Lord_Magnepan]

You don'tike B&W and i can respect that.But which tannoy would you say would be better the r3's?And the vienna's which one would compare price wise?Bach? i've searched and so far B&W 603s3 may be my best bet.Unless i could find some Bach's for same price(doubt it).

Dont just go and buy the (standard name) ;-) Dont hesitate looking in the used Market either. Here are the speakers i would look for, and take your time


Tannoy Revolution R-2 <-- if you have the space
Sensys DC-1 <-- heard them myself (very nice for SACD, DVD-A)

Castle Prembroke <-- also very nice

Vienna Acoustics Hydn <--- very nice match with Pathos Electronics

Magnepan MG 12, MG1.6 (needs space tough)

Keep us updated

[chimera128]

The BP30 is discontinued due to a lack of interest in the non-powered bipolar towers. That's too bad because a lot of deftech owners seemed to be fond of it. Personally I liked the open sound of most of deftechs bipolar towers to the sound of B&W speakers which to me sounded a bit... lifeless. That is a personal choice though. If you can get a really good deal on the BP30s I don't think you would be disappointed if you have the room to set them up properly. If you can look at the new BP7006 towers from Definitive Technology. They are a bit smaller than the BP30s and should still offer similar performance (for less $$$). In regards to matching centers, definitive hasn't changed any of their center channels so a matching center will still be easy to find.

[texlle]

Personally, I think there is no large sound difference between the series 2 and the series 3 B&W's, and I like the looks of the series 2 better, so if it were me, I'd probably get the series 2. I'm pretty sure they're cheaper than the series 3 as well.