KeninDC
Hazy Cosmic Jive
Ruark Audio has some really cool looking "small" audio designs. Sometimes we just want music and not a rock and roll show.
The new 685 and the other series 2 68x speakers have the tweeter floating in a magical gel.
Bowers & Wilkins 685 S2
- Thread starter Art K.
- Start date
Ruark Audio has some really cool looking "small" audio designs. Sometimes we just want music and not a rock and roll show.
The new 685 and the other series 2 68x speakers have the tweeter floating in a magical gel.
685 model was designed to be used primarily as surround speaker along with 683 fronts. They work very well in that role having good timbre match with these towers. But each multichannel setup assumes having a subwoofer to handle low frequencies. 685 can go as low as 60 Hz, but would benefit from sub help under 80. How someone talks about realistic sound of rock music, and ignores low bass is beyond my understandng. Even small room like 150 sqf will be best served with sub with any bookshelf and many floor standing spaekers.
KeninDC
Hazy Cosmic Jive
Your source for this assumption? I get it that you dig subwoofers, but it seems you are just littering this thread with conjecture.
I believe it is ground Narwhale horn (often attributed to unicorns) and dragon placenta, but, hey, you're the scientist.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
It is so hard to find good stands here in the states. I am using mine with Atacama Nexus 6 stands but I really think that they would benefit from a heavier stand. Pangea is OK I think that their bases are a bit undersized. If you can find a dealer with Atacama that would be a good place to start.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
It was my having owned the 610i's that made me look at these. The previous 685 received so much good press that I was always at least a little curious as to how they would some in my home. I had listened to them briefly at a dealer in Eugene. With the release of the S2 curiosity finally got the better of me.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Now you are just talking nonsense. Time to find another thread to crap on...
From the B&W website.
"At home on a stand, wall or bookshelf, the versatile 685 S2 is ideal for stereo and home theatre uses in most rooms. And performance is enhanced with the addition of a Decoupled Double Dome tweeter."
"The Decoupled Double Dome tweeter found in the 685 S2, and the rest of the new 600 Series, is technology taken straight from our award-winning CM10 speaker. A dual-layer design combines a thin aluminium dome for lightness and a thicker aluminium ring for rigidity – the result is absolutely stunning, with far greater clarity in the audible spectrum.
The tweeter is also decoupled from the main cabinet, kept physically separate in its own cavity with a ring of gel cushioning it from vibrations. This improves imaging and dispersion for a more natural, spacious treble.
As well as a decoupled, double dome aluminium tweeter, the two-way 685 S2 features a full-range 6.5-inch driver constructed from woven Kevlar and using Anti-Resonance Plug dustcaps, as seen in high-end Bowers & Wilkins speakers. The result is stunning audio quality from a highly versatile smaller speaker."
http://www.whathifi.com/bw/685-s2/review
http://www.cnet.com/products/b-w-600-series-685-speaker-wired-series/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEEkJDe51Y
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
BTW, you may have also missed that I use a sub with my multi channel system, when used for home theater. For 2 channel I turn on the Pure Direct mode on my Marantz AVR which automatically cuts out the sub (just sayin') and listen to the fronts only. If I decide to use the 685's as my full time fronts in the HT I will put the 686's in the rear along with the matching center. I am already using a Hsu sub for HT, which includes performance videos.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
I am looking forward to listening to them again next weekend. My Sonneteer amp will likely make it's way back to my house by the weekend which will free up the Brio R to try with the B&W's in comparison to the KEF's and Dentons. Should be fun.
lojyo610
Active Member
B&W 685 S2's
I am also very interested in people's take on the 685 S2's. I have always preferred the overall sound of good stand-mount/monitor speakers to floor-standing speakers for music based systems, especially in my space-challenged listening area.
I did however pass on the previous versions of the 685's due to what I thought was a lack of bass and a general brightness that I found fatiguing. I also do not like sub-woofers in my music based systems because I can never successfully integrate them. I assume it's my problem, but I find good full range speakers to sound more uniform. I was using an older but very competent Velodyne SPL-1000 that is now in use with my HT system. By the way, I listen almost exclusively to acoustic Jazz, electronic and some classical. Very infrequent heavy rock.
I bought my Paradigms because they really do go down to an undistorted 50hz or so and a little lower with some room issues affecting the bass. The mid-bass driver is about 7 1/2 inches and the cabinet has some successful bass ports. I'm sure they aren't as refined as the either version of the 685's, but I found them better balanced overall than the previous 685's.
I have yet to hear any 6 1/2 mid-bass based stand-mounts that produce enough bass for my tastes, at least in my limited budget range.
I am also very interested in people's take on the 685 S2's. I have always preferred the overall sound of good stand-mount/monitor speakers to floor-standing speakers for music based systems, especially in my space-challenged listening area.
I did however pass on the previous versions of the 685's due to what I thought was a lack of bass and a general brightness that I found fatiguing. I also do not like sub-woofers in my music based systems because I can never successfully integrate them. I assume it's my problem, but I find good full range speakers to sound more uniform. I was using an older but very competent Velodyne SPL-1000 that is now in use with my HT system. By the way, I listen almost exclusively to acoustic Jazz, electronic and some classical. Very infrequent heavy rock.
I bought my Paradigms because they really do go down to an undistorted 50hz or so and a little lower with some room issues affecting the bass. The mid-bass driver is about 7 1/2 inches and the cabinet has some successful bass ports. I'm sure they aren't as refined as the either version of the 685's, but I found them better balanced overall than the previous 685's.
I have yet to hear any 6 1/2 mid-bass based stand-mounts that produce enough bass for my tastes, at least in my limited budget range.
HappyT_Harry
Arcam Asylum
I'm not really sure of any dealer close to me. Northeast MS is a desert when it comes to nice audio. I will probably just have to take a flying leap on the stands and hope for the best, much like I did with the 685's and Arcam.
I have read that they do respond to a nice heavy stand.
Why not try the Bowers & Wilkins STAV24 stand? It's the one holding up the 685 & 686's seen on the B&W website. The new version has the classier "Bowers & Wilkins" logo as opposed to the old "B&W" logo. I have a set, IMO they are sturdy and have a clean no nonsense 2 pillar design. You can also fill them.
Sound Anchor & Lovan stands are also nice.
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lojyo610
Active Member
I have a pair of Titan Monitors v.6, the last of the breed and the last of the Monitor series to be made in Canada. Really like them, but am close to upgrading.
BadassBob
Digitally rendered
This is where things can be a lot of fun
I've been through my fair share the last decade 
HappyT_Harry
Arcam Asylum
I admire your persistence, Art. How much smaller is the office than the room they were setup in? I am pleased to hear they are playing nice with the Brio-R.
