TOTL B&W 683 4-driver, 3-way Floor-Standers

B&W 683 Floorstanders – Top 600 Series Kevlar Towers

Radique’s take: Mark is a big fan of both BMW vehicles and B&W speakers, and La-Donna enjoys teasing him when he occasionally confuses the two similar names.

Great sounding B&W 4-driver, 3-way vented-box floor-standers; top of the 600 Series model line.

Founded in Worthing, England in 1966 by the late John Bowers, B&W (more formally known as Bowers & Wilkins) is now one of the best-known names in the loudspeaker industry. While the average person might think of the German car maker when they hear “B&W” spoken quickly, it is one of the first names that comes to an audiophile if asked to list the top speaker companies in the business. Unlike many of its competitors, B&W has focused its resources primarily on loudspeakers, and the 600 Series was created to deliver trickle-down technology from the company’s flagship ranges at more attainable prices.

The floor-standing 683 stands on a slightly wider base that gives the narrow cabinet better stability, and this particular pair includes the optional removable plinths for even greater stability and visual presence—an extra that adds real value over a bare cabinet. On the back of each speaker are two pairs of good, five-way input terminals; they are normally strapped together but can be separated for bi-amping or bi-wiring when partnering electronics allow.

On the front, the 683 employs B&W’s Flowport, a dimpled and flared port designed to minimize air turbulence and reduce port noise at higher playback levels. The front-mounted port location helps make these relatively deep, heavy towers easier to position in real rooms by reducing sensitivity to rear-wall distance, which is especially helpful in typical living rooms and multi-use spaces.

B&W is one of the few loudspeaker manufacturers with the scale and engineering capability to design and build its own drivers in-house, and it was an early adopter of stiffened woven Kevlar for midrange cones. The familiar yellow Kevlar FST 6″ midrange unit in the 683 is closely related to those used in the company’s higher-end 800 Series designs, giving these speakers their open, articulate midband and strong vocal presence.

The two 6.5″ bass drivers in the 683 are unique within the 600 Series, using a composite “mushroom” structure with bonded layers of aluminum, paper, and Kevlar to achieve high stiffness with controlled breakup behavior. This construction supports deep, tuneful bass that stays composed at realistic listening levels, complementing the midrange unit without sounding thick or sluggish.

The aluminum-dome tweeter in the 683 incorporates a tube-loaded rear chamber derived from B&W’s more expensive designs. The long, tapered, damped tube behind the dome absorbs rearward energy and pushes the main resonance well above the audible range, with rated response extending to 50kHz; even if ultra-sonic extension is of limited practical value, shifting breakup modes out of band helps maintain a smoother, more relaxed treble within the 20kHz range humans actually hear.

Key Features & Specifications:

4-driver, 3-way vented-box floorstanding speaker design

1″ aluminum dome tweeter with tube-loading chamber

6″ woven Kevlar FST midrange driver

2 x 6.5″ aluminum/paper/Kevlar composite cone bass drivers unique to the 683

Front-mounted Flowport with dimpled, flared profile to reduce turbulence

Dual 5-way binding posts for bi-amping or bi-wiring

Frequency range: -6dB at 30Hz and 50kHz

Frequency response: 38Hz–22kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Harmonic distortion (2nd/3rd, 90dB, 1m): <1% 90Hz–20kHz; <0.5% 120Hz–20kHz

Nominal impedance: 8Ω (minimum 3Ω)

Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 4kHz

Recommended amplifier power: 25W–200W into 8Ω, unclipped

Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V, 1m)

Optional removable plinths included for added stability and footprint

Finish: Black Ash with black grilles

Dimensions: (Height x Width x Depth) 985 x 198 x 340 mm (38.8 x 7.8 x 13.4 inches)

Weight: 26 kg (57.3 lbs) each

This attractive and great-sounding pair of B&W 683s in Black Ash is in excellent condition, with the optional plinths enhancing both stability and visual stance in a serious two-channel or home-theatre system.

Backed by Radique Audio’s 90-day warranty and our perpetual trade-back policy, you can purchase with confidence.

Asking $1,495 CAD.