According to our guide, the best floorstanding speakers will take your hi-fi system to the next level by delivering room-filling sound with authority, breadth and scale.
This is rarely better demonstrated than by the Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3, which, we noted in our review, serve up a "full, clear sound that can fill most rooms with ease". If you're weighing up your options, then it'll be helpful to know that we rated them four rather than the full five stars because they can be beaten on timing and dynamics.
If you're still keen, then you'll be glad to know that they're now discounted to £1649 at Peter Tyson. That's a £350 discount from their launch price and the lowest price we've ever seen them.
Best Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 floorstanders deal
The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 floorstanders are the largest and most expensive speakers in the 600 series, designed for “larger rooms and home theatres”, packing in a 25mm titanium dome tweeter, B&W’s custom Continuum 15cm midrange cone, and a pair of 16.5cm paper bass drivers.
Much of the clever tech and core DNA from the costlier 700 series has trickled down to the 600 range, including a more powerful motor assembly for the midrange driver, which uses a special type of foam to suppress resonances in pursuit of a purer, clearer sound.
The 603 S3 are sizeable towers, standing at 102cm high when mounted on their provided plinths and making their rival PMC Prodigy 5 look titchy by comparison. Whether sitting on their plinths or not, these are big boys, and the sound they produce lives up to their physical presence.
For would-be buyers with a suitably large space in which the 603 S3 can feel most comfortable, the Bowers towers make a terrific amount of sense. These are authoritative, large-scale speakers, with a broad, full sound that thrives in spaces in which the floorstanders have room to breathe.
To quote from our review, "There’s fullness and weight (to the music), with lots of drive and power that will please anyone looking for their music to enjoy a whole load of weight and muscle."
They're detailed and clear, as you'd expect from a pair of B&W speakers, bringing out the best of Björk like it's no big deal and making Bachelorette soar by revealing lavishly textured strings and the nuances of the Icelandic vocalist's idiosyncratic delivery. Add to that some taut, weighty bass, and it's hard not to be impressed.
True, the PMC Prodigy 5 will give you a greater sense of dynamic range to give your records that extra feeling of fun, but the 603 S3 are hugely competent floorstanders that are looking for the right buyer and, more importantly, the right home to call their own.
With a £350 saving off the retail price available now, that home could be yours...
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