B&W 603, or monitor 7 (1 Viewer)

[Nathan J]

I listened to these the other day....and I am still trying to make up my mind as to whick I like better. I know the B&W is a little more expensive, but.....

Anyone else compare these two speakers? Or something similar?

 

[Nathan J]

ANYONE?

 

[MarkDD]

I analyzed speakers for a year and went with the 603's. If you want a bookshelf, go with the 602 s3. I went to the Paradigm store about 10 times but went with the b&w's since they sounded more accurate to me. They look better too.

I originally went with the 602's but I do not like look of stands.

If buying a center, make sure you get the lcr600.

If I were to buy paradigm, I would go with the 9's or 11.

later.

 

[Leon O]

The Dahlquist QX10 has characteristics that fall inbetween B&W and Paradigm. Before purchasing the Dahl's, I extensively auditions 604's, Studio 100's and Monitor Audio Silver S8's. I feel the QX10 is of the same caliber. The QX10 is a great value and worth an audition if you get to Canada.

Good Luck!

 

[Nathan J]

I might end up just sticking with the B&W's.....thats what I have always wanted, and I love the way they sound.

I don't think I would be happy with any other brand.

B&W's sound so awesome...

 

[Leon O]

You can't go wrong with B&W's

Have Fun!!

 

[Arron H]

Since it sounds like you have it narrowed down to B&W, here are a couple of things to ponder on 603s verses 602s. Depending on your intended purpose, both are great speakers and you really cannot go wrong. I would recommend the 603s if you are going for 2 channel stereo without a sub. If you are going for home theatre, the 602s with a sub should work for you just as well as the 603s with a sub and at a significant savings. You could go with all 602s and the sub and have a really great system. If you are going for a multipurpose system, 50/50 HT & Music, to me it's a toss up. There are strong arguments for both 603s & 602s in a multipurpose system.

 

[Albert Damico]

NathanJ:

If you had already made up your mind, and won't be happy with any other brand, then why even post? I don't understand, but then as my wife points out, I never do. Anyhow, have you considered Dunlavy? If you want to, go to Audiogon and take a look. Audio Video Logic has brand new ones, all models at around 65% off. Some, not all, would argue that Dunlavy is quite a bit more "nuetral" than B&W.

 

[Paul Bryan]

I demoed the 603's against the Paradigm Studio/60's... The Studio's are a better speaker than the Monitor's, and were closer in price to the B&W's.

I ended up with the Paradigm's. They sounded better to me with the music I listen to...

If you are trying to decide between B&W & Paradigm, make sure you give the Studio's a listen...

--Paul

 

[Jamey F]

If you are trying to decide between B&W & Paradigm, make sure you give the Studio's a listen...

Ditto. I would find it very hard myself to choose between the 603 and monitor 7, but the studio line would be very much worth a listen.

 

[JamieS]

I compared 602.5 to Monitor 7. They were closer in price than 603 but the 602.5 was still about 20% more expensive. I did find the B&W somewhat more detailed but not as much bass "slam". If I $ was no object I would chose the B&W oover the 7s. But did I think the B&W was 20% better (especially for HT use where the difference is not as pronounced as music only) nope. I have the 7s and am quite happy with them considering the cost.

 

[Nathan J]

Well.....I said I THINK I might just go with the B&W's.....

I am not sure though....I like Paradigms extremely well...but its such a hard decision to make. I am going to be spending $500-$1000 on speakers, which may not happen for many more years to come, so I just want to be happy with the ones that I get.


I am always indecisive...it takes me forever to decide what gear I want.....even then, I sometimes change my mind after I have already bought it.......which, I have learned, can get expensive.

 

[Nathan J]

Paul...I thought the same exact thing....the B&W's seemed to have a more articulate and detailed midrange/tweeter, but the bass was not as strong, or has "tight" as the Monitor 7's.


I do have a decent sub though (DIY Tempest) so the lower stuff will be taken care of. I will be using them mostly for HT, but I am finding that I have a little more time to spend just listening to music, so that is becoming more of an important issue.

I am also thinking of getting into some DVD-audio or SACD stuff.....anyone listen to this type of format on either of these speakers?

 

[Arron H]

Since you have the sub and you are going for HT/DVDA/SACD, 5 602s or 4 602s & 1 LCR600 might be the best bet. I believe the Paradigm equivalent would be 5 monitor 3s or 5 Studio 20s. It is my understanding that having 5 of the exact same speakers is definately an advantage for the applications that you are targeting. I plan to add 2 more 805s down the road because I would like to get into more dvda or sacd.

 

[Nathan J]

Well....as for the 602's..I had thought of them, but then I would have to buy stands, and good stands are not cheap. So I might as well put the extra money towards a floorstander.....I kinda like tower speakers better anyway.

So as for the B&W's its either the 602.5's or the 603's (If I bought them new) although used ones mught be a little bit cheaper.

As for the Paradigms in that price range....monitor 7's, monitor 9's, or Studio 20's.......does anyone know the price on studio 40's and 60's?? Would these be better than the 603's?


Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Paul Bryan]

The Studio/60's run around $1200/pair in laminate finish... Add ~$400 for the veneer... The 40's with the premire stands are within about $100 of the 60's, hence many people end up with the 60's over the 40's... Those prices are relatively accurate in both US & CDN dollars... Obviously some stores are willing to go lower than others, so your mileage may vary...

--Paul

 

[Jason Brent]

That $1200 figure is full retail. I only paid $820 from my dealer, but I think that's a bit more of a discount than most get. Still, I would think you could get them for an even grand no problem.

My rational for the 60's was the same as stated above...by the time I added nice stands, I was at the price of the 60's. I didn't do side by side auditions between the two, but some that have say the 40's have a little punchier, tighter bass than the 60's, but don't extend quite as low.

Gary Takeda from Paradigm tech support claims the soundstage is a little better with the 60's.

I went with his recommendation, and added the PW-2200. So far I'm happy.

 

[Nathan J]

Well, I think that the 40's and the 60's seem to be a little out of my price range.


What about Swan Diva's? Anyone ever heard them??

How would they compare to the B&W's?

 

[Nathan J]

Well, I think that the 40's and the 60's seem to be a little out of my price range.


What about Swan Diva's? Anyone ever heard them??

How would they compare to the B&W's?

 

[Alex Prosak]

While I haven't heard the Swan Diva's, from everything I've read, their sound is dramatically different than the B&Ws w(which I have heard). If you really like the sound of the B&Ws and Paradigms, the Swans may very well not be your cup of tea. The Swans should be much more laid back in the top end.

FWIW, I strongly considered both the speakers you are right now but ended up going with Onix Rockets. You might want to check out audioenvy.com to see if there is an owner near you who is willing to let you audition them. Again, they sound quite a bit different than the Paradigm or B&W but I'm happy with my decision.