Authorized dealers for Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3

Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
Acoustipower — online and in-store — Markham, Ontario, Canada (website)
Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
ADVANCE ELECTRONICS — in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)

and 311 more verified dealers

Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3

Name: Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3
Brand: Bowers & Wilkins
SKU: 300659
Rating: 89 (41 reviews)

View at Bowers & Wilkins

Specifications 40 reviews & sources

89/100

Nicely Roasted

Sound Quality

90/100

Build Quality

89/100

Value for Money

88/100

The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 delivers a full-scale, detailed sound with taut, weighty bass, lucid Continuum midrange insight and a broad, three-dimensional stage. Hi-Fi News highlights its remarkable definition and depth, while Sound Advice praises its control, scale and stable imaging. The titanium tweeter and solid cabinet make this a confident, room-filling floorstander.

Pros

Wide, deep and stable imaging with convincing placement of voices and instruments.

Taut, weighty bass combines punch and control, maintaining clarity in dense mixes.

Clear, detailed midrange reveals vocal nuances and layered recordings with impressive insight.

Solid, nicely finished cabinets and upgraded titanium tweeter technology deliver premium appeal.

Cons

Dynamic contrast and rhythmic spontaneity can fall behind the strongest similarly priced rivals.

The energetic upper range needs careful amplifier matching and placement to avoid sounding overly crisp or forward.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"Bowers & Wilkins’ 603 is absolutely the floorstander of choice for the money."

— StereoNET United Kingdom

"The most important conclusion that I drew from my time with the Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 loudspeakers was that they were just a blast."

— Future Audiophile

"A supremely talented pair of speakers you can’t help but admire, the B&W 603s are up there with the best at this kind of money"

— What Hi-Fi

"Bowers & Wilkins’ 603 is absolutely the floorstander of choice for under $3000."

— Audiophilepure

"Bowers & Wilkins’ 603 is absolutely the floorstander of choice for under $3000."

— Audiophilepure

"They serve up a super-exciting sound (which will be perfect for larger rooms) that will keep your heart hooked."

— The Ear

"Bowers & Wilkins’ 603 is a complete loudspeaker – exceptional value and warmly recommended."

— HiFi Choice

"However you look at it, the 603 is quite exceptional value for money."

— Audiophilepure

"For the money this is an excellent loudspeaker."

— HiFi News

"The 603 S3 speakers impress, with a big, bold presentation and the sense of a focused, detailed soundstage."

— Sound Advice

"The continuum mid range driver really is the star of the show here from both a visual and sonic point of view."

— Pursuit Perfect System

"This is 'easy listening' with all the musical energy kept intact."

— HiFi News

"The 603 S3 are very accomplished speakers regardless of price."

— Pursuit Perfect System

"They are very technically accomplished speakers for the price point."

— Pursuit of The Perfect System

"I played many different types of music and the more I listened the more I became convinced that the speakers told the truth."

— Enjoy The Music

"Their imaging is outstanding."

— Audioholics

"This big speaker in a stout cabinet is built to produce high outputs in big rooms."

— SoundStage Solo

"The 603 S3 will appeal to anyone looking for a pair of floorstanders with a full, clear sound that can fill most rooms with ease."

— What Hi-Fi

"It sorta plays by its own rules, and I ended up liking the speaker in spite of myself."

— SoundStage Solo

"The plinth gives the speaker a slight floaty look, in addition to adding some much-needed stability."

— SoundStage Solo

"The most significant – and presumably most expensive – upgrade for this generation is to be found in the tweeter."

— Audiophilepure

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100

The 603 S3 is widely praised for its large-scale, detailed and highly organised presentation, combining a taut low end with clear, expressive voices and a spacious image. Its main caveats are a potentially assertive top end with unsuitable electronics and less dynamic contrast than the strongest rivals.

Bass

91/100

Reviews consistently describe the dual-woofer bass as weighty, fast, punchy and tightly controlled; What Hi-Fi? calls it one of the speaker’s trump cards, while Sound Advice praises its extension and speed. Some listeners find it more articulate than warm or room-filling, however, and bass level can depend substantially on wall distance, port adjustment and amplifier choice.

Mid

91/100

The Continuum midrange earns repeated praise for openness, clarity and fine vocal detail. Sound Advice found voices and instruments involving and well detailed, while The Ear heard rich, soulful vocal tone; Pursuit Perfect System similarly praised clean, sometimes holographic vocals, though it noted occasional crispness with certain recordings.

Treble

87/100

Several reviews find the titanium tweeter more open, silky and refined than earlier versions, with strong resolution but no routine shrillness. However, What Hi-Fi?, SoundStage Solo and Pursuit Perfect System all warn that system matching matters: the upper range can sound energetic, crispy or a little too prominent with bright partnering equipment or recordings.

Soundstage Imaging

92/100

The 603 S3’s imaging is a major strength, with reviewers describing a wide, deep and stable stage that reaches convincingly beyond the cabinets. Sound Advice reports realistic image scale and secure placement after slight toe-in, while Hi-Fi News and Future Audiophile particularly praise its enveloping depth, layering and sense of space.

Dynamics

88/100

The speakers can play with convincing speed, composure and scale: Sound Advice admired their handling of orchestral swings and driving rock, and The Ear praised their timing and control as mixes grow complex. What Hi-Fi? offers an important counterpoint, finding them somewhat restrained in dynamic contrast versus key competitors, so they are not the most explosive choice in the class.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

89/100

The cabinets, plinths and terminals are widely considered solidly engineered, with multiple reviewers highlighting their reassuring mass, inert feel, stable foundation and precise grille fit. Oak and white finishes receive particular praise, although Pursuit Perfect System finds the standard black finish less lavish than some similarly priced alternatives.

Value for Money

88/100

At around £2,000 / $2,500 per pair, several reviewers consider the 603 S3 highly competitive: Sound Advice calls it something of a bargain, The Ear says it is among the best in class, and Hi-Fi News calls it excellent for the money. The premium is not unquestioned, though; Pursuit Perfect System notes a considerable price rise over the prior generation and modest finish quality, while What Hi-Fi? says the similarly priced PMC Prodigy 5 offers more nuance and dynamic excitement.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

Specifications

Net weight: 27.5kg (60.6 lb)
Dimensions: Height: 985 mm (38.8 in) cabinet only 1,020 mm (40.2 in) including plinth Width: 190 mm (7.5 in) cabinet only 260 mm (10.2 in) including plinth Depth: 340 mm (13.4 in) cabinet only 368 mm (14.5 in) including grille and terminals 402 mm (15.8 in) including plinth
Drive units: 1x ø25mm (1 in) Titanium Dome high-frequency 1x ø150mm (6 in) Continuum cone FST midrange 2x ø165mm (6.5 in) Paper bass cone
Frequency range: -6dB 29Hz - 33kHz
Harmonic distortion: 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m on axis) <1% 100Hz - 22kHz <0.5% 350Hz - 12kHz
Nominal impedance: 8Ω (minimum 3.0Ω)
Recommended amplifier power: 30W - 200W into 8Ω on unclipped programme
Technical features: Decoupled Double Dome Titanium tweeter Continuum™ cone FST™ midrange Paper bass cones Flowport™
Description: 3-way vented-box system
Max recommended cable impedance: 0.1Ω
Frequency response (+/-3dB from reference axis): 46Hz - 28kHz ±3dB
Sensitivity (on axis at 2.83Vrms at 1m): 90dB
Cabinet finishes: Black White Oak
Grille finishes: Black (Black) Grey (White and Oak)

Bi-Wire Capable

Manufacturer's Description — Bowers & Wilkins

The 603 S3 is the largest loudspeaker in the 600 Series and is ideal for larger rooms and home theaters. It combines our new Titanium Dome™ tweeter with the accuracy and transparency of our acclaimed Continuum™ cone FST™ midrange driver.

Decoupled Double Dome Aluminum Tweeter
Continuum™ Cone FST™ Midrange
Paper Bass Cones
Flowport™

A celebration of sound

Room-filling scale and authority come courtesy of two bass drivers, while improved terminals and enhanced drive unit positioning make 603 S3 the most sophisticated affordable tower speaker we've ever made.

Layered, beautiful details

The new 603 S3 introduces our all-new Titanium Dome tweeter, which combines exceptional resolution and insight with smooth, refined high-frequency reproduction. The result? An accurate and immersive insight into your favorite music.

Truly amazing sound

603 S3 introduces our new and even more acoustically transparent tweeter grille mesh, first developed for our revered Signature models. Alongside the new Titanium Dome tweeter, the resolution and realism is exceptional.

Precision and transparency

Thanks to its composite construction, the Continuum cone avoids the abrupt transitions in behavior that can impair the performance of a conventional drive unit. With 603 S3, experience a more open, neutral performance that delivers voices and instruments with precision and transparency.

Upgraded speaker terminals

Derived from the speaker terminals recently introduced in our 700 Series range, the speaker terminals on the new 603 S3 feature an improved layout and a cleaner signal path between your amplifier and your loudspeakers.

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Authorized dealers for Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3

Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
Acoustipower — online and in-store — Markham, Ontario, Canada (website)
Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
ADVANCE ELECTRONICS — in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)