B&W 685 S2
B&W 685 S2 speakers should be proven performers in my book
Last pair of B&W speakers I owned was CDM-1NT speakers long time ago and this 685 S2 speakers remind me the sound of CDM-1 speakers. (B&W house sound)
I tried many different type of music in my system with 685 S2 speakers, initial impression was good, produce pretty big sound stage and good dynamic presentation with good scale. I did break them in for 100+ hours of playing music/movies and still I couldn’t bring my self to liking the sound of these speakers
Good sound stage but not enough depth to create 3D sound, tonal balance is on the bright side and forward presentation of midrange is a little annoying, Highs are well extended but over emphasis on leading edges can be bright and edgy with some recoding, long listening sections can be very tiring but it does have ability play loud and provide decent quality sound to casual listening but price is steep for what it is
Bass is deep and rich but not as precise or articulated to my liking, by the size of bass drivers/cabinet size and $700 price tag I was hoping to get more precision and tightness in lower end response, but no worries better and cheaper $500 or less 2 way bookshelf speakers we can buy from other speaker companies that gives me more bang for buck, as well as musical pleasure
Overall these are not the type of speakers I would use for my musical pleasure or critical listening because I didn’t like the midrange in general, nothing else matters for me anymore. These speakers are just not suited to my taste, some may preferred the way it sound but I’m not convinced that these speakers worth $700 or equal performance to the price
Honestly, I do prefer Wharfedale Diamond 225s, JBL Studio 230s and ELAC B6 over B&W 685 S2 speakers because music matters
These speakers are for the people who like the B&W signature house sound
Pros: Bowers & Wilkins Name
Cons: High Price, Average Build Quality, Better Cheaper Offering From Competition
Highs: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mid-Range: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bass: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sound Stage: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: ⭐️⭐️