B&W DM 601 S2 Bookshelf Speakers - Pawn Shop $180 ~ MSRP $470 HD

B&W DM 601 S2 Bookshelf Speakers - Pawn Shop $180 ~ MSRP $470 Average Guy HiFi Rating - 41.5/50 = 83% Demo - R.E.M. Album - Out of Time Song - Losing My Religion Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Time-R-M/dp/B000002LOE/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=rem+out+of+time&qid=1625190768&sprefix=rem+out&sr=8-3 Bowers & Wilkins DM 601 S2 Type: 2 way bass reflex Frequency Response: 70 - 20,000 Hz +/- 3 dB Power Handeling: 25 - 100 Watts Impedance: 8 ohms Sensitivity: 88 dB Mid/Woofer: 6.5" Kevlar Woven Tweeter: 1” Metal Dome Dimensions (inches): 14" H x 8" W x 9.5" D Weight: 13.5 lbs. Each MSRP ~ $470 Pair (couldn’t find exact MSRP but with my research, $470 is close) Where I Purchased - Pawn Shop Listed Price - $180 Price Paid - $180 Condition (not included in score) - 90% The cabinets are in good shape but they do have some minor wear. Quality - 8.0 These are nice quality speakers. The cabinets are sturdy and don’t exude any nasty resonance when I knock on the either. The Kevlar cones are sturdy feeling and I like the fact these speakers use rubber surrounds. If I had to try and find a quality fault, I guess it would be the binding posts and the lack of protection for the tweeters. Again, I needed to stretch to find and quality faults. Like usual, B&W did a great job with these speakers, quality wise, especially considering the price point. Sound - 8.5 These are just beautiful sounding speakers and I can definitely understand why there are so many fans out there. At low volumes or near-field, these are going to be pretty darn hard to beat, with any speakers double their price. They have clear and clean sound and the mid bass is sublime. If I had to say areas that these speakers are slightly lacking it’s the deep bass notes and they seem to strain more at higher volumes. In normal sized rooms and at normal volume, these are killer sounding speakers. MSRP Rating - 9.0 I had to base my ~ $470 MSRP off the original 601 and the 601 S3 speakers, since I couldn’t specifically fine the S2 MSRP. Anywhere near this price, even in 1999 money, was a killer deal. These speakers are very well rounded performers and punch way above their weight class. Again, I couldn’t find the exact MSRP for some reason so if anyone out there knows, I would love to hear from you so I can update my description:) Aesthetics - 8 These are pretty basic looking speakers, especially with the grills on. With the grills off, I think they are a very attractive speaker. That yellow Kevlar just pops and very refreshing, since I’m usually surrounded by the Klipsch copper. I also like the size of these speakers, which is pretty compact when compared to the other 6.5” bookshelf speakers I’ve owned in the past. Price Paid Value - 8.0 Picking these up for $180 is a pretty sweet deal, especially considering I bought them at a pawn shop, where they have margins built into their prices. But I’ve definitely had better deals, like you all know if you ar