B&W 685 S2 Speakers Review

Bowers & Wilkins 685 S2 Bookshelf Speakers:⭐️⭐️⭐️½

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:⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Mid-Range: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Bass: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sound Stage:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: ⭐️⭐️½

[pukasism]

Taste is very subjective and fluid. I own vintage B&W DM4, CM1 Matrix (concept 90) and just ordered the 685 s2. Why? Because as a professional cellist, I love the full-bodied and natural sound, especially the midrange and upper end and soundscape that B&W speakers (at least the older models) offer. I tried Monitor Audio Bronze, Focal Aria 906 and Kefs, but no speaker could recreate the sound of for example strings, saxophones or pianos as good as (old) B&W's. Furthermore, studios of professional classic music labels like DG tend to favour B&W above anything else. For me, that says all. Of course, if you listen to other music styles, you might go for other brands. But when everything is about accoustic music, like classical, jazz, and world, B&W nails it for me.

[billyva]

the ear is always the final arbitrator..  I used to sell high end audio back in the late seventies early to mid 80's, getting people to agree on what the best loudspeaker was always ended up coming down to individual preferences. With quality loudspeakers it takes some time listening to truly evaluate. No matter which way a customer chose, they were right.

[Jacksonlee]

hey hi.. respect your opinion. but i had these speakers paired it with Marantz PM14S1 it was just unbelievable..soundstage and bass response was perfect. just thought ill let u know... thanks anyways for your great videos... ur videos are all great as always

[stevenoconnor]

I recommend the speakers personally as I think they are very much worth it but to anybody reading this I would say sample speakers for your own specific tastes get what suits your ears not with somebody tells you or not told you to buy. Everybody to a level here's a bit differently sounds that is perceived I cannot stress it enough go out to a store go out to a place you can experience the speakers you plan on buying don't buy blindly or not by because a person says what to do. In regards to you sir you've already bought the speakers once for this review though you may take them back you have bought them once LOL just laughing I respect your set up I respect how you come across with showing the sound frequencies on the TV and some of your comparisons but

[alunmorgan]

Wow what a downer you are . How long did you listen to them for ? where did you place them ? Etc etc I’ve had a pair for a while now and after a bit of tinkering position wise they sound great

[stevenoconnor]

For me I hear an improvement. For me my listening best way to describe it brings out the subtleties of the track more

[VeeeeryyyFaaaastSlooooth]

Before you buy these try to find Dynaudio Emit M10 to compare with first.

[gerardfletcher]

great review was thinking those save up ls50 good imformative review cheers

[Lonewolf_rider]

I've got them with avr x 4500h denon and yes it's not the top of the world but what do you expect in the price range?

The good for what it is with enough mid range in this combination set up

[udaykumar-wydu]

Tharbamar, what do you suggest for movies ? I don't listen to music. Looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers/center for movies.

[Reubenuk]

I've had these for a while and am generally happy with them. Is it worth upgrading to the KEF LS50's? Main music genres I listen to are bass heavy electronic music such as drum and bass, dubstep, house, techno, reggae etc. I also use them with pioneer cdj2000 decks and all music is on WAV. Enjoying all the videos though thanks.

[stevenoconnor]

A lot of the issue is every speaker definitely needs an extended break in. Some speakers do not know I don't know what your general rule of thumb is for doing a review or even giving it a true listen but I definitely think you should have a least 100 hours of break-in. Before you even consider doing a review at minimal. I'm glad that the whaferdale has come out with some speakers that I've been good I'm glad to see that it is an older brand.
Speakers in general are just going to be something that I would love to see improve completely be if I new material or new sciences and how they reproduce sounds I wonder how the speakers of the future will be can't wait to see

[ОлегМельник-щр]

What would you recommend as a basic stereo pair up to $ 600?
Which speakers are better? Monitor Audio Bronze 2 or B&W 685 s2 ?

[stevenoconnor]

I can respect your review as it is a point of view but I have to totally disagree with your assessment of them. I have auditioned these many times I have the series one of the 685 which in my opinion are amazing. When I auditioned the series 2 over the course of a lot of time I never found them to be too bright and I also found the soundstage to be quite excellent compared to other speakers that I could compare side-by-side such as Martin Logan some JBL and other various speakers all done on multiple receivers and in the treated room. I give the speakers a 4.5 out of five. The only reason I don't give it a perfect five is obviously there are better speakers out there in the regard of what they can cover and spectrum of sound. It doesn't lose a half a point because of anything bad that it reproduces sound wise or the quality of its looks or build. I strictly take that half a point because it is a mid range speaker when it comes to tower or functionality and form factor that there are speakers that will give you a better sound just for that but I'm not knocking the point off for anything that he cannot do just for what it is. Is truly a phenomenal speaker. How do my series is one compare to the series 2. In my opinion quite well I would also give them a 4.5 out of five series 2 if anything refines the sound just a little bit more

[theredon]

I have this speakers and coming from Klipsch I really enjoy the sound of this speakers I also listen to Elac and I like the B&W better. Its depend also the rest of the components chain. I think the sound is subjective. But Tharbamar is right the price is to high. I bought them used tho.

Been a dancer I really have an educated ear for the music.

[RAMtrails]

what speakers should I get for stereo listening under $1000

[siliconnubian]

I enjoy your videos.

Even with perfect placement in a perfect room & with a perfect source, speaker selection is largely subjective. I have little to no brand loyalty as this keeps my mind free during the speaker auditioning & selection process.

I am very fond of my 3A Acoustics MM Mk2 speakers but will soon move them to another room. I am now shopping for speakers that will eventually be part of a setup that will be 50/50 TV/HT and music. I am presently trying to see where I can audition the following speakers, these will be the fronts & subwoofer probably to be added later, that I'm interested in. Budget for the fronts is $1200 CAD

JBL Studio 230
JBL Studio 530 (Hard To Get!!)
Warfdale Diamond 225
Warfdale 230
Q Acoustics Q3020
Q ACOUSTICS QA2050 (Availability is ??)

I prefer an immersive, insightful and well balanced sound with a very smooth and extended highs as I am sensitive to harshness in that frequency range. Mids should be natural as possible and bass extension doesn't have to be ultra deep, but must be tight and believable.

What are your views on my speaker selctions?

[andynugen]

What is brand and model of the pair of speakers on the stands that you have behind the B&W?

[ziggy]

in your opinion which are the best bookshelf speakers under 350 dollars?

[RamaP]

You may have already answered this but which one do you think is better, these or the ELAC Uni-Fi B5?