In this review, we will be comparing XR100 and BW 603, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from McIntosh and Bowers Wilkins.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of McIntosh XR100 and B&W 603 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | McIntosh XR100 | B&W 603 |
|---|
| Brand | McIntosh
United States · founded 1949 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 4-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 2" dome (x2) | 1" |
|---|
| Super tweeter | 0.75" super tweeter | — |
|---|
| Midrange | 8 x 2.0" | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene | 2 x 6.5" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-45k Hz | 48-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 88.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 75-600 watts | 30-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 31.14kg / 68.5lbs | 24.14kg / 53.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 49-13/16" x 11-5/8" x 17"
1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm | 38.7" x 7.4" x 13.3"
985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the McIntosh XR100 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* |
McIntosh XR100 |
B&W 603 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that XR100 is a 4-way design whereas the BW 603 is a 3-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.
McIntosh XR100B&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 |
McIntosh XR100 |
B&W 603 |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
3-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
0.75-inch |
- |
|
Tweeter
|
2-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
8 x 2.0-inch |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
4 x 6.0-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
XR100 features a 2" titanium tweeter with neodymium-iron-boron alloy magnet dome (x2) Tweeter, a 0.75" Supertweeter , a 2.0" Midrange and 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ. On the other hand, the BW 603 features a 1" Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Paper Woofer.
Frequency Response
XR100 has a frequency range of 30-45k Hz whereas BW 603 has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the XR100 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the BW 603's min frequency of 48Hz.
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
XR100 and BW 603 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. XR100 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the BW 603's is at 88.5 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the B&W 603 a more sensitive speaker compared to McIntosh XR100, 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.
XR100 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas BW 603 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 400 watts less than the XR100.
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 XR100 and BW 603 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
McIntosh XR100's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both XR100 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.
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 McIntosh XR100's and B&W 603's external dimensions. McIntosh XR100 has external dimensions of 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm (49-13/16 x 11-5/8 x 17inch) whereas B&W 603 has external dimensions of 985.0 x 190.0 x 340.0mm (38.7 x 7.4 x 13.3inch).
McIntosh XR100 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 106mm wider, 281mm taller and 92mm deeper than B&W 603.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of McIntosh XR100 and B&W 603 in scale.
Comparison image of McIntosh XR100 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 McIntosh XR100 is approximately 1278.7cm2 / 198.2inch2 and base area of the B&W 603 is approximately 646.0cm2 / 100.1inch2. The XR100 requires 98% 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 McIntosh XR100 weighs 31.14kg / 68.5lbs and the B&W 603 weighs 24.14kg / 53.1lbs. This makes the XR100 29% heavier than the BW 603.
Here is a comparison of how XR100 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 McIntosh XR100?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of XR100:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Feet
- 4 Glides
- 4 Tiptoes
- 4 Screws
- Owners Manual
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
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
4-way
vs
3-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
48 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
45k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6.0 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
985mm
vs
1266mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
1278cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
McIntosh XR100 |
Bowers & Wilkins 603 |
| Brand |
McIntosh |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
75-600 watts |
30-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
88.5 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-45k Hz |
48-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
4 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.0" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Paper |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
2" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome (x2) |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
2.0" |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1266.0mm (49.8") |
985.0mm (38.8") |
| Width |
296.0mm (11.7") |
190.0mm (7.5") |
| Depth |
432.0mm (17") |
340.0mm (13.4") |
| Weight |
31.14kg (68.5lbs) |
24.14kg (53.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Real wood veneer |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Red Walnut, Black, Pear Maple |
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 | A | McIntosh XR100 digs deeper - 30Hz against 48Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | B&W 603 is more sensitive (89dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | McIntosh XR100 takes more power (600W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | B&W 603 is easier to place; McIntosh XR100 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | McIntosh XR100: bi-amping; B&W 603: bi-amping. |
A McIntosh XR100 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?
McIntosh XR100 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 a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 48Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate McIntosh XR100 the better fit for a very large room, and B&W 603 for a mid-size room.
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.