B&W 683 floor standers

Kbarkamiam: Yes I have heard the 683's once I believe up close being driven by a high powered Rotel amp. From what I can remember, they sounded great but I respect your review and you could be right. That was back in late 2007 and I'll need to audition them again in depth.

When you refer to their previous version, I believe you're talking about the DM604 S3's. Is that correct? Those I had auditioned in depth vs the DM603 S3's back in early 2007 and I went with the 603's. What I'm considering now is upping from my 603's to the 683's which should improve on the bass ext, etc. What would you think of this potential upgrade?

I like the 603 better than the 604 as well. The bass was better controlled IMO. They both sounded a bit boomy to my ears. The 683 improved the bass, but messed up some other stuff IMO. Its all a trade off. The uncohesiveness I've heard in them wasn't due to electronics or the rooms. I've heard them with Mac, Bryston, Rotel, and NAD gear. Same results every time. Everyone's ears are different.

Regardless of this issue, I think going from 603s to 683s is more or less a lateral move. Perhaps a little better, but not a night and day difference in the end. I think it'll be more of a change than a true upgrade. If you're after significantly more bass energy, I doubt the 683 will be much of an upgrade.

If bass is your problem, have you tried playing around with placement? Improper placement can cause a ton of problems, most notably bass issues. There's no one correct way to place a pair of speakers, and a lot of it is trial and error. Here's a link to a great placement article if you're unsure about it -

http://www.audiophysic.com/aufstellung/beispiel_e.html

Also, what does the rest of your system consist of?

If that's not the problem, an excellent speaker I heard are the Revel Concerta F12 for about $1500. They've got a ton of bass and sound great too. I heard them next to the 683s and there was no contest to my ears. There was nothing the 683 did that the F12s didn't do far better. If you need low end slam and punch, these are a must audition IMO. I really liked them, but my room is way too small for them.

Just my opinions. Take them as you will.

JR

KB:

Thanks very much for your input and opinions. That is great info. I really still love my DM603's. Such detail and soundstage. They're on right now and they're "dancin"!! Broken in beautifully now.

Actually it really all comes down to which CD I'm playing. Right now I have on a smooth jazz CD that was just released by a Brian Simpson (Above the Clouds). It's got plenty of slam and boom. I had to back off on the sub. All of my HDCD's have excellent bass ext too and on most, I have to lower down the sub. It's on those other CD's that sound thin and tinny where I could use more. But if I upgrade to a boomier pair of main speakers such as the F12's, then I'll have too much when I'm playing the better CD's. It's one of those interesting dilemmas.

Actually I made a decision to go the route of an improved room treatment instead. The room is on the ground floor with an oversized sliding glass door covered by a very large drape. The drape is rather thin and translucent and about 11 years old. It's time for a new one. We're going to replace it with a thicker more thermally insulated top quality custom made curtain of a darker color with inner and outer linings. We had the curtain lady over today. This will not only keep the room warmer in the winter but clearly improve the overall sound. It will also keep light out in the daytime when closed also improving sound during daylight hours. The news that stunned me is that a custom made pair of drapes this size with two linings, etc is going to run close to $1K. Can you believe that? I'm a guy. What the heck do I know about bloody curtains? Well, I know now !!

I'll try and get a listen to those Revel F12's. I've read about them and they have rec'd great reviews. You've peaked my curiosity. Thanks again!!

Pdn,

Making the room better will improve any system. Its a great direction to go. $1k curtains? Now I'm curious as to how much my wife paid. In fairness, we're always honest about our expendatures whenever asked. Key words - whenever asked.

I can see where you're coming from in regards to apprehension to getting a "boomier speaker." I highly doubt it'll go the way you thing it will. The bass is stronger, but far more accurate and realistic IMO. Its tighter and deeper, being truer to the source. I highly doubt it'll sound overblown, unless of course the room isn't appropriate. If you've got a dealer near by, stop in and check them out. They're a very interesting speaker. I was very surprised by them. They're worthy of all the praise they got a while back IMO.

Its a very dificult situation, I used for two years a DM603s3 with a Mac gear, and fell fine about this stuff, but later i get a pair of 683's. My firsr impression about this speakers was excellent, wide response, space and for the price nice bass, but remember that we have to put some hours of use to get more warm sound, just like the others 603, actually i put it on tubes, quite excellent, the other problem to the 683 is the space, you nned a lot of it to play well, if you have a reduced place try the 682.