Bowers & Wilkins - DM 603 S3

Sound

The Bowers play dynamically with a large dose of fast, colorfully resounding bass, which gives the music a good filling. The kick drum is strong and fast, and the snare definitely leads the rhythm. The aluminum woofer fills the lowest frequency range, which is supported by a second Kevlar bass/midrange driver of the same size. Both speakers are perfectly tuned to each other and perfectly complement each other in the low frequency range. The midrange is well controlled by a Kevlar driver that doesn't lose control of what it's made for. The vocals have the right body and scale, they are clean and retain the velvety color that gives the music seriousness and a sense of realism. The image of the width of the stage and the positioning of the stereo channels is quite well drawn, while preserving the flavors of details contained in the musical material. The highs are brightened and go quite far. Metal domes equipped with Nautilus technology are great at presenting cymbals. The accents of the percussion cymbals and all brass instruments resonate well and definitely. The Bowers, however, lack sweetness in the highest frequencies, there are situations where the treble can be gritty and exaggerated. Most often this situation occurs with a digital source of a bright-sounding CD player or a poorly matched interconnect with a silver-based conductor. The analog signal provided by the turntable greatly enhances the presentation of the tending to bright highs, which are softened without losing detail. The analog signal introduces a drop of candy sweetness and specific sophistication of the treble at the same time. The sound gets a noble timbre, which becomes calmer, gaining a honeyed atmosphere at the same time. Nautilus metal domes require careful selection of speaker wiring, where it is worth experimenting with double bi-wire wiring and replacing metal jumpers with short sections of good speaker wires, which can significantly affect the final sound of the Bowers.