In this review, we will be comparing Opticon 6 MK2 and BW 603, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and Bowers Wilkins.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Opticon 6 II and B&W 603 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Opticon 6 II | B&W 603 |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Wood Fiber | 2 x 6.5" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 49-30k Hz | 48-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 88.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-200 watts | 30-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.30kg / 42.5lbs | 24.14kg / 53.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39-3/4" x 7-5/8" x 13-3/8"
1010.0 x 195.0 x 340.0mm | 38.7" x 7.4" x 13.3"
985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the DALI Opticon 6 II and B&W 603 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* |
DALI Opticon 6 II |
B&W 603 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| 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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Opticon 6 MK2 and BW 603 are 3-way speakers.
DALI Opticon 6 IIB&W 603
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
DALI Opticon 6 II |
B&W 603 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Opticon 6 MK2 features a 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 800Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz. On the other hand, the BW 603 features a 1" Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Paper Woofer.
Frequency Response
Opticon 6 MK2 has a frequency range of 49-30k Hz whereas BW 603 has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the BW 603 can go slightly deeper then the Opticon 6 MK2's min frequency of 49Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Opticon 6 MK2 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the BW 603 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Opticon 6 MK2 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Opticon 6 MK2 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the BW 603's is rated at 88.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the B&W 603 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Opticon 6 II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 200 watts RMS, though Opticon 6 MK2 is rated 25-200 watts and BW 603 30-200 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Opticon 6 MK2 and BW 603 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
DALI Opticon 6 II's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Opticon 6 MK2 and BW 603 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.
DALI Opticon 6 II Port
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare DALI Opticon 6 II's and B&W 603's external dimensions. DALI Opticon 6 II has external dimensions of 1010.0 x 195.0 x 340.0mm (39-3/4 x 7-5/8 x 13-3/8inch) whereas B&W 603 has external dimensions of 985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm (38.7 x 7.4 x 13.3inch).
B&W 603 is 5mm narrower and 25mm shorter than DALI Opticon 6 II but they have the same thickness of 340.0mm.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Opticon 6 II and B&W 603 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Opticon 6 II and B&W 603 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 DALI Opticon 6 II is approximately 663.0cm2 / 102.8inch2 and base area of the B&W 603 is approximately 646.0cm2 / 100.1inch2. The Opticon 6 MK2 requires 3% more surface area than the BW 603 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The DALI Opticon 6 II weighs 19.30kg / 42.5lbs and the B&W 603 weighs 24.14kg / 53.1lbs. This makes the BW 603 25% heavier than the Opticon 6 MK2.
Here is a comparison of how Opticon 6 MK2 and BW 603's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of DALI Opticon 6 II?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Opticon 6 MK2:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Binding post jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes (with lock nuts)
- 4 Rubber pads
- 4 Screws
- Hex-key
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Congratulations Card
What's in the Box of B&W 603?
Here are the items that come with the 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
 High Frequency Response |
30k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
48 Hz
vs
49 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
985mm
vs
1010mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
663cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
DALI Opticon 6 MK2 |
Bowers & Wilkins 603 |
| Brand |
DALI |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
25-200 watts |
30-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
88.5 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
49-30k Hz |
48-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Wood Fiber |
Paper |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
800Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1010.0mm (39.8") |
985.0mm (38.8") |
| Width |
195.0mm (7.7") |
190.0mm (7.5") |
| Depth |
340.0mm (13.4") |
340.0mm (13.4") |
| Weight |
19.30kg (42.5lbs) |
24.14kg (53.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Satin Black, Tobacco Oak, Satin White |
Black, White, Oak |
| 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 |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (49Hz vs 48Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | B&W 603 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | DALI Opticon 6 II: bi-amping; B&W 603: bi-amping. DALI Opticon 6 II sits in a wider range (6 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
A DALI Opticon 6 II B B&W 603
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
B&W 603 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, B&W 603 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.