B&W 303 upgrade to 602??? (1 Viewer)

[James Bergeron]

I currently have B&W 303's and have been thinking of going to 602's. Since I use them for HT mainly would I really gain anything?

My crossover is at 80Hz, although if I bought the 602's I think I may get an ICBM and cross them at 50Hz or something similar.

If I kept my crossover at 80hz would it be an improvement? I'm hoping they image better and therefore make my speakers "disappear" more.

Any thoughts?

P.S. My dealer provides a FULL refund on the 303's for up to 1 year from purchase if I upgrade so I'm not out anything except the price difference between the speakers.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have never heard tbe B&W 300 Series, but the 602's are great speakers for the money (especially if you can upgrade without losing any money). However, I'm not sure if you will want to cross them over at 50Hz. I believe they are rated flat down to about 57Hz, so you may lose a little on the rolloff.

My Pioneer VSX-47TX receiver has crossover selections of 50Hz and 80Hz, and I left mine set at 80Hz for this reason. My 604's in the front could handle the lower crossover, but I was concerned about the 602 surrounds.

 

[James Bergeron]

The 602's are rated down to 49Hz so may be a crossover at 60Hz would be better, but there is a review on the net I read that showed the 602's can do 25Hz at 75db which is damn good.

 

[Ned]

25hz @75db is pretty much inaudible :frowning:
Pass on the ICBM until your system really justifies its use. 80hz x-over is fine even if the mains can go somewhat lower than that. What sub do you have?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The 602's are rated down to 49Hz...

Interesting. The new 602 Series 3 speakers are rated at 49Hz +-3db, which is a little lower than my Series 2's (actually 52Hz -- I was confusing them with my LCR6 S2 center, which is rated at 58Hz).

 

[James Bergeron]

I have a velodyne CHT-15.

I know that crossing over at 80Hz is fine, just wondering if it's worth the expense then.

It would cost me about $2000 to move up to the 602's from my 303's will I notice a difference if they are set to small?????? What would it be? Depth? clarity?

 

[James Bergeron]

Ned: You have Nice speakers have you tried spreading them out for some more depth and soundstage? The current pictures you have up really cannot do justice to those speakers!
Hope your saving for some serious amperage as well

 

[Justin Doring]

I actually prefer the sound of the 303 to the 602 Series II, but I haven't heard the Series III.

 

[Ned]

James-
I would if my room wasn't so small (10x12) and the listening positions so close (~7-8'). Sitting in the sweet-spot really is mandatory in my setup. Even just sitting 6" off center throws the imaging off. But that little sweet-spot is awesome

 

[James Bergeron]

Hmmmm, you sure you couldn't space those out more???

I mean my room is 12' x 16' but I sit about 12' away from my speakers I have my speakers about 1' from the wall so I have about 3' between them You should be able to put 2.5' between each speaker, maybe you do have that but it looks really close in the picture.

 

[Ned]

I checked the spacing with a tape measure, the mains were 5' from tweeter center to center. The diagonal distance to the listening position is 6' but only about 5' to the 2 actual chairs. Like I said, it's pretty darn close to the speakers. I'll try a 6' spread for a bit.

 

[James Bergeron]

Hmmm maybe it's smaller than I thought, well good luck, maybe it will help you never know! That's the great thing about placement at least it's free!

 

[AaronD]

I've only heard the 303's at my local B&W dealer, but I'm currently in the process of upgrading to 600 S3 series all around. I must say, they're *very* excellent speakers. I originally bought my 604s just for music after a week of demoing varous speakers. I think the B&W sound I liked was the combination of the kevlar mid range and the nautilus style tweeter. The imaging and tonal qualities kept me coming back every time.
Now, it's true that the 303s have the nautilus style tweeter but not the kevlar mids. Having not heard them for an extended period of time I can't formulate an opinion on them really... I just picked up the LCR600 a couple of weeks ago and the front stage is now spectacular.
If you choose the 600 series you wont be dissapointed. I think they're the first in B&W's line to really have the classic B&W sound. However, I've been considering a pair of the 303's for a second system...
-Aaron