B&W Loudspeakers Ltd

Dale Road

Worthing West Sussex

BN11 2BH England

T +44 (0) 1903 221800

F +44 (0) 1903 221801 [email protected] www.bwspeakers.com

UK Sales Enquiries and Service

T +44 1903 221 500

E [email protected]

B&W Loudspeakers of America

T +1 978 664 2870

E [email protected]

B&W Loudspeakers (Asia) Ltd

T +852 2 790 8903

E [email protected]

Kevlar is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Nautilus is a trademark of

B&W Loudspeakers Ltd.

Copyright © B&W Loudspeakers Ltd.

Stands featured within this brochure are not supplied with the speakers. E&OE.

Design by Thomas Manns & Company. Printed in the UK.

B&W Loudspeakers Ltd reserve the right to amend details of the specifications without notice in line with technical developments.

600 Series 3

A modern classic

You may have seen Nautilus™ from B&W, the shell-like loudspeaker that propelled sound reproduction - and hi-fi aesthetics - into a completely new sphere. You might even know someone who has invested in a pair. If you do, and you’ve heard them in action, the experience will have stayed with you.

Now many of the widely admired ideas that went into Nautilus™ can be found in loudspeakers that you won’t have to shell out for. The hi-fi and home cinema speakers in B&W’s 600 Series 3 harness Nautilus™derived technologies to deliver your music or film soundtrack with top-end precision and colour.

The latest 600 Series features an array of drive unit improvements across the range, plus a brand new entry-level floorstander. And there is now a choice of three dedicated subwoofers, engineered to colour-match the rest of the range and designed to generate deep bass from rugged, compact, low-distortion cabinets.

Our 600 Series of hi-fi and home cinema speakers has represented, for a decade, unbeatable value for money. Its sales, not to mention its numerous awards and accolades, have recognised the fact. The 601s from

Series 1 and Series 2 were voted Speaker of the Year by What Hi-Fi magazine in 1996 and

1999 respectively. Today, that inheritance of affordable technical superiority and exceptional design is embodied in the 600 Series 3.

Driven by invention

B&W is a rarity among loudspeaker manufacturers. Our products meet the needs of all parts of the market, from high street customers to the world’s most demanding recording studios.

When we accomplish something extraordinary at the top end – such as Nautilus ™ – there is a ‘trickle-down’ of knowledge, insight and technological innovation into the development of our mainstream products, which ultimately means they rise above their more ordinary rivals.

The same challenges of acoustic control arise wherever the reproduction of sound takes place. And those challenges can only be solved by ingenuity and intelligence. The same team of engineering perfectionists involved in the five-year development of Nautilus ™ and its spin-off Nautilus ™ 800 Series is behind the

600 Series 3. The range continues the evolution of B&W’s leading-edge drive unit technologies into popular applications.

Our latest set of drive unit refinements includes an improved tweeter response at very high frequencies, reduced distortion from the midrange drivers and a crisper ‘slam’ from the bass units. All round, it’s a sound that’s hard to beat.

Nautilus ™

Nautilus ™ emerged from B&W’s University of Sound R&D facility after five years’ painstaking development. Briefed to stop at nothing in the quest for a perfect loudspeaker, our engineers arrived at a set of drive units whose tapering, tubular forms spirited away every trace of internal resonance.

For the bass unit, the natural form of a seashell – a coiled tube – delivered the most natural and untainted sound. A host of advanced audio technologies lay inside the speaker, which was selected by the Design

Council as a Millennium Product and hailed by reviewers as ‘possibly the best loudspeaker that money can buy’.

Tweeter

Within every 600 Series 3 cabinet is one of these: a Nautilus ™ -derived, tube-loaded tweeter.

One of many breakthroughs made by Nautilus ™ , it soaks up unwanted sonic radiation from the back of the diaphragm by trapping it in a tube until its energy has been absorbed. What emerges from the front is the purest high frequency output.

To push the unit’s response even higher, the 600 Series 3 features a stiffened bond between the tweeter dome and the voice coil bobbin. The strengthened assembly allows the ultrasonic frequencies of new digital formats such as DVD-A and SACD to be delivered with diamond precision.

Chassis

Controlling the movement of air and transfer of energy behind the bass driver is a science in itself. The object is to reduce the volume of solid material in the supporting structure while trying to maintain or improve its rigidity.

Following the example of the FST ™ midrange driver of the Nautilus ™ 800 Series, our new bass/midrange drivers reduce coloration by adopting a more ‘open’ chassis structure, with slender ‘legs’ that are contoured to a rounded, aerofoil-like profile. Reducing the reflective area reduces echo from behind the cone which would otherwise time-smear the sound. The two-layer baffle, designed to add stiffness to the cabinet, is also cut away around the rear of the driver, allowing air to move freely from the back of the cone. The result? The cone reacts more to the music, and less to what’s inside the speaker.

Kevlar ®

It’s round... but it’s square. B&W patented its distinctive yellow woven Kevlar ® cones in the seventies when it was noticed how the fabric

– used in bulletproof vests – reduced sound coloration. Using lasers to detect the tiniest of cone vibrations, our engineers revealed how the tight, square weave of the material dissipates the concentric standing waves that build up in conventional homogeneous materials. Of course, Kevlar ® itself is only part of the story – as subsequent imitators have discovered – and our years of experience have enabled us to refine what is still unique to B&W: that optimum blend of Kevlar ® with selected resins, damping materials and cone geometry.

In the 600 Series 3 midrange and bass/midrange drivers, we have improved their response in the upper frequencies by better matching the stiffness of the voice coil bobbin to the neck of the cone. A minor refinement perhaps, but it gives a smoother transition to the tweeter and improves the sense of openness.

Aluminium

It’s definitely not heavy metal. Even so, the new lightweight aluminium bass driver

(on the 2 1 ⁄

2

-way DM603 and 3-way DM604 loudspeakers) helps to deliver the high quality ‘slam’ that is so vital to music with fast, tight bass lines and drum kicks.

Aluminium is relatively stiff compared to alternative materials, and allows the cone to withstand deformation from the high internal air pressures generated behind it as bass frequencies are pumped out .

Bracing

Unshakable, that’s how we like to think of our speakers. Maximum delivery with minimum vibration. Inside the cabinets you will find a system of strategicallypositioned panels that brace the walls of the speaker. Panel resonances are restrained, allowing you to push the volume as high as you want. With this extra stiffening inside the speaker, you can enjoy bass with a bit more backbone.

Flowport

Taking the dimples off a golfball would make it much harder to hit a hole in one. Dimples reduce the turbulence created in the ball’s wake and, in identical fashion, B&W’s

Flowport creates tiny surface eddies in the pulse of air that oscillates in and out of the cabinet’s ‘exhaust pipe’. In smoothing the general airflow, Flowport drastically reduces the ‘chuffing’ noises that occur in less sophisticated designs, and extends the bass delivery. (For less ‘boom’ in resonant rooms, foam inserts are available with every model for plugging the port tubes and reducing bass energy).

It’s not just our large or top-flight speakers that benefit from the cleaner beat: we have made Flowport par for the course throughout the 600 Series 3.

Crossover

Among the more esoteric pastimes enjoyed at B&W’s University of Sound is the auditioning of components for the crossover filters.

Capacitors, in particular, elicit endless hours of study. Not even the experts there can say exactly why different brands of nominally identical components affect the quality of the sound or the stereo image. However, there is no doubt that each component leaves its own audible imprint on the sound.

For the 600 Series 3, we have made a new selection of capacitors. We won’t try and explain it scientifically – we just know they sound better, adding clarity and openness to audio delivery.

Subwoofer Amplifiers

Every 600 Series 3 subwoofer features an amplifier custom tuned to maximise the potential of each individual driver/cabinet combination and realise true bass extension in an easily accommodated package. All have adjustment to match the subwoofer to the room acoustics and to enable it to blend with a wide variety of other speakers in the installation.

The most powerful of these amplifiers – delivering up to 500 watts for the ASW675 – uses a switch mode power supply and Class D configuration for maximum efficiency, ensuring cool and reliable operation. Power factor correction maintains a clean mains supply, avoiding interference with other electronic components.

Create a presence

A wider TV screen will offer a bigger picture, but sound is what lies at the heart of a genuinely exciting home cinema experience.

Creating the right set-up for your room, with sound delivered from properly integrated, high quality loudspeakers, can truly put you in the presence of what’s happening on-screen.

The comprehensive range of loudspeakers in the 600 Series 3 - small bookshelf units to large floor-standers, dedicated centre speakers and subwoofers - offers numerous alternative combinations for settings from the large, open room to the typical smaller living room. All of the speakers in the range are ‘voice-matched’

- they have a similar aural signature - to deliver a perfectly integrated and true-to-life sound.

Visually, too, the 600 Series 3 offers a more integrated solution: the new, Light Oak Sorrento finish will sit very comfortably in most living rooms. Whether you are able to stay in your seat during the movie is on is out of our hands.

For smaller rooms, where large speakers would be overpowering - acoustically and aesthetically - a smart solution is to use an LCR60

S3 at centre, with pairs of bookshelf units at front and rear, as shown in the main picture.

Mix and match to meet your needs. Here a pair of floorstanding DM602.5 S3 are an alternative at front to partner the LRC60 S3 centre.

A pair of wall-mount DM600

S3 serve as less obtrusive surrounds and the compact

ASW600 subwoofer completes the line-up.

Another option, using five identical speakers offers ideal sound integration.

The symmetrical design and magnetic shielding of the LCR60 S3 allows total freedom in positioning, upright or horizontally, close to or away from the TV. Again, add an

ASW600 subwoofer for added bass impact.

Large, spacious rooms demand a powerful set-up. Here, at centre, is our larger dedicated

Home Cinema speaker, the LCR600 S3. Flanking it left and right are two floor-standing DM603 S3s, while a pair of smaller DM601 S3s provide surround sound. A larger subwoofer, either the ASW650 or the ASW675, provides the appropriate support for deep, powerful bass.

The symmetrical solution for larger rooms is provided by five LCR600 S3 - equally as adaptable as the smaller LCR60 S3, but more powerful and with a more extended bass response. Once again, one of the more powerful subwoofers - the ASW650 or

ASW675 - completes the set-up, delivering all the necessary bass power.

Pure listening

When it comes to clarity, control and the reproduction of subtle, low-level detail in audio material, the 600 Series 3 has no rival in its class. Everything that makes it such a strong contender in the creation of a home cinema set-up also applies to its use in a conventional hi-fi setting.

When you want to do nothing other than listen to pure music, its qualities shine through.

As with all of our loudspeakers, the goal of the 600 Series 3 is to neither add anything nor take anything away. What you hear is music precisely as it was recorded, in all its original colour, texture and authority – free of all artificial additives.

Whether you’re creating a hi-fi system for the first time or refining an existing set-up, whether its simplicity or top-level sophistication you’re looking for, the 600 Series 3 has the breadth to meet your needs.

The range includes a choice of bookshelf speakers and floorstanders, offering a gradient of power output.

Bookshelf speakers

Quality in the 600 Series 3 comes in all sizes, starting with a choice of bookshelf speakers. Exceptional value for money, these units offer ideal starting points for a two-channel hi-fi system or as home cinema surround sound monitors.

For maximum listening enjoyment, select carefully the size and capacity of speaker for its setting. Think about where the units will be positioned in the room and how they will be supported. Think visually as well as acoustically.

Bookshelf speakers suit smaller rooms, delivering a full and crisp stereo image from a position either on a shelf or on a stand.

They offer a superb starting point for the hi-fi beginner and for the serious music lover who has the intention of growing their system.

Should floorstanders eventually take their place for stereo, the 600 Series 3 bookshelf units can be retained as surround speakers to kick-start a high quality home cinema system.

Floorstanders, large monitors with a greater bass extension, deliver best in spacious interiors and, in two-channel mode, can form the foundation of a powerful, audiophile-quality system.

The 600 Series 3 – it’s whatever you need it to be.

Floorstanders

A step up in size and power output, the 600 Series 3 floorstanders create major waves, either as audiophilequality hi-fi monitors or as front speakers in a powerful home cinema set-up.

Finishes

At B&W, we take as much pride in what is on our speakers as in what comes out of them.

In creating the third edition of the 600 Series, we have paid special attention to cabinet design, with the aim of offering alternatives that will complement the surroundings in your home.

As well as our traditional cabinet finish of black ash veneer, we have introduced

Sorrento, a light oak veneer, to provide a more natural, crafted finish. Its less overbearing visual presence is especially appropriate to family rooms and more airy, contemporary interiors. Each sports different co-ordinating colours for baffles, driver chassis and surrounds to provide a finishing touch.

The new Sorrento cabinet finish, available on 600 Series

3 units, does a lot more than please the eye. By blending more easily with modern interiors, it brings a greater flexibility to placement and more control to the process of arranging the speakers to produce a high quality stereo image.

Bookshelf speakers

Our 600 Series bookshelf monitors are classics of audio design. Equally suited to five-channel home cinema - as front or surround speakers or two-channel audio, all three feature B&W’s

Nautilus ™ -derived tweeter tube, a woven

Kevlar ® mid-range/bass driver and a

Flowport ™ vent.

Primarily a small surround speaker in home cinema installations, the DM600 S3 can double as a high-performance compact hi-fi speaker. A keyhole and two rubber feet on the back of the unit allow for easy, rattle-free on-wall mounting.

The more powerful DM601 S3 and DM602

S3 offer stand- or shelf-mounting options.

Following in the footsteps of its larger siblings, the compact DM601 S3 now also incorporates internal bracing to reduce cabinet coloration.

The larger DM602 S3 remains, without doubt, one of the best and most popular two-way speakers ever produced.

DM600 S3 DM601 S3 DM602 S3

Leading-edge technology, robust construction and elegant design combine in the outstanding 600

Series 3 bookshelf speakers, the compact DM600 S3,

DM601 S3 and, seen here, the larger DM602 S3.

Technical features

Description

Drive units

Frequency range

Frequency response

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic distortion

Nominal impedance

Crossover frequency

Power handling

Max. recommended cable impedance

Dimensions

Net Weight

Finishes

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Flowport

2-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø130mm (5.0 in) woven Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 55Hz and 42kHz

75Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 88Hz–20kHz

8

Ω

(minimum 3.0

Ω

)

4kHz

25W–100W into 8 Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

286mm (11.3in)

175mm (6.9in)

219mm (8.6in)

4.0kg (8.8 lb)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Flowport

2-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø165mm (6.5 in) woven Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 48Hz and 42kHz

60Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 88Hz–20kHz

8

Ω

(minimum 3.0

Ω

)

4kHz

25W–100W into 8 Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

365mm (14.4in)

204mm (8in)

228mm (9in)

6.1kg (13.4lb)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Flowport

2-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø180mm (7 in) woven/Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 40Hz and 42kHz

49Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 60Hz–20kHz

8

Ω

(minimum 3.0

Ω

)

4kHz

25W–120W into 8 Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

490mm (19.3in)

236mm (9.3in)

293mm (11.5in)

10.5kg (23.1lb)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Floorstanders

The dynamic range and extra clarity generated by B&W’s advanced audio technologies across the 600 Series 3 receive their fullest expression in the powerful floorstander speakers, which can be employed either as front speakers in larger home cinema installations or as part of a high performance hi-fi system.

Since Series 2, the line-up has been revised to include the DM602.5 S3, a two-way, entrylevel floorstander with a bass/midrange driver similar to the DM601 S3.

The DM603 S3 is a slim, 2 1 ⁄

2

-way speaker with an upper bass/midrange driver and a bassonly unit – an arrangement that improves power handling and adds extra clarity to the midrange.

A full 3-way system, with two bass drivers and a separate midrange, is provided by the DM604

S3. Cones in all bass drivers are of aluminium for stiffness and resistance to deformation at high loads.

Floorstanders in the

600 Series 3 now include an entry-level model – the

DM602.5 S3. As a group, they present a comprehensive choice of top-quality monitors for all home cinema and hi-fi applications.

DM602.5 S3 DM603 S3 DM604 S3

Technical features

Description

Drive units

Frequency range

Frequency response

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic distortion

Nominal impedance

Crossover frequency

Power handling

Max. recommended cable impedance

Dimensions

Net Weight

Finishes

Nautilus ™

Flowport tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone

2-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø165mm (6.5 in) woven Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 40Hz and 42kHz

50Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 60Hz–20kHz

8 Ω (minimum 3.0

Ω )

4kHz

25W–100W into 8

Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

14.5 kg (31.9lb)

850mm (33.5in)

204mm (8.0in)

288mm (11.3in)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Aluminium cone bass driver

Flowport

2 1 ⁄

2

-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø165mm (6.5in) woven Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

1x ø165mm (6.5in) Aluminium cone bass

-6dB at 34Hz and 42kHz

44Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 55Hz–20kHz

8 Ω (minimum 3.0

Ω )

150Hz, 4kHz

25W–150W into 8

Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

19.5kg (42.9lb)

910mm (35.8in)

204mm (8in)

287mm (11.3in)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Aluminium cone bass driver

Flowport

3-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

1x ø180mm (7in) woven Kevlar ® cone midrange

2x ø180mm (7in) Aluminium cone bass

-6dB at 30Hz and 42kHz

39Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 10° arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 42Hz–20kHz

8 Ω (minimum 3.0

Ω )

450Hz, 4kHz

25W–200W into 8

Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

29.2kg (64.2lb)

994mm (39.1in)

236mm (9.3in)

398mm (15.7in)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Left Centre Right

Flexibility is a must in selecting and positioning speakers to form a home cinema system. The

600 Series 3 accommodates all settings and needs. Our two dedicated centre-channel monitors are both designed to relay clean, crisp dialogue, but magnetic-shielding also allows them to fill front left and right positions close to the television without causing a trace of picture interference. Thanks to their symmetrical design, they can either be laid horizontally or stood upright.

For centre channel, the more compact

LCR60 S3 can typically be used to partner the 600 Series bookshelf speakers or the

DM602.5 S3 floorstander.

The LCR600 S3, with its higher output and improved bass extension, partners either the DM603 S3 or DM604 S3 in larger home cinema installations.

LCR60 S3 LCR600 S3

Each equipped with a pair of bass/midrange drive units, magnetic shielding and symmetrical design, the

LCR60 S3 and LCR600 S3 will deliver superb performance from any position in a home cinema set-up.

Technical features

Description

Drive units

Frequency range

Frequency response

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic distortion

Nominal impedance

Crossover frequencies

Power handling

Max. recommended cable impedance

Dimensions

Net Weight

Finishes

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Flowport

Magnetic shielding

2 1 ⁄

2

-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

2x ø130mm (5.5 in) woven/Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 55Hz and 42kHz

70Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 20° arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 70Hz–20kHz

8

Ω

(minimum 3.0

Ω

)

400Hz, 4kHz

25W–120W into 8

Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

175mm (6.9in)

460mm (18.1in)

305mm (12.2in)

9.0 kg (19.8lb)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Nautilus ™ tweeter

Woven Kevlar ® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

Flowport ™

Magnetic shielding

2 1 ⁄

2

-way vented-box system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency

2x ø165mm (6.5 in) woven/Kevlar ® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 48Hz and 42kHz

60Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 40° arc

Vertical: over 20° arc

89dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)

<1% 70Hz–20kHz

8

Ω

(minimum 3.0

Ω

)

300Hz, 4kHz

25W–150W into 8

Ω on unclipped programme

0.1

Ω

Height:

Width:

Depth:

204mm (8in)

545mm (21.5in)

311mm (12.2in)

12.5kg (27.5lb)

Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black Ash Vinyl

Subwoofers

ASW600 ASW650 ASW675

The 600 Series 3 includes a choice of three dedicated subwoofer speakers, each one tailored to the bass power handling requirements of different home cinema applications.

The cabinet is the bedrock and ours employ extensive internal bracing to minimise panel vibration. Joints are double-sealed to prevent air leakage. The drive units use cones of thick fibre pulp reinforced with Kevlar fibres and heavily impregnated with resins to be ultrastiff. Overlarge dust caps further strengthen the cone and minimise flexing. Dynamic performance is ensured by generous magnet assemblies and large-diameter voice coils that comfortably handle the power of the dedicated, custom-matched amplifiers. All three subwoofers incorporate special Bass Overload Suppression

System circuitry to avoid the irritating distortion that can occur if either the driver or amplifier approaches its limits.

Ideally suited to small to medium-sized installations using the DM601 S3, DM602 S3 or

DM602.5 S3 in the main speaker positions, the

ASW600 is large enough to deliver rich, deep bass but, being a closed-box system, does so only from its front face, which allows plenty of flexibility in positioning.

The ASW650 goes louder and lower.

Equipped with a 200W amplifier and a 50-litre cabinet, it supplements set-ups that include the

DM602.5 S3, DM603 S3 or the DM604 S3 as main speakers. Movies in particular can be very demanding of subwoofers and some special effects can test them to the limit.

Conventional subwoofer wisdom says, the bigger the sound, the bigger the box. But as one climbs the output scale, there comes a point at which cabinets simply become too bulky and obtrusive for domestic settings.

The ASW675 packs the punch of a larger subwoofer from a compact cabinet. A subwoofer for the largest domestic installations, the ASW675 is visually very much part of the

600 Series family. But behind the familiar moulded baffle are an amplifier and drive unit that are all its own.

What it loses in volume it makes up for by other means: a higher power amplifier than normal with enough output capacity to produce the necessary low-frequency equalisation needed to overcome the restrictions of the compact cabinet, and a drive unit with extra long throw, capable of moving the required volumes of air with low distortion.

A large magnet ensures high efficiency and control of the massive voice coil which, with its high thermal mass, runs cool even with the extra bass boost. And don’t even worry about exceptional signals: the epoxy adhesives of this 76mm diameter voice coil can withstand temperatures of over 300C.

For the ASW675, Kevlar ® fibres and resin impregnation add strength and stiffness to the pulp cone, which has an additional layer of aluminium bonded to the front surface. This composite construction further increases resistance to deformation under the high surface pressures generated within the cabinet. The open design of the driver’s die-cast aluminium chassis and the thorough venting of the various cavities behind the diaphragm reduce both viscous drag and turbulence noise.

The drive unit’s cone, dust cap and carbon fibre coil bobbin are bonded together in our unique second-generation

‘mushroom’ construction, giving 3-ring girder (1) rigidity. Predicted by Finite

Element Analysis and verified by laser measurement, this construction helps to produce the ‘slam’ and speed of impulsive bass.

Distortion is lowered by the T-shape centre pole

(2), which improves field symmetry, and an aluminium ring (3), which reduces flux modulation. A triple suspension system (4) handles the high shear forces generated and keeps the coil perfectly aligned throughout its 50mm maximum throw.

1

1

1

3

2

4

4

4

Despite its high 500 watts output, the amplifier in the

ASW675 is relatively compact and runs reliably cool, thanks to optimisation using thermal modelling software and two highly energy-efficient features: Class D operation and a switch mode power supply eliminates mains interference with the rest of your equipment.

Technical features

Description

Drive units

Frequency range

Frequency response

Amplifier

Low-pass filter

High-pass filter

Dimensions

Net weight

Cabinet finish

Grille

Paper/Kevlar ® cone drive unit

150W Amplifier

Active closed-box subwoofer system

ø250mm (10 in) paper/Kevlar ® cone

-6dB at 22Hz and 180Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

-3dB 26Hz–150Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

Power output: 150W continuous

Input impedance: 22k

Ω

Signal / noise: >90dB

Functions: Output level

Low-pass filter frequency

Inputs:

Low-pass filter bypass

Bass roll-off alignment

Auto sense on/standby

Phase switch

Line In (RCA Phono)

Speaker level (binding

Outputs: posts)

Line Out (RCA Phono, high-passed)

Link Out (RCA Phono, parallel to Line In)

Speaker level out

(high-passed)

Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency

Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz

Speaker level: Passive 1st-order at 80Hz

(into 8

Ω load)

Height: 365mm (14.4 in) not including spike feet

Width: 365mm (14.4 in)

Depth: 450mm (17.7 in) including grille and controls

19.5kg (43 lb)

Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black cloth

Paper/Kevlar ® cone drive unit

150W Amplifier

Active closed-box subwoofer system

ø300mm (12 in) paper/Kevlar ® cone

-6dB at 20Hz and 180Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

-3dB 25Hz–150Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

Power output: 200W continuous

Input impedance: 22k

Ω

Signal / noise: >90dB

Functions: Output level

Low-pass filter frequency

Inputs:

Low-pass filter bypass

Bass roll-off alignment

Auto sense on/standby

Phase switch

Line In (RCA Phono)

Speaker level (binding

Outputs: posts)

Line Out (RCA Phono, high-passed)

Link Out (RCA Phono, parallel to Line In)

Speaker level out

(high-passed)

Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency

Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz

Speaker level: Passive 1st-order at 80Hz

(into 8

Ω load)

Height: 417mm (16.4 in) not including spike feet

Width: 415mm (16.3 in)

Depth: 495mm (19.5 in) including grille and controls

25.5kg (56 lb)

Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black cloth

Composite aluminium/paper/Kevlar ® cone drive unit

500W Amplifier

Active closed-box subwoofer system

ø250mm (10 in) composite aluminium/paper/Kevlar ® cone long-throw

-6dB at 17Hz and 40/140Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

-3dB 22Hz–31/110Hz adjustable (EQ at A)

Power output: 500W continuous

Input impedance: 33k

Ω

Signal / noise: >90dB

Functions: Output level

Low-pass filter frequency

Inputs:

Outputs:

Low-pass filter bypass

Bass roll-off alignment

Auto sense on/standby

Phase switch

Line In (RCA Phono)

Line Out (RCA Phono, high-passed)

Link Out (RCA Phono)

Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency

Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz

Height: 340mm (13.4 in) not including spike feet

Width: 340mm (13.4 in)

Depth: 411mm (16.2 in) including grille and controls

25.5kg (56 lb)

Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl

Black cloth