Awful sound from B&W's: Break In needed?

In general, B&Ws do require a bit of break in to sound their best. I would suspect that after the first 25 hours or so, the midrange should open up and harshness should subside. After 100 hours, the speakers become more coherent in terms of driver integration with deeper bass and more extended highs. Give them some time, and if the problems still persist experiment with speaker cables and interconnects to change the sound. Also, make sure the speakers are wired in phase and play around with placement. For best results, place the speakers on sturdy 20" stands filled with leadshot or sand. Hope this helps...........

According to the manual for my 800's, the break in is about 60 hours.....and the change in sound when fully broken in is subtle.

My experience (not with 602's) is that they change a lot after 4 days of running, basically 24 hours everyday, and can can continue to break in for many months, like 7 to 8.

Let them play for the maual's suggested break-in time, and if they still sound bad, get rid of them! Trying to "fix" the rest of your system will only lead to stress and expenditure. I'm interested in whether you auditioned these before you purchased them?

I completely agree with Bojack. Run in the speakers for a few weeks. If you don't like their sound after that, replace the speakers with something else instead of trying to fix the problem by changing the rest of your system. There are a lot of options to the B&W.