Полочная акустика — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) 606 S3

The 606 S3 belongs to the S3 generation of the 600 Series from Bowers & Wilkins, the British company based in Worthing. It is a passive 2-way vented-box design and sits above the 607 S3 in the range. Cabinets come in Black, White and Oak, with a black grille on the black version and a grey grille on the other two.

Key specs that matter

It combines a 25 mm Titanium Dome tweeter and a 165 mm Continuum cone bass/midrange unit. Bowers & Wilkins rates the frequency response at 52 Hz to 28 kHz within 3 dB and the wider frequency range at 40 Hz to 33 kHz at the -6 dB points. Sensitivity is 88 dB on axis at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 3.7 ohm. Harmonic distortion of the second and third harmonics at 90 dB and 1 m stays below 1 percent from 100 Hz to 22 kHz and below 0.5 percent from 150 Hz to 12 kHz. The cabinet is 344 mm high, 189 mm wide and 300 mm deep, or 328 mm deep with grille and terminals, and weighs 7.05 kg.

Engineering and use context

For the S3 generation Bowers & Wilkins moved to titanium for the tweeter dome for the first time in the 600 Series, replacing the earlier aluminium dome. The Decoupled Double Dome principle is kept for the tweeter, which now sits in a diaphragm mounting plate of the size used in the 700 Series S3. Its grille has the more open design taken from the 800 Series Signature. The Continuum cone is a composite diaphragm meant to prevent the sudden shifts in behaviour seen in a conventional cone as frequency rises. Bass loading uses a Flowport, the dimpled reflex port design of the company. With a single bass/midrange driver covering everything below the tweeter, the 606 S3 has a bigger cone than the 607 S3. Its cabinet is 44 mm taller, 24 mm wider and 93 mm deeper, and it adds 2.4 kg, yet the two models share the same lower limit in the in-band response figure.

Pairing

Bowers & Wilkins recommends 30 W to 120 W. The low impedance minimum means an amplifier that stays stable at lower loads is a sensible match. The maker also gives a maximum recommended cable impedance of 0.1 ohm, which favours speaker cable of adequate gauge over long thin runs.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 is the compact 2-way sibling in the 600 Series S3, with a 130 mm Continuum cone, 84 dB sensitivity and a 4.65 kg cabinet.