Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2 White Floorstanding Speaker

Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2 White Floorstanding Speaker – Three-Way Flagship of the 600 Series S2

The 603 S2 is the largest speaker in the Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series S2 range, a full three-way floorstander offered here in the White finish. It belongs to the S2 generation, the Anniversary Edition era of the 600 Series, and it should not be confused with the later S3 models: the 603 S2 uses a Decoupled Double Dome aluminium tweeter, whereas the S3 generation moved to a titanium dome. That aluminium tweeter, a dedicated Continuum midrange driver and twin paper-cone bass drivers give the 603 S2 a driver complement no other 600 Series S2 speaker matches.

Floorstanding cabinets earn their floor space by covering the full frequency range with authority, and the 603 S2 is built for exactly that in medium to large rooms. It is a passive speaker, happiest with 30W to 200W of amplification into 8 ohms, and it can serve as the front left and right channels of a stereo system or anchor the front stage of a 600 Series S2 home theatre alongside the matching centre and stand-mount models.

Key features

• Three-way vented-box design with separate treble, midrange and bass drivers
• 25mm Decoupled Double Dome aluminium tweeter
• Dedicated 150mm Continuum cone FST midrange driver
• Twin 165mm paper-cone bass drivers for extension to 28Hz at -6dB
• Upgraded crossover components for the S2 Anniversary Edition
• Supplied plinth, spikes and two-piece foam port plugs

A dedicated midrange, done properly

The defining feature of the 603 S2 is that the midrange does not have to produce bass. A 150mm Continuum cone with FST, Fixed Suspension Transducer, surround technology handles voices and instruments on its own. The FST surround minimises the time-smearing that a conventional surround can introduce, so the midrange responds quickly and cleanly. Because the cone is relieved of long bass excursions, it stays composed at high levels, and the result is the clarity on vocals, dialogue and acoustic instruments that smaller two-way speakers from the range cannot quite equal.

Bass from twin paper cones

Below the midrange, two 165mm paper-cone bass drivers work together in the vented cabinet, assisted by a rear Flowport. Paper cones are light and well damped, and doubling them gives the surface area needed for genuine low-frequency weight: the response measures 48Hz to 28kHz within 3dB, with the -6dB points at 28Hz and 33kHz. That extension means many listeners will find no need for a subwoofer with music, while the foam port plugs allow the bass to be trimmed when the speakers stand near a wall. Sensitivity is 88.5dB and nominal impedance 8 ohms with a 3 ohm minimum, so a capable amplifier with good current delivery is the right partner.

Cabinet and finishing details

The cabinet stands 985mm tall, 190mm wide and 340mm deep on its own, rising to 1055mm tall on the supplied plinth, which widens the footprint to 320mm by 370mm for stability; each speaker weighs 24.1kg. Dual binding post terminals allow bi-wiring or bi-amping. The S2 Anniversary Edition revisions included an optimised crossover with upgraded components, chosen to extract more transparency from the same driver set. The White finish pairs with a grey grille and suits lighter interiors where a large black cabinet would dominate.

Where the 603 S2 fits

Within its generation, the 603 S2 is the step up for listeners who have the room: it plays louder, goes deeper and separates the frequency bands more completely than the stand-mount models. Matched with the rest of the S2 range it forms a coherent theatre front stage; used alone in stereo it is a complete full-range system that needs only a good amplifier and sources to perform at its best.