Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3

Sources split. About half hear a balanced, natural and lively tone: Hi-Fi Voice calls it sober and unaggressive, HifiClube more balanced than the S2, and Sound Advice even a little polite. The other half hear a balance tilted upwards — What Hi-Fi and TechRadar call it forward and assertive but enjoy it, Hi-Fi Class says the tilt is plain to hear, and Les Numériques says the maker inflates the top of the spectrum. The split tracks the treble (below), the amplifier and how the speakers are placed.

Sources split. Most reviewers — Hi-Fi i Muzyka, Audiostereo, Sound Advice, hifi.de, Hi-Fi Riff, AV Nirvana and Taps Das among them — call the titanium tweeter clean, sweet and detailed, and say the harshness of older 600 Series models is gone. A smaller group hears it as forward: What Hi-Fi and TechRadar like it but warn it can turn too much with bright partnering kit, avguide.ch hears a slight brilliance lift on stands away from walls, and Les Numériques and a listener who home-trialled 13 pairs find it too bright outright. Owners who like it sometimes turn the treble down a little.

A clear strength. Nearly every reviewer describes a natural, open and articulate midrange with clear, well-projected vocals — avguide.ch hears no coloration at all, and Hi-Fi i Muzyka says it is natural and not brightened. The one reservation is Les Numériques', which measured small port resonances in the upper mids that can blur voices at high volume; the supplied foam plug smooths them.

“The midrange is open and eloquent”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“Verfärbungen sind im tonalen Bereich keine auszumachen”

avguide.ch (German: 'no colorations can be made out in the tonal range'; Marantz M-CR612)

“Do nieprzeciętnej jakości wysokich tonów zdołała się dopasować średnica – naturalna i bynajmniej nie rozjaśniona, za to bogata w odgłosy towarzyszące śpiewaniu i wydobywaniu dźwięku z instrumentów.”

Hi-Fi i Muzyka (Polish: 'the midrange keeps up with the exceptional treble — natural and by no means brightened, rich in the small sounds of singing and playing')

Good for the size, limited in absolute terms. Most reviewers find it punchy, quick and fuller than a 30 cm box should manage — avguide.ch and i-fidelity even call it deep — and owners describe it as surprisingly weighty in small rooms. But the bottom octave is missing: Hi-Fi Voice puts real extension around 70 Hz and lists the bass limit as its main drawback, AV Nirvana calls it light, and several reviewers suggest a subwoofer for full-range playback. Close-to-wall placement adds weight (see placement).

“while they don’t go as bone-shatteringly deep as bigger speakers, they do land with impact”

What Hi-Fi? (Rega io, Cambridge Audio CXA81, PMC Cor)

“Diese zierlichen Kompaktboxen können Bass.”

Marius Donadello, i-fidelity.net (German: 'these dainty compacts can do bass'; small room, on stands)

“notný limit basové složky – chtějí buď velký převis výkonu nebo maličkou místnost”

Daniel Březina, Hi-Fi Voice (Czech: 'a considerable limit in the bass — they want either a big reserve of power or a tiny room')

“the 607 doesn't deliver any subbase to speak of and bass is light but it's not absent”

Travis Ballstadt, AV Nirvana (YouTube; Jolida BRC-202 tube integrated)

Widely praised. Reviewers describe a stage that is wide, deep and well layered and far bigger than the cabinets — Hi-Fi Voice rates it the S3 range's standout trait, and Hi-Fi i Muzyka and Audiostereo say the speakers disappear. Les Numériques is cooler, calling the stage coherent but not especially large.

“Ať je to čím chce, 607 S3 mají solidní talent na podání prostorovosti.”

Daniel Březina, Hi-Fi Voice (Czech: 'whatever the reason, the 607 S3 have a real talent for conveying space')

“a soundstage that’s bigger than the physical size of the speakers might seem capable of creating”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“Brytyjskie skrzyneczki potrafią bez większej trudności zniknąć z pokoju, co złośliwcy mogą zapewne przypisywać ich miniaturowej posturze.”

Hi-Fi i Muzyka (Polish: 'the little British boxes disappear from the room without much effort — which the malicious may put down to their tiny size')

Precise and stable. Reviewers describe sharply placed, well-separated performers and solid phantom images; i-fidelity and Sound Advice find that a little toe-in sharpens the image further.

“Wykonawcy zostali wyraźnie odseparowani od tła, a ich pozycja na scenie pozostawała czytelna.”

Hi-Fi i Muzyka (Polish: 'performers were clearly separated from the background and their position on the stage stayed easy to read')

“Gleichwohl lasse ich bei ihrer Aufstellung Sorgfalt walten, die von den 607 S3 mit schärferer Abbildung belohnt wird, wenn man sie leicht auf den Hörplatz einwinkelt.”

Marius Donadello, i-fidelity.net (German: 'I still take care setting them up, which the 607 S3 reward with a sharper image when angled slightly towards the listening seat')

Highly detailed and revealing. Reviewers and owners agree it digs out a lot of information for the price. Audiostereo and Hi-Fi Class add that it lays bare a mismatched system, while What Hi-Fi finds it shows differences in recording quality without making a fuss about poor ones. Hi-Fi Voice is the exception, finding it sober and not especially analytical.

“Detail levels are very high in every respect”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“Nie ma też pobłażliwości dla nieudanych konfiguracji, więc jeśli tylko coś gdzieś z czymś się nie dogaduje, to Bowersy nie omieszkają Was o tym poinformować.”

Audiostereo.pl (Polish: 'there is no leniency for failed configurations either — if something somewhere doesn't get on with something else, the Bowers will let you know')

“They’re very detailed but not harsh in any way.”

planbot3000, r/BudgetAudiophile (owner; Sonos Amp, 15×15 ft living room)

Lively and punchy at normal levels, with a limit when pushed. What Hi-Fi heard little distortion turned up and good life at low volume, and TechRadar and avguide.ch praise unexpected headroom. But Taps Das hears strain when very loud, HifiClube says piano hardens when pushed, Hi-Fi i Muzyka would steer clear of heavy metal, and Ulvespill heard distortion at higher volumes from a small Denon system. Most say it needs a capable amplifier to sound its most dynamic (see power).

“We’re impressed with how little distortion creeps in when we crank up the volume, too”

What Hi-Fi? (Rega io, Cambridge Audio CXA81, PMC Cor)

“If anything, once you get up really really loud, then these speakers start to like strain and stress a little bit, but they are tiny speakers.”

Taps Das (YouTube; Technics streaming integrated)

“Dessverre sliter de litt når du øker volumet til 55+ på forsterkeren, spesielt når du strømmer musikk via Spotify-appen på telefonen.”

Ulvespill (Norwegian: 'unfortunately they struggle a little when you turn the amp past 55, especially streaming from the Spotify app'; Denon CEOL RCD-N12DAB)

Fairly forgiving, best in small rooms. Sound Advice calls it almost room-proof, hifi.de heard little difference between 30 and 60 cm from the wall, Taps Das used it 6–8 inches from the wall without trouble, and i-fidelity found it earthy but controlled near a wall. Hi-Fi Class goes further and treats it as a shelf speaker that needs the wall to support the port. Les Numériques notes Bowers & Wilkins advises 40–50 cm of clearance for the rear port, and HifiClube warns of mild boom too close. The supplied foam plugs tame the bass if it has to go on a shelf. Small to medium rooms suit it best; a slight toe-in helps at a distance.

“the Bowers & Wilkins engineers seem to have almost completely room-proofed them”

Andrew Everard, Sound Advice

“In unserem Hörtest machte es jedoch nur geringe Unterschiede, ob du den Lautsprecher jetzt 30 oder 60 Zentimeter von der Rückwand entfernt aufstellst.”

Tim Hundenborn, hifi.de (German: 'in our listening test it made only small differences whether you place the speaker 30 or 60 cm from the rear wall'; on stands)

“la présence d'un évent à l'arrière compromet le placement de l'enceinte près d'un mur (la marque conseille 40-50 cm d'écart)”

Les Numériques (French: 'the rear port compromises placement near a wall — the maker advises 40–50 cm of clearance')

Wants a capable amplifier. With 84 dB sensitivity and a 3-ohm minimum, reviewers agree it needs more power than most small speakers, and the recurring advice is about current and character as much as watts: Hi-Fi Class and HifiClube want good current delivery, What Hi-Fi and TechRadar warn against bright partners, and Hi-Fi Riff says a 10-watt desktop amp won't do. Others found it easy enough: avguide.ch drove it to loud levels from a 2×60 W Marantz system, and Sound Advice enjoyed it on a modest 35 W mini-system, though it got better with stronger amps.

“Potrzebują nie byle jakiego wzmacniacza – wydajnego prądowego, przejrzystego, o pełnej barwie i obszernym basie.”

Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'they need no ordinary amplifier — one with good current delivery, transparent, full-toned and with ample bass'; Rogue Audio Pharaoh II)

“these have a sensitivity quoted sensitivity of 84 DB which is sort of ls35a type sensitivity”

Hi-Fi Riff (David Price and Mike Evans, YouTube; Sony integrated)

“hatte die Melody mit ihren 2 x 60 Watt selbst bei elektronischer Musik keine Mühe, satte Pegel unverzerrt aus den Kompaktboxen herauszuholen”

avguide.ch (German: 'the Melody, with its 2 × 60 watts, had no trouble getting rich, undistorted levels out of them even with electronic music'; Marantz M-CR612)

Very well made for the price, with neat finishing, bi-wire terminals borrowed from the 700 Series and threaded inserts for the matching stand. The finishes are a vinyl wrap: Les Numériques finds the oak version's plastic feel obvious up close, and TechRadar says 'luxurious' doesn't apply.

“die Verarbeitungsqualität lässt in keinerlei Weise auf den Verkaufspreis schließen”

Marius Donadello, i-fidelity.net (German: 'the build quality gives no hint of the selling price')

“Son aspect plastique est très perceptible au toucher”

Les Numériques (French, on the oak vinyl wrap: 'its plastic feel is very noticeable to the touch')

Mostly judged good value: What Hi-Fi gave it five stars, Hi-Fi Riff called it the best cheap bookshelf speaker on sale, and Hi-Fi i Muzyka found it hard to beat at the price. Many note the sizeable price rise over the S2 and that bigger speakers cost less; Ulvespill doesn't think the sound justifies the price, a Reddit listener preferred KEF's Q Concerto and R3 Meta, and an ASR member points buyers to the KEF Q1 Meta. Street prices in the UK and Europe often undercut the US list price.

“Indeed, Mike and David think that it's the best cheap bookshelf speaker on sale right now, and more fun than you'd expect from a budget box.”

Hi-Fi Riff (YouTube description)

“Jeżeli będziecie świadomi atutów i ograniczeń 607 S3, to trudno będzie znaleźć lepiej brzmiące głośniki w porównywalnej cenie.”

Hi-Fi i Muzyka (Polish: 'if you are aware of the 607 S3's strengths and limits, it will be hard to find better-sounding speakers at a comparable price')

“Prisen på Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 høyttalere ligger i den høyere enden av skalaen, og dessverre leverer de ikke alltid lydkvalitet som rettferdiggjør prisen.”

Ulvespill (Norwegian: 'the price is at the higher end of the scale, and unfortunately they don't always deliver sound quality that justifies it')