B&W 606 S2 Anniversary bookshelf speakers

The B&W 606 speaker is going through a rebirth and is now named 606 S2 Anniversary. Of course, she’s still the worthy successor of the British manufacturer’s DM “Domestic Monitor” ranges.

It’s the second speaker  of the “600 range” which has three: two bookshelf speakers and one tower speaker.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: DESIGN AND FRONT PANEL

This bookshelf speaker is offered with rather traditional dimensions for a speaker of this range, even though this one can already be considered as pretty large with its 35 cm of height and 30 cm of depth.

The driver grille in black or grey jersey depending on the finish (black, white or oak), is fixed at the front panel with magnets. They allow to keep the front panel completely clean when removing the grille and to keep this speaker’s sober and modern design.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: TWEETER

Therefore, the B&W 606 S2 Anniversary offers 2 transducers: the new 25 mm aliminium double dome tweeter is in charge of the treble. At the back, this improved version is still equipped with a cushioned decompression cone and a very powerful circular magnet.

The resonance frequency was pushed up to 38 kHz to offer an unmatched clarity and accuracy, as well as no distortions in audible high frequencies.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: MID-RANGE/BASS

The mid-range and the bass are reproduced by a unique 165 mm Continuum cone driver.

The 800 range high-end models offer this membrane which imposed an 8-year research and development to Bowers & Wilkins. It has superior performance to those offered by the Aramid fiber used on the previous 600 range. B&W therefore ensures a rendition with a transparency and dynamic range of excellent quality in the mid-range register.

This driver is loaded in Bass reflex with a Flowport ™ vent which exits at the back of the Hi-Fi speaker. Because of that, the driver must be placed at least 20 cm off the back wall.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: FILTER AND TERMINAL BLOCK

The filter was entirely remade from the old version. It uses polypropylene capacitors with a 5% tolerance and very accurate air core coils.

It is linked to a quality gold plated double terminal block.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: SETUP

The setup is rather simple and does not require a lot of precaution, aside from placing them from 60 to 80 cm off the ground and not against the wall. It is better to leave 25 cm behind the speaker if we want to keep a realistic bass.

The B&W 606 S2 Anniversary are delivered with two foam filters which can be placed in the vent to change the frequency response in the bass, if necessary.

B&W offers a specific speaker stand of excellent quality, the B&W Stav24 S2.

B&W 606 S2 ANNIVERSARY: TESTING AND LISTENING

The restitution of these B&W speakers is stunning in terms of width and naturalness. The music fills the room with a remarkable ease. However, the restitution stays accurate and pretty realistic. It is more convincing with rock and jazz than with classical music because the depth is more highlighted than the width.

The transparency is associated with a very beautiful tonal balance, making this bookshelf speaker very versatile in terms of pairing with an amplifier.

In fact, it is easier to pair than its little sister, the B&W 607 S2 Anniversary bookshelf speaker. However, she is especially fond of powerful integrated amplifiers!

The mid-range is perfectly rendered with a stunning accuracy and presence. Like usual with B&W, the treble has a great finesse and is perfectly integrated to the mid-range register.

The bass goes very down. By the way, it’s better not to place them against the wall as to not artificially increase too much this part of the spectrum. Therefore, it is self-evident that placing them in a bookshelf is rather difficult!

This new B&W 606 S2 Anniversary speaker will fit perfectly in a living room of around 20 m² with small quality integrated amplifiers