Is the B&W 600 series a good value?

Loomisjohnson,

The current B&W 600 series was designed in UK and is built in China - so a good value compared to other products currently on the market assuming you like the way they sound. I think the 600's sound pretty good. The CM series is really quite an improvement over the old 700 series, with simpler but elegant cabinets, and improved drivers and crossovers. I would not say the latest B&W speakers are remarkable, but are high value and competitive with other products in their respective classes.

knownothing:
i did know that the 600s were made in china, which does keep manufacturing cost down; however they're still imported by brits, which means that their price is jacked up because of the terrible exchange rate between dollar & euro (i think the euro was up to $1.50 today)--ergo an identical product made in china for a US company will, all other things being equal, still be significantly cheaper. add in dealer markup, which i've heard can be as much as 100% on some lines, and the consumer is really getting walloped. now, i agree with you that if you like the sound, the 600s are qualitatively competitive in their price class--they (or at least the 603s, which I've heard the most) are a good, well-balanced speaker. however i still think our poster would be better served with a similarly priced ohm or totem, if only because the manufacturer can afford to put more and better stuff in them.

Years ago I bought a pair of 603S3 (made in England) at my local dealer and I presently own a pair of 704's (also made in England). Recently I stopped by the local dealer as I do periodically, and looked at the new 684 and 683. Unfortunately I saw they are now made in China. There was a sale on the Demo pairs - $850 for the 684 and $1150 for the 683 (if my memory is correct). At those prices I believed they would have been competitive to other brands I heard, but not at the MSRP, especially when B&W did not lower the MSRP's and pass the "Made in China" savings on to the end-user. It looks like the prices stayed the same and they just made more profit, like every other manufacturer does.

I happened to be in a place where I could listen to a pair of the 683's yesterday and this was my impression.

They have a really nice midrange - following on B&W's general strengths. The upper end was more subdued compared with a new pair of Paradigm Monitor 9's which were a bit more sparkly and tipped up. The B&W's killed on piano and female vocals compared to the admittedly less expensive Paradigms. Bass response on both speakers was somewhat disappointing, although it may have as much to due with the electronics used - 80 wpc NAD C-355BEE, the room set up (speakers up on a platform), and the spaghetti of wiring and switches used in the display room as to the speakers actual low-end capability. A stronger amp may have driven the woofers of both speakers harder and lower, and placement on the floor may have provided a better foundation.

The B&W 685's had a similar presentation relative to the Paradigm Titan Monitors, with more life-like and lush midrange and a little softer top end. Bass was adequate for both speakers given their smaller size relative to the larger towers.