Great sounding B&W Floorstanders with Kevlar Drivers 684

Great sounding B&W Floorstanders with distinctive Kevlar drivers

The 684 makes a typical Bowers and Wilkins sound, with a twist or two; very clean, extremely neutral and very, very competent. Exciting too, the combination of taut, surprisingly deep bass and bright treble makes for a speaker with a zing to them.

The 684 is a ported, two-and-a-half-way design. It sports the now standard B&W issue Flowport golf ball-pitted port both fore and aft, a 25mm aluminum dome tweeter and a pair of 165mm Kevlar mid-bass units with hard ‘bullet’ phase plugs in the acoustic centre of each driver. As with most modern, quality speakers, they are equipped with dual pairs of gold plated 5-Way bindings, suitable for bi-wiring / bi-amping.

These are deceptively heavy loudspeakers (thanks in part to the B&W trait of a healthy amount of internal bracing). And they are efficient and easy to drive too; 90dB sensitivity, with an eight ohm impedance (although the company also claims a three-ohm minimum impedance).

Bass is exceptionally good, and not just ‘for the money’. Bass is both deep and taut, and that easy drive means it will be like that irrespective of the amplifier used. And this is one of the most important plus points for the 684 – it’s remarkably unfussy as to its business partners. It will deliver a remarkably similar performance whether it’s the most expensive part of the signal chain, or the cheapest. Differences are still apparent, but not as marked as many designs. And yet, this doesn’t come at the expense of the musical presentation. It’s a remarkable leveller of equipment. I suspect that might disenfranchise those who want the sound of their expensive CD and amps to be immediately apparent, but for many others this is a handy bonus. Arcam, Cambridge Audio, Marantz, NAD and (obviously, given the company connections) Rotel would be logical choices for electronics happiness.

These are attractive speakers as well, we think they look better with grilles off, highlighting that distinctive off-centre Bowers & Wilkins tweeter surround logo, and characteristic kevlar drivers.

Technical Specifications
Bowers and Wilkins 684 floorstanding loudspeaker

Type: Two-and-a-half way reflex loaded floorstanding loudspeaker

Driver Complement: 1x 25mm aluminum dome tweeter, 1x 165mm woven Kevlar® cone bass/midrange, 1x 165mm woven Kevlar® cone bass

Bandwidth: 44Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis, -6dB at 34Hz and 50kHz

Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V, 1m)

Impedance: 8 ohms nominal (minimum 3 ohms)

Dimensions (WxHxD, not including feet): 198 x 910 x 300mm, Weight: 18.2kg (40.1 lbs)

Retailed new for $550 USD each, nearly $1800 Canadian with tax for a pair. Asking just $995 for these great sounding B&W towers.