""S2"" Brings Nautilus Technologies To B&Wís DM600 Family
B&W Loudspeakers, the British manufacturer recognized internationally as one of the worldís leading sources of loudspeaker technology, has debuted an extensively reworked series of its popular and successful DM600 lineup. Incorporating technologies from the firm's reference-standard Nautilus 800 family, the ""S2"" improvements are more evolutionary than revolutionary, but are none the less significant - nor are their results any less dramatic. B&W has not abandoned the underpinnings that make the 600 family one of audio's most popular performance/value leaders, says the company. These include B&W's trademark KevlarÆ cones, carefully engineered, non-resonant enclosures for low coloration, magnetic-fluid-cooled tweeters for dynamic clarity, with anti-diffraction baffles, acoustically transparent grilles, and flush-mounted drivers for precise imaging and definition. Also unchanged are B&Wís world-standard fit and finish. Like their predecessors, all the new S2 models are optimized for flexible multichannel home theatre applications. In addition to their S2 suffix, the new versions of the five existing DM models - the DM601 S2, DM602 S2, DM603 S2, DM604 S2, and center-channel CC6 S2, which all remain largely in their basic configurations - also gain two new siblings. The DM605 S2 is an active-bass variant of the DM604 S2, with on board, bass-optimized amplification eliminating the need for separate subwoofers. The LCR6 S2, a larger center-channel unit conceived for ""performance-first"" systems, can also be used in an identically matched five-channel array for ""purist"" 5.1 installations. ""Applying our latest, most sophisticated technologies to our most accessibly priced products has long been a B&W characteristic,"" says Chris Browder, B&W's Executive Vice President. ""Doing so to the very limit of practical and cost constraints, as we've done here with these new 'S2' 600s, really emphasizes what the brand is all about: advanced technology in the service of music, at all price levels. In fact, for many of us, hearing the results of leading-edge B&W technology working in our more affordable speakers is really the biggest thrill of all - in its own way even as exciting as hearing the Nautilus 801 for the first time."" The S2 Technologies Though little changed cosmetically, the S2 DM600 family exploits several core technologies ""trickled down"" from B&W's flagship Nautilus 800 series. Alone, any one of these would be notable, especially in so affordable a line. Taken as a whole, the upgrades, including several proprietary B&W developments, make the S2 DM600 family unequaled for performance and value. The most prominent change is the addition of ""Nautilus"" tapered-tube loading for the S2 tweeters. This unique B&W technology is said to audibly reduce treble coloration, working first by linearly absorbing nearly all unwanted rear tweeter radiation, and second by smoothing the driver's effective impedance through its resonance range, which evens system response at the crossover point. (The CC6 S2 center speaker's very compact size precluded the application of the Nautilus tapered tube on this model.) Another Nautilus element, which two of the S2 models borrowed from the 800 Series, is ""FlowPort"" enclosure venting. This combines computer-optimized dimensioning of port diameter, length, and flaring on both internal and external mouths to reduce the turbulence that gives rise to audible ""chuffing."" FlowPort's most visible aspect is its marked, golf ball-like dimpling, which the company says serves precisely the same purpose as on the little white spheres: smoothing linear air-flow to reduce resistance, and thus turbulence, resulting in longer flight (for the ball) and even lower port-noise (for the speaker). In the S2 lineup FlowPort technology is featured on the DM605 S2 and LCR6 S2. All seven front-channel S2 models share a common tweeter, newly developed for the uprated range: a 1-inch aluminum-dome, magnetic-fluid-cooled design. This features an efficient flat-ring suspension that promotes linear motion at all drive levels, and a lower-mass, stronger Kapton voice-coil former. Together these factors eliminate the need for the phase-ring, a familiar component of the original series 600s. The key result, says the company, is superior off-axis response for more spacious, ""airy"" sound and improved power response, plus smoother, more extended reproduction of the top half-octave of musical sound. The S2 family continues its use of B&W's signature yellow, woven-Kevlar8 cone bass/midrange drivers, with two subtle but useful improvements. First, the line's 6-1/2- and7-inch units incorporate a redesigned, stiffer, bullet-shaped dustcap that the company says resists inverting under high-drive conditions, yielding cleaner, more dynamic midrange sound. Second, a stiffer, lower-mass rear suspension (""spider"") improves cone control at high levels, refining transient attack and ""slam."" The bass drivers employed by the DM603, 604, and 605 S2 designs are all-new units inspired by the materials-research of the Nautilus 800 Series projects. The diaphragms composed of Kevlar and paper fibers woven together, are said to yield exceptional strength and stiffness-to-mass which reduce deformation at high levels. Also, as in the 800 series, oversized, uniquely fixed dustcaps further improve net strength, with a fringe benefit of smoothing the acoustic response of the midrange driver. B&W engineers recognize that the many parts of a loudspeaker create a system and, therefore, improvements to individual components may demand parallel improvements to others. A prime example, says the company, are the S2-Series crossovers, which are upgraded to optimize their redesigned drivers. The midrange crossovers of all S2 models (save the DS6 surround speaker) employ air-core inductors and ""high-end"" film capacitors. These changes reduce distortion at the 2000Hz octave - the ear's most sensitive - by a whopping 10dB or more, even at comparatively low volume. New Model: The DM605 S2 B&W recognizes that the popular ""power-tower"" format is an effective foundation for systems that require legitimately full-range, dynamic output, but cannot (or prefer not to) accommodate an outboard subwoofer. Therefore, the new DM605 S2 incorporates a ""subwoofer"" section of dual ""7-inch Kevlar/paper woofers driven by an internal 130-watt, specially optimized for low-frequency output in a FlowPort-vented enclosure. This is accessed by both ""speaker-level"" input and a separately balanced, line-level LFE input, and is fully adjustable to promote natural musical balance in any room. The result, says the company, is astonishing deep-bass extension and power - output extends fully to 23Hz that is eminently capable of delivering the full impact of the most demanding soundtrack or of any musical genre. The DM605 S2's mid-high section is identical to that of its DM603 and 604 S2 floor-standing siblings, with a 7-inch woven-Kevlar midrange and 1-inch metal-dome tweeter enhanced by Nautilus-technology tapered-tube loading. Bottom line, the DM605 S2 is full-range performance that is, according to the company, unequaled by any speaker even close to its price point. New Model: The LCR6 S2 The upgraded performance of the S2 family, combined with the addition of the powerful DM605 S2, created a need for a very high-performance, high-output, dynamically capable center-channel model. With the new LCR6 S2, the B&W design team is said to have created a speaker that fulfills that need but also goes a step further in qualifying for use in systems in which three or five identical loudspeakers are preferred. According to the company, the LCR6 S2 is engineered for accurate reproduction in both vertical and horizontal orientations. The LCR6 S2 employs dual 6.5-inch woven-Kevlar bass/mid drivers in a ""two-and-a-half-way"" configuration with the 600 Series 1-inch metal-dome, Nautilus-loaded tweeter. This arrangement, unusually sophisticated for a center speaker, promotes extended bass while reducing off-axis ""lobing"" response errors. Combined with FlowPort venting, the result is exceptional bass extension to 48Hz, which, says the company, maintains superior accuracy on all voices and promotes smooth, spatially accurate ""front-stage"" integration. CC6 S2 Incorporating the S2 seriesí redesigned drivers and improved crossover, the CC6 S2 center channel speaker qualifies as a fully capable, specifically timbre-matched complement to any 600 S2 Series stereo-pair model for surround-sound/home-theatre reproductions. Both dual 5-inch woven-Kevlar drivers function in a two-and-a-half-way layout, which the company says delivers extended bass and reduced lobing from a very livable horizontal format speaker just six inches high, while contributing to linear, high-power handling required for the clean extended dynamic range that home theatre soundtracks demand. DM601 S2 and DM602 S2 The S2 family's compact DM601 S2 features the lineup's improved 6-1/2-inch Kevlar bass/midrange driver and redesigned 1-inch magnetic-fluid-cooled aluminum domed tweeter, with the improved transparency delivered by Nautilus tapered-tube loading. Unexpected depth and detail, useful sensitivity (88dB/1 watt/1 meter), and understated, elegant appearance, says the company, suit the DM601 perfectly as a cost-effective primary speaker for music and home theatre systems requiring very high-performance from space-saving designs. These adjectives describe the DM602 S2 equally. Still impressively compact, this slightly larger iteration is effectively identical save for its larger enclosure and 7-inch Kevlar bass/midrange driver which, together extend low-frequency response a half octave deeper to 43Hz, and raise sensitivity by 2dB. DM603 S2 and DM604 S2 The floor-standing DM603 S2 and DM604 S2 monitors both utilize B&W's improved 7-inch S2 woven-Kevlar bass/mid driver and redesigned, Nautilus-enhanced 1-inch metal-dome tweeter. The DM604 S2 extends its bass output with dual 7-inch Kevlar/paper woofers in a fully three-way layout, to achieve 34Hz extension with valuable, 90dB/1 watt/1 meter sensitivity. The DM603 S2 is similar except for its use of a single 7-inch Kevlar/paper woofer in a ""two-and-a-half-way"" layout, which utilizes its 7-inch woven-Kevlar unit as a midrange-only transducer. This, says the company, yields lower distortion, improved dynamics, and excellent sensitivity from a highly compact system. The DS6 is the only unmodified member of the series. This THXÆ-certified dipole-surround model employs closely spaced, dual 3-inch mid/high drivers and a single 5-inch woven-Kevlar bass driver in a sealed-box enclosure to produce the diffuse, even ambient sound that matches that of the best commercial cinemas, says the company. Low distortion and high power handling promote natural, well integrated surround reproduced with unrestricted clarity and dynamics for believable discrete effects. Dimensions (h-w-d): DM601 S2: 14 x 8 x 9 5/8 inches DM602 S2: 19 3/8 x 9 3/8 x 12 inches DM603 S2: 33 1/2 x 9 3/8 x 12 inches DM604 S2: 39 1/4 x 9 3/8 x 16 1/4 inches DM605 S2: 39 1/4 x 9 3/8 x 17 5/8 inches LCR6 S2: 21 1/2 x 8 x 12 1/4 inches CC6 S2: 6 x 17 3/4 x 10 7/8 inches DS6: 9 3/4 x 15 x 6 inches Manufacturers suggested retail prices: DM601 S2: $450/pr. DM602 S2: $600/pr. DM603 S2: $1,100/pr. DM604 S2: $1,600/pr. DM605 S2: $2,200/pr. LCR6 S2: $450/ea. CC6 S2: $350/ea. DS6: $600/pr. 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