It’s been 25 years since Bowers & Wilkins first introduced the 600 Series – the closest the company gets to an affordable entry point to its audiophile loudspeaker range – and to mark the occasion it’s announced a 25th Anniversary edition of the range.
This will be the seventh iteration of the 600 Series, first release in 1995, and while the fundamentals remain the same a few things have changed along the way, with upgrades including the addition of a decoupled dome tweeter and ‘continuum cone’ mid-range driver making their way into the 600s from B&W’s premium ranges over the years.
Acoustic upgrades are more modest this time around – understandable, given that the last tune-up was only in 2018. New bypass capacitors have been introduced from the 700 Series Signature range, while the main high-frequency and mid-frequency capacitors have been upgraded with new, improved designs.
The bigger changes are cosmetic. A special anniversary logo is etched into the tweeter surround on every model, while two new finishes join the existing black and white to mark the occasion: an oak that will be available here in the UK, and a red cherry version that is cruelly limited to Asia.
“The 600 Series Anniversary Edition is a classic example of Bowers & Wilkins thinking” said Andy Kerr, the company’s director of product marketing & communications. “By using our unique, in-house-developed components and technology from higher ranges, we can raise the performance of our entry-level product to new heights and for a very modest premium.”
The 600 Series refresh is a return to the fundamentals from the company, which has slowly been expanding its range into noise-cancelling headphones – three years on and the B&W PX are still a fixture in our noise-cancelling chart – and even wireless neckbuds like the PI3.
The updated 600 Series models are the 607 and 606 bookshelf speakers, the 603 floorstanding speakers, and the HTM6 centre-channel. They go with the existing ASW608, ASW610 and ASW610XP subwoofers, though those haven’t been given the anniversary special treatment.
The range has had a slight price bump, and now starts from £449/$699 for a pair of 607s, though the truly committed can drop £2916/$4296 for the complete 600 Series Anniversary Edition Theatre setup, which includes a pair of 603s, a pair of 607s, the HTM6, and an ASW610 subwoofer.
The whole range will be available to buy from Bowers & Wilkins by the end of September.
Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.