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B&W 603 vs B&W 606 Comparison

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B&W 603

Passive Floor-standing | 48-28k Hz

Bowers & Wilkins 603
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B&W 606

Passive Bookshelf | 52-28k Hz

Bowers & Wilkins 606
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B&W 603 B&W 603
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B&W 606 B&W 606
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B&W 603
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B&W 606
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B&W 603 vs B&W 606 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Bowers Wilkins. Bowers & Wilkins 603 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the BW 606 is a Bookshelf speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of B&W 603 and B&W 606 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

B&W 603 Key Specs

  • 3-way Design
  • 1" Tweeter
  • 6" Midrange
  • 2 x 6.5" Paper Woofer
  • 48-28k Hz Frequency Response
  • 88.5 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 8ohms
  • Power Range:30-200watts
  • Weight:24.14kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 985.0" x 7.4" x 13.3"( 985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm )

B&W 606 Key Specs

  • 2-way Design
  • 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter
  • 6.5" Continuum Woofer
  • 52-28k Hz Frequency Response
  • 88 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 8ohms
  • Power Range:30-120watts
  • Weight:6.90kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 345.0" x 7-1/2" x 12-13/16"( 345.0 x 190.0 x 324.0mm )

BW 603 and BW 606 are members of Bowers Wilkins's 600 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Bowers Wilkins 600 Series History
Model Body Frequency SensitivityImpedance Woofer
B&W 606
Bookshelf 52-28k Hz 88 dB8Ω 1 x 6.5"
B&W 603
Floor-standing 48-28k Hz 88.5 dB8Ω 2 x 6.5"
B&W 607
  
Bookshelf 52-28k Hz 84 dB8Ω 1 x 5"

What size room are the B&W 603 and B&W 606 speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment* B&W 603 B&W 606
Near-field Bad Poor
Small Room Poor Average
Mid-size Room Good Good
Large Room Good Average
Very Large Room Poor Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2, Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m2. Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the B&W 603 and B&W 606 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.


**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that BW 603 is a 3-way design whereas the BW 606 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.

Driver B&W 603 B&W 606
Driver Setup 3-way 2-way
Tweeter 1-inch 1-inch
Midrange 1 x 6-inch -
Woofer 2 x 6.5-inch 1 x 6.5-inch

BW 603 features a 1" Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Paper Woofer . On the other hand, the BW 606 features a 1" Decoupled Carbon Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Continuum Woofer .

Frequency Response

BW 603 has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz whereas BW 606 has a frequency range of 52-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the BW 603 can go slightly deeper then the BW 606's min frequency of 52Hz.

Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

BW 603
BW 606
Min
Average
Max
High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

B&W 603
B&W 606
Min
Average
Max

None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

BW 603 and BW 606 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. BW 603 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the BW 606's is at 88 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the B&W 603 a more sensitive speaker compared to B&W 606, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

BW 603
BW 606
Min
Average
Max

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.

BW 603 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas BW 606 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 80 watts less than the BW 603.

Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Both BW 603 and BW 606 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

B&W 606Post Terminals
B&W 606's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both BW 603 and BW 606 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.

If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.

Physical Specs

Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare B&W 603's and B&W 606's external dimensions. B&W 603 has external dimensions of 985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm ( 38.7 x 7.4 x 13.3inch) whereas B&W 606 has external dimensions of 345.0 x 190.0 x 324.0mm ( 13.5 x 7.4 x 12.7inch) .

Below you can see the front view size comparison of B&W 603 and B&W 606 in scale.

B&W 603 vs B&W 606 Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of B&W 603 and B&W 606 Size and External Dimensions

Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited. The base surface area of the B&W 603 is approximately 646.0cm2 / 100.1inch2 and base area of the B&W 606 is approximately 615.6cm2 / 95.4inch2. The BW 603 requires 5% more surface area than the BW 606 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of B&W 603?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of BW 603:
  • Floorstanding loudspeaker
  • Grille
  • Plinith (base)
  • 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
  • 4 Rubber feet
  • 4 Spike feet
  • 4 Hex-nuts
  • 4 Screws
  • 4 Washers
  • 4 Lock-washers
  • Two-piece foam port plug
  • Hex-key
  • Manual
  • Bowers & Wilkins brochure
  • Warranty Information
  • What's in the Box of B&W 606?

    Here are the items that come with the BW 606:
  • 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
  • 2 Grilles
  • 2 Two-piece foam port plugs
  • 8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
  • 4 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
  • Manual
  • Bowers & Wilkins brochure
  • Warranty Information

  • Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins 603 over Bowers & Wilkins 606
    Max Input Power 200 watts vs 120 watts Handle more power from your amplifier
    Driver Setup 3-way vs 2-way Have a dedicated mid-range driver
    Sensitivity 89 dB vs 88 dB Play louder with same amount of amplification power
    Number of Woofers 2 vs 1 More woofers
    Low Frequency Response 48 Hz vs 52 Hz Generates deeper bass

    Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins 606 over Bowers & Wilkins 603

    Height 345mm vs 985mm Easier to fit in smaller spaces
    Base Surface Area 615cm2 vs 646cm2 Takes less floor space
    B&W 603 vs B&W 606 Specs Table
    Detailed comparison of specifications
    General Bowers & Wilkins 603 Bowers & Wilkins 606
    Brand Bowers Wilkins Bowers Wilkins
    Speaker Type Floor-standing speaker Bookshelf speakers
    Power Range 30-200 watts 30-120 watts
    Sensitivity 88.5 dB 88 dB
    Impedance 8 ohms 8 ohms
    Impedance n/a 3.7 ohms
    Frequency Response 48-28k Hz 52-28k Hz
    Drivers
    Woofer Quantity 2 1
    Woofer Size 6.5" 6.5"
    Woofer Composition Paper Continuum
    Woofer Surround Material Rubber Rubber
    Tweeter Size 1" 1"
    Tweeter Type n/a Hard-Dome
    Aimable Tweeter No No
    Midrange Driver 6" No
    Firing Direction rear rear
    Suggested Break-in Period n/a allow up to a week for the temperature effects to stabilise and 15 hours of average use for the parts to attain their intended design characteristics.
    Physical Specs
    Height 985.0mm (38.8") 345.0mm (13.6")
    Width 190.0mm (7.5") 190.0mm (7.5")
    Depth 340.0mm (13.4") 324.0mm (12.8")
    Weight 24.14kg (53.1lbs) 6.90kg (15.2lbs)
    Enclosure Bass Reflex Bass Reflex
    Finish MDF/Vinyl MDF/Vinyl
    Available Colors Black, White, Oak Black, White, Oak
    Mounting Bracket No No
    Recommended Stand Height n/a 24-26"
    Grille Yes Yes
    Moisture Resistancy No No
    Connections
    Biamp Inputs Yes Yes
    Other
    Parts Warranty 5 Years 5 Years
    Labor Warranty 5 Years 5 Years

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