Features
| Warranty length | 5 Years |
|---|---|
| Brand | Bowers and Wilkins |
Tech Specs
Technical features
- Decoupled Double Dome Titanium tweeter - Continuum™ cone FST™ midrange - Paper bass cones - Flowport™
- Description - 3-way vented-box system
- Drive units - 1x ø25mm (1 in) Titanium Dome high-frequency - 1x ø150mm (6 in) Continuum cone FST midrange - 2x ø165mm (6.5 in) Paper bass cone
- Frequency range - -6dB 29Hz - 33kHz
- Frequency response (+/-3dB from reference axis) - 46Hz - 28kHz ±3dB
- Sensitivity (on axis at 2.83Vrms at 1m) - 90dB
- Harmonic distortion - 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m on axis) - <1% 100Hz - 22kHz - <0.5% 350Hz - 12kHz
- Nominal impedance - 8Ω (minimum 3.0Ω)
- Recommended amplifier power - 30W - 200W into 8Ω on unclipped programme
- Max recommended cable impedance - 0.1Ω
Finishes
- Cabinet finishes
- Black
- White
- Oak
- Grille finishes
- Black (Black)
- Grey (White and Oak)
Dimensions
- Height: 985 mm (38.8 in) cabinet only - 1,020 mm (40.2 in) including plinth
- Width: 190 mm (7.5 in) cabinet only - 260 mm (10.2 in) including plinth
- Depth: 340 mm (13.4 in) cabinet only - 368 mm (14.5 in) including grille and terminals - 402 mm (15.8 in) including plinth
Net weight
- 27.5kg (60.6 lb)
Product Description
The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 speakers are the largest loudspeakers in the 600 range and the only floorstanders. They are ideal for stereo systems in larger rooms and as front speakers in a home cinema systems. The 25mm Titanium dome tweeter is augmented by a 150mm midrange driver and two 165mm paper-coned bass drivers. Power handling is up to 200 Watts. Additionally, the Acclaimed Continuum cone midrange driver has great accuracy and transparency.
Titanium dome tweeters
The tweeters in the Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 speakers feature an all-new titanium dome. This driver provides remarkable resolution as well as great musical insight and a smooth response. This is due to the nature of titanium, which is used in the space industry.
Titanium resists beak-ups at high powers and is very heat resistant. Additionally, the attractive grill is acoustically transparent and acts as a waveguide to give a wider high-frequency dispersion.
Composite bass/midrange units
The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 speakers also use the renowned Continuum composite cone. This is another material that resists break-ups and abrupt transitions in the response. This can happen with lesser materials. The result is a sound that delivers voices and instruments with position and verve. Finally to enhance the bass even more a Flowport bass reflex vent is used.
Upgraded speaker terminals
All of the 600 series are capable of being bi-wired as they have four terminals. This means that the Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 Speakers can use two sets of cables from the amplifier. In fact, the cables connect to the same terminals on the amplifier but the heavier cabling reduces the impedance and enhances the current carrying capacity. Notably some active speakers actually have two amplifiers that drive the woofer and tweeter separately.
A word about crossovers
The crossover in the Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 Speaker is more complex than the rest of the range, as it is a three-way system. This requires the use of a bandpass filter for the midrange unit as well as a high pass filter for the tweeter. The crossover splits the audio spectrum into bands that feed each driver separately.
These are made up of inductors and capacitors that have to be of high quality, as they need to last for decades without changing value or going leaky. In fact, it is recommended, for vintage speakers, to change to modern capacitors to improve the sound.
