"Best Buy Award" - the-ear.net
"A Powerful and Majestic Loudspeaker"
The powerful 603 S2 Anniversary Edition combines the accuracy and transparency of Bowers & Wilkins' acclaimed Continuumâ„¢ mid-range cone with the scale and authority of two dedicated bass drivers. Featuring upgraded crossovers for even more transparency and a unique trim-ring to celebrate its status, the 603 S2 Anniversary Edition is the most sophisticated affordable floor-standing loudspeaker Bowers & Wilkins has ever made.
A floorstander designed to offer outstanding power accuracy and musicality, the 603 S2 is perfect for larger rooms and also ideal for home theater. It is available in a new Oak wood effect finish as well as in black and white finished.
"The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2 is a powerful and majestic loudspeaker with a look and sound that delivers rather more than the price tag might suggest," reports Rahiel 'Naz' Nasir in an May 17, 2021 review for the-ear.net, which honored the 603 S2 with a Best Buy Award. "It’s an excellent celebration of the 600 series anniversary."
Layered, Beautiful Details
The new 603 S2 Anniversary Edition adopts a refined and upgraded version of the proven Decoupled Double Dome tweeter, offering 38kHz breakup performance. The result? An accurate and immersive reproduction of your favorite music.
The Double Dome design comprises a 35-micron aluminum diaphragm reinforced with a 50-micron ring profile bonded to the rear surface of the dome. This stiffens the structure in its weakest area and pushes the break-up frequency of the structure up to 38kHz. At the same time, this approach minimizes the amount of mass being added to the assembly.
The tweeter is fully decoupled from the loudspeaker cabinet, achieved by housing the high-frequency assembly so that it effectively floats free of the baffle. This isolates any of the energy generated by the tweeter from the cabinet, therefore reducing any unwanted sound generated by the cabinet itself and also stopping any of the low and mid frequency energy (generated by the larger drive units in the enclosure) from affecting the tweeter's output.
Continuumâ„¢ Cone Midwoofer
Voices and instruments are delivered with purity and precision, thanks to the revolutionary Continuumâ„¢ cone midwoofer, as found in Bowers & Wilkins flagship 800 Series Diamond. Once reserved for only the company's most revered models, Continuum brings you a cleaner and more accurate performance.
The Continuum cone creates layered midrange sound with a pristine soundscape. The human ear is naturally tuned into sound in this frequency, and Bowers & Wilkins has understood the power of the perfect midrange presentation for over a generation.
Developed over an eight-year period, the Continuum cone was first featured on the company's flagship 800 Series Diamond models, including the 800 D3, used in Abbey Road Studios. It truly makes your music come alive, delivering the crucial sounds fundamental to any great music experience.
For powerful low frequency performance, the 603 S2 Anniversary Edition features two optimized low-frequency cones that combine terrific extension and superlative accuracy to give high levels of controlled bass with your favorite music and movies.
Optimized Crossover and Bi-Wirable Speaker Terminals
In addition to the celebratory cosmetic changes, the 600 Series Anniversary Edition also benefits from a new optimized crossover design featuring carefully selected components, offering greater insight from your music.
The 603 S2 has two linked pairs of speaker terminals on the back. For conventional connection, the terminal links should remain in place as delivered and just one pair of terminals connected to the amplifier. For bi-wire connections or bi-amplification, the terminal links should be removed and each pair of terminals connected to the amplifier or amplifiers independently. Bi-wiring can improve the resolution of low-level detail.
Adjustable Floor Spikes and Rubber Feet Included
The 603 S2 is intended to be floor mounted only, using the spike feet supplied whenever possible. In addition, the included plinth provides proper stability.
The spike feet are designed to pierce carpet and rest on the floor surface. Initially, screw the lock nuts onto the spikes enough to leave the nuts floating just above the carpet when the spikes are resting on the floor beneath. Screw the spikes fully into the threaded inserts in the plinth.
If there is no carpet and you wish to avoid scratching the floor surface, use either a protective metal disc between the spike and the floor, or use the supplied rubber feet. Fit the rubber feet and level the cabinet in the same manner as with the spike feet.