Bowers & Wilkins - 600 Series Anniversary Edition 2-way Center Channel w/ dual 5" midbass (each) - White

These Bowers & Wilkins line of speakers are amazing but this center channel speaker is the crown jewel of a 5.1 systems set up. It adds clarity for dialogue, additional depth of sound as well as enhances the bass and output of the tower and subwoofer speakers. Do not set up a high end system without owning this piece.

Amazing sound and clarity that come from this center channel. This is part of a 3.1 surround sound system for my living room. I have always been a soundbar type of guy. Now I have realized what I been missing. Wish I would have done this years ago. It is pricey but I plan on have this system for many years to come.

Pros Clean Appearance Solid build Responsive Musical reproduction Very tunable, doesn’t color the audio by default Allow you to feel certain sounds Magnetic mesh covers leave front clean when off Support for bi-amp or bi-wire Good bass for the size Foam port plugs for tuning MDF enclosure snubs any hint of vibration or distortion Cons Magnetic covers fall off easily Need tuning to fully appreciate Long break in period This review is written from the perspective of a novice audiophile with experience of some high-end audio brands, but not quite the ear of a seasoned audiophile and a preference towards speakers that are slightly bright. During usage, the speaker was driven by a Yahama RX-V685 and used in combination with the B&W 600 Series Anniversary Edition bookshelf speakers speaker. This review is very similar to the matching bookshelf speakers as this center channel was testing in combination with them. Design The cabinet has a very understated appearance with a flat black finish. The grill cover can be left off without leaving unsightly holes as they are held on by magnets. That said, the magnets are very weak, and a gentle touch or bump can easily knock them off. Binding posts are solid metal and heavy, possibly stainless steel, and support bi-amping or bi-wiring by removing the bus bar connecting them. Stick on rubber feet are included, but not installed. Bass can be tuned using the included bass port plugs. Setup Hopefully if you are looking at speakers in this class, you know that placement and room acoustics can affect overall performance. Besides choosing single pair of wiring, bi-amping, or bi-wiring, a quick scan of the manual could save you from poor setup and losing performance. Besides tips on placement, a big tip missed at the beginning is that the break in period is a week at the temperature you will use them as well as 15 hours of break-in usage. If you miss this, you might too easily give up and return them. Also, much like other Bowers & Wilkens speakers it takes time to tune them to your preference. They not only respond well to tuning, they require it to fully appreciate them. Amp selection seems to have a large impact as some claim B&W can be slightly bright but combined with this Yamaha they seem to be closer to neutral. Performance Since the surrounds are smaller speakers, they were disconnected during testing and only the B&W center channel and front left and right were connected via a single wire pairs. Testing was performed with the subwoofer both on and off for comparison. The receiver was tested in Auto Decode mode, Straight passthrough, and several presets. Since there was adequate space between the speaker and the wall, the foam port plugs were not used. Starting off with music, Silent Lucidity by Queensrÿche, is a good test of sibilance and overall range in male voice. These speakers were able to faithfully reproduce Geoff Tate’s voice thankfully without overemphasizing his habit of hissing at nearly every S sound. Another good test of excessive sibilance is A New Day by Céline Dion which, thankfully, the 600 Series kept in check and as natural as the actual performance. The Sound of Silence, sung by David Draiman of Disturbed, is different from his normal style and showcases his range of singing ability and training. You could hear the subtle sounds of him carefully controlling his breathing to minimize the sound of his breath. The tightly controlled wavering in his voice and later the carefully controlled gritty sound he makes, that if performed improperly destroys a singer’s vocal cords, is cleanly reproduced as if you are hearing him live. With an uncompressed recording of his performance, slight accidental clicks and pops produced by the mouth can be heard, which gives more of an impression of a live performance which is often missed by lesser speakers. Switching focus to instruments, the unplugged version of Tears of Heaven sung by Eric Clapton was up next. As much as artists try to minimize guitar string scratching, it does give a more realistic feel the performance as its almost impossible to hide in a live performance. The 600 series was able to reproduce the subtle sounds of Eric Clapton moving his hands across the guitar and the strings giving a stronger sense of a live performance. Trying out Every Day I have the Blues by BB King really showcases the soundstage. Particularly when paired with the center channel, placement is precise. If feels neither forward nor laid-back. Close your eyes and you could be forgiven for thinking you are at a live performance. Overall, the B&Ws are very musical and has even made me reconsider my preference towards slightly bright. If there is any deficiency in the music reproduction, it would be in songs that require punchy bass, but you wouldn’t expect bookshelf speakers to handle this job. If you need this kind of bass, it is easily filled by a separate subwoofer. If you have good speakers, why not put them to use to make your movies more immersive and not just music? The first thing that must be mentioned is how fast the speaker can respond and provide a feeling of impact. It gives a realness to the sound of a kick drum but even more surprisingly is the sense of tension in a movie. During the break-in process the family was watching a Lord of the Rings and everyone jumped when a door was slammed. Even the ones who don’t normally jump, jumped with surprise. If you think back to the sound of a door slamming and how a hard slam almost seems to register that you felt it as much as heard it. Well, these speakers, when playing at sufficient volume, can reproduce that feeling. It will be interesting to see in the future what other movies this capability can enrich. The same as with music, droning or rumbling bass sounds can easily be reproduced and fill the room but for punchy bass, you are still going to want a dedicated subwoofer. A pleasant surprise is that, while you can turn them up for greater impact and immersion, there is no need to turn them up simply to hear parts of the movie. Dialog and action are both well represented regardless of volume. No muddy dialog requiring you to turn it up to hear. Conclusion There is really too much to share in such a short space. Even if there was room, the speaker continues to get better the longer it is used. The center channel, while made the similar to the bookshelf speakers, is really more of a compliment to them and completes the package. It highlights the voices much better even if only used for music. If you are looking to explore deeper into the audiophile world B&W is a good start. Just make sure to do some research to make sure get the right wiring and amp, spend some time learning setup and tuning, and then be patient and give the break in time. If you are willing to do this, you will be rewarded with a pleasant and immersive listening experience.

Purchased this center speaker along with the two matching tower speakers after listening to them in the showroom. They sound even better in my family room. The center speaker does a great job with vocals & dialogue.

When the COVID- delayed Bowers and Wilkins S2 Anniversary Edition boxes arrived, I knew some adjustments to my plans would be required. I have an existing 5.1 home theatre set up in my living room but wanted to extend the home theater experience into a smaller and more personal 11 x 14 room upstairs. The shipment arrived in two packages: one containing a pair of 606 S2 bookshelf speakers, and another containing the HTM6 S2 center speaker. The 606 S2 bookshelf speakers weigh 15 pounds each, and are 13 inches high, but 12 inches deep, and they are a ported system which is not designed to be wall mounted and should be placed away from the wall for the best performance. I obtained B&W's STAV24 S2 stands which are specifically engineered for the 606 S 2 and present a stable base and compliment the overall design. The HTM6 S2 center speaker fit nicely on the shelf of my existing equipment stand, below my viewing panel. The Anniversary Edition speakers feature the B&W Continuum mid-bass drivers and an upgraded crossover and present a striking visual presentation with the grills off. The grills are held on by magnets and are easily replaced. Set up Both the 606 S2 and the HTM6 S2 can be bi-amped, so there are two sets of connectors on the back of each. Bi-amping a center channel speaker? I had never heard of that, but when you listen to this center channel speaker, you will be amazed at how important the HTM6 S2 can become in your home theater set up. Each speaker is ported, and the bass performance can be tweaked by inserting a configurable foam plug. I am running all the speakers with the plugs out right now but plan to experiment with the plugs after full break-in of the speakers. Small changes can make a difference. I used the Onkyo Audyssey mike to balance the B&W's with my Hsu subwoofer, and two NHT Zeros used for the rear channels. I currently have the Zeros on stands and am moving them around for the best effects on movies. The listening These speakers are plenty sensitive. I am driving them with my ten-year-old Onkyo TX-NR808 which can easily push them to ear-splitting levels without speaker or amplifier stress. For a listening room like the one where I tested, I think the smaller but less-efficient B&W 606 would have done nicely as well. Unlike my other surround system, both the 606 S2 and HTM6 S 2 are full-range speakers. They have plenty of bass. My subwoofer can be relegated to handling the frequencies below 50hz, and the B&W's can handle every other part of the frequency spectrum for both music and video which constitutes about ninety-nine per cent of my listening experience. I started with music, and greatly enjoyed my old reference CD of Jazz at the Pawnshop. The presentation was clean and uncolored, and the imaging was excellent and fully preserved the placing of the instruments and the ambiance of the venue and the audience. Ry Cooder's Jazz, another reference of mine and all acoustic, was just a joy to revisit. I also played David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name and heard fine details in the recording that I am not sure I have ever heard before. Everything begins and ends with the music. The 606 S2s alone tend to make me want to sit for hours listening to music and not writing any reviews. There is no midrange push on voices or grating over-emphasis on the high end, unless contained in the recording itself. And you will notice the differences as you trot out the older recordings you though you knew. There was a striking difference from my prior home theater experience when listening to the HTM6 S2 center speaker. I searched Blu-Rays, DVDs, video, and streaming sources and was hard-pressed to find any unintelligible dialog. My prior home theater experience often relegated my wife and I to turning on the subtitles to understand the dialog. Not anymore. Nor is the dialog foisted forward into your lap to make it intelligible. It is just there and beautifully integrated into the presentation across the theatre screen, as one would expect with this matched speaker set. With no tweaking at all, the B&W Anniversary Edition speakers have produced excellent sound. I suspect I will be tuning them up for some time to come to get them to their full potential. Feed them a bad recording, and you'll hear every deficiency. Feed them a great recording, and you will enjoy details you have never heard before. Any speaker is an important investment which you will be using for years to come. These speakers are not inexpensive, but if you value the sound, they are a great investment which will pay you back many times over, as your listening, your recordings, your music, and your supporting equipment change. I will need a reference standard with which to judge my other equipment and recordings, and the S2 Anniversary Edition will serve that role quite nicely. Highly recommended.

Bowers & Wilkins - 600 Series HTM6 Anniversary Edition 2-way Center Channel w/ dual 5" midbass (each). [This review is a companion to my review of the B&W 606 S2 Anniversary bookshelf speakers.] I thoroughly enjoy the B&W 606 S2 “bookshelf” speakers, and I really wanted to fully exploit the multi-channel sound that accompanies most modern TV, streaming and movie programming. This center channel is obviously a natural match for those companion B&W speakers and ensures a seamless sound field. That’s what I’m reviewing. I could easily imagine this center channel speaker fitting in between an older pair of speakers and enhancing voices, clarity and special effects in a way that adds to the sound presentation. I’d recommend you audition this speaker to see if the match works for you. SETUP and SOURCES: For this listening evaluation I drew on both new and old streaming shows and movies including: “Stranger Things” (80s music), “Big Little Lies”, “The Politician”, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Whiplash”, and even the original “Jurassic Park”. All were sourced from either an Apple TV 4k, Panasonic DPUB820 4k player or Oppo UDP203. Amps were Yamaha RXA 880 or RXA2070, sometimes using a Parasound 5125 driven by one of the Yamaha AVRs configured as a PreAmp. I setup this B&W 600 S2 center channel between a pair of B&W 606 S2 Anniversary bookshelves. I spent some time with them, initially ignoring my AVR’s equalization feature. Later in my listening sessions I ran an equalization cycle to see if room correction added or detracted from the sound. I inserted and removed the foam “port plugs” to see how the bass might change. I even moved this 3 speaker combination into 3 different sized spaces. In the largest room, the speakers were 30” from the nearest rear walls. In the smaller rooms, they were 12” away. OBSERVATIONS: In my largest room (1440 sq ft+), I have become accustomed to a superb L+C+R set of speakers which retail for $4300. It was these speakers that I moved out of the way to initially review these new B&W speakers before placing them in my much smaller theater room (210 sqft). This comparison should have been unfair, but after spending hours enjoying numerous programs, I can assure you that the B&W HTM6 center channel and its 606 family felt completely at home. After a day of listening, I had forgotten what speakers were operating. In my largest room the foam plugs could be left in or out with little obvious differences. When left out, the lower bass was slightly elevated in volume. Adding in a subwoofer and subsequent equalization using my AVR rebalanced the sound. When inserted in the bass ports, the bass level dropped a bit but I felt I had a smoother bass response. Again, adding in a subwoofer and/or re-equalizing to correct for my room pretty much got me to the same sound. All of this is just me being overly fussy and I can’t imagine anyone else being anything other that wowed by the sound. And the sound? The speakers disappeared and the performance prevailed. My wife and I wanted to re-visit the earlier seasons of the “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and we were reminded how wonderfully that series’ re-created the sound of intimate clubs, old dance halls, the several apartments or the frantic department store action. Everything coming through the B&W center channel was perfectly intelligible in this program’s rapid fire dialog. And, when there were musical performances they filled the room. Far noisier and more demanding sound tracks were handled with similar results. These speakers never felt strained, whether is was “Mad Max: Fury Road” or “Jurassic Park.” The B&Ws surprise you with the immense amount of bass that can be delivered when called for. But, to be fair, in my largest room it was a more satisfying experience with the subwoofer in the mix. In my smaller rooms, the trio of B&W speakers were up to the task all by themselves. These speakers cover the entire sound spectrum wonderfully. Voices were never stressed, bass was delivered with complete authority. DOWN SIDE: That magnetic grill needs more magnetism. I love the idea of NO visible fasteners. Whether you prefer leaving the grills on or taking them off, there is nothing to see on the cabinet. But. Re-adjusting them on their stand or shelf or touching them as you dust the tops sends the grills bouncing to the floor. It’s one reason why you’ll often see the grills removed. The other reason? Thankfully, the speakers themselves are simply beautiful as are the now exposed drivers. Techno cool, but not everyone will be impressed. SUMMARY: If you’re a serious audiophile you already suspect you’re getting trickle down technology from a company that continues to chase perfection, and is regularly recognized as achieving the most advanced sound reproduction in this competitive industry. The B&Ws 600 series benefit greatly from a long history of experience making premier audio products. My biggest issue with these speakers? I can’t decide whether I want to use them in my theater room or my office where I listen to music, non-stop. I can be sure of one thing. It takes little time to simply forget there are speakers playing and fall under the spell of music or the drama in your program. The B&Ws avoid undesirable quirks like sizzling highs or excessive bass pounding where the bass is not featured. This is a natural sound that is so easy to live with. These are those speakers that will remain in your family for decades. They are an instant classic, but I think B&W already knew that.

Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has released their 600 Anniversary series speakers and what an impressive set of speakers they are. Contents of this package is the HTM6 center channel speaker, rubber stick-on feet, magnetic mesh screen, 2-size foam plug for bass port, and installation/build instructions. They come with a 5-year warranty on parts & labor. Disclaimer: I have this B&W HTM6 center channel along with the two 603 S2 Anniversary series floor speakers hooked up with a Klipsch subwoofer, rear Infinity surround speakers, and a Yamaha RX-V685 7.2 channel receiver. I am replacing a 20-yr old set of great-sounding and vintage BOSE 701 floor speakers and BOSE VCS-10 center channel. PROS: ----------- * Great look, well built, solid chassis, construction materials used are of high quality. * I set up my speaker sound using the given Yamaha receiver YPAO microphone. This should be done whenever speaker sets are changed out. After going through that sequence of events, I ended up increasing the center channel volume along with rear speaker volume in order to hear the surround items better and especially the talking in movies better. Once adjusted, these speakers really brought out the sound of some blockbuster hits including Wonder Woman 84 on Christmas Day, Gladiator, and Soul (Pixar movie). I played a few other hits on HBOmax and the sound was phenomenal. * Sound was insanely crisp and clear with movie dialogue. For the center channel this is paramount. Even sounds where the characters are whispering come in with high clarity. The sound couldn't be better. This also has a lot to do with my receiver settings which you will need to adjust for your particular listening needs. * I listened to some digital music including piano, R&B, classic rock, special effects, and country. With each genre, I felt like I was in the middle of a concert. This was done without the use of the rear surround sound speakers. It was that good. * The magnetic speaker grills are easily removable and look good on OR off. Be careful though, because these grills are extremely thin and made of plastic and could possibly break easily. * Wire hook-up was easy as it's only 2 wires in most applications. CONS: ----------- * This is a first - I cannot think of a single "con" for this product. It is THAT good and THAT impressive. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------------------------------- * Make sure you allow for about a week for the sound of your speaker to fall into place with the "breaking-in" period. The speaker need to operate at softer/normal levels before sending it a great deal of power. This includes getting the speaker acclimated to the temperature of your home. * This center channel speaker itself will be more dependent on which receiver you use rather than the speaker itself for incredible/great sound. If you use a subpar receiver/amplifier, your sound will be that as well, regardless of speaker quality. If you want this speaker to cry out to you, invest in a good receiver with ample power. * This speaker comes with 4 rubber feet that you can stick on the bottom to secure in place; however, one could likely use thin felt pads as well if not on a smooth surface in which the speaker could slide off due to heavy bass over time. * I do NOT have my TV hung on a wall. It sits on its own legs which are NOT tall enough that will allow for this center channel speaker to fit under my TV screen. I had to design/build/paint some "lifts" for my TV legs so I would have enough clearance to slide this speaker underneath my TV. Keep this in mind before buying. Height clearance is 6.3" tall and depth is 10" deep. If you simply place in front of your TV, make sure you have the space needed. I will include some pictures of my TV lifted and speaker underneath. I added black screen mesh on each side of the center channel to hide the contents of behind/under the TV. See pictures with my review. * I did not have a need for using the foam bass woofer plug provided. CONCLUSION: =================== Unlike other products like TVs, receivers, computers, cars, and appliances, SPEAKERS are a very simple thing to actually "use". You literally hook them up with 2 wires, and the way they sound is really more dependent on the receiver you have driving them. They might sound good or bad depending on your receiver and sound setup characteristics. Please use a quality receiver to make this speaker sing to you! If you don't, then you are losing a ton of specific sounds these speakers can provide at high quality. The last thing you want is a center channel to have limited dialogue volume during a movie. Make adjustments on your receiver to make that happen. After 20 years of my vintage BOSE VCS-10 center channel, this upgrade was well worth it and I highly recommend this incredible-sounding center channel speaker.

Bowers and Wilikins is one of the oldest UK speaker companies out there (since 1966, now owned by Sound United) so they do have a lot of experience. Their speakers are known for a their true unbiased sound, excellent characteristics and minimalistic design. 600 Series Anniversary Edition center is not an exception (being a companion for 600 Series towers)! Built in a compact 19x10x6 enclosure is packs a punch! 2 channel nested M-T-M design (1" aluminium twitter and two 5" Continuum cone mid range/bass drivers) with an upgraded crossover - it does sound great! High frequency is extremely clear and true to the record, mid range is loud and crisp! As central channel job is mostly to reproduce dialogs in movies - high frequency performance just hits the spot. (I did my tests using a complete 7.2.2 Atmos setup). Bass is not that important for the center channel as it should be handled by subwoofers anyway. Speaker connections - there are 4 terminals on the back (for bi-amping? I personally never seen bi-amped center) that allow for either spade connectors or banana plugs (just remove the plastic cap before inserting banana connector). Measurements using Room EQ Wizard did confirm speaker performance in 72Hz-22kHz range (web site claim up to 28kHz but I can't measure nor possibly hear this :)). Recommended amplifier power - up to 120W at 8 Ohms. Overall - it's a solid performing center in it's range, outstanding clarity of highs makes it perfect for the home theater setup if you using 600 Series S2 towers as your main channels. I would prefer 6" mid range drivers though to visually match the towers.