I've been setting up a home theater bit by bit, got the TV, the DVD and the reciever now im in the market for some speakers. I've manged to chip large amounts off the RRP of almost everything i've got bought by shopping around online but speakers have stumped me. First of all i'm looking for a pair of B&W 602's but cannot find anything a penny cheaper than the RRP of £300 Does anyone know why this is? some kind of tight control on distributers? Is this common with lots of speaker companys? or does anyone know anywhere? i'm in the UK so the company needs to be here unless the savings + shipping make it worth it...
Thanks
Liam

oh by the way what do you guys think of the B&W 600 Series 3 range? Anyone had any experence with them? I'm thinking of pairing them up with my Marantz 5300 Reciever are they a good choice for me?
I'm a Home theater newbie, well sort of know a bit about somethings not alot about others, speakers aren't my strong point!

1). Try http://www.hyperfi.co.uk and http://www.richersounds.co.uk

Admittedly they're both clearing houses but they do have a few bargains from time to time.

2). Some year's back I bought a pair of DM600's which gave me years of sterling service. I would however, at the moment, offer a word of caution.

Eeper (e_pereira) has been having a number of problems with his B&W centre speaker - been back and forth for repair etc several times. It now seems that he's been at the vanguard of a serious quality control problem - normal returns of around 7% have suddenly leaped into the 20% range.

Now I don't want to go putting you off B&W, they are good. Just make sure you listen to them before you buy.

I love my B&W cm2's but after only 7 months the real wood veneer is coming off...

thanks to my friendly dealer its being sorted...

i am at the moment the not so proud loaner of a pair of jamo e800.....

as djy said - you really ort to listen before you buy

Hi Liam,

Some manufacturers seem to be like that, unfortunately.

You could try other brands (Acoustic Energy or Mission spring to mind when discounts are involved).

Other places to look (in the UK) are www.hifijunkies.co.uk
www.practicalhifi.co.uk
www.hifibitz.co.uk
www.superfi.co.uk
www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk

A good friend of mine has B&W 603s as fronts and 602.5s as rears and they sound superb (if a bit bassy). The 602s are supposed to be excellent (for standmounters). Don't forget the cost of good stands for them!!

A lot of HiFi shops will actually discount on the spot - if you have a Sevenoaks or Practical HiFi near you - you might be able to persuade them to cut as much as 10%.

Hope that helps - me I'm trying to put together the £800 or so for a pair of Monitor Audio Silver S8s

Cheers,

Mark C

Thanks for your help everybody looks like its gonna cost what its gonna cost as none of those links had a lower price. If only richersounds stocked b&W!
Thanks for reminding me about speaker stands cmarkc!
It has got me thinking...
How much should i spend on speakers stands in term of percentage of cost of the bookshelf speakers?
If B&W 602's are £300 a pair then would it be worth simply upgrading to B&W 602.5's at £400 and removing the need for stands? would i notice a big difference in sound do you think?
thanks Liam

I think £100 would be a reasonable price to pay for a pair of stands so it would appear the overall cost would be very similar.

In theory the 602.5's should produce a fuller sound (more extended bass) though the tech spec's don't really indicate this.

I'm afraid then it's back to listening for oneself to determine your preference. May I make a suggestion, however . . .

For my main fronts I use Mission 775e's. Chucked out the supplied MDF plinths and replaced them with a pair granite ones from HNE. Excellent sound for a total outlay of £1000.

Outrageous money!? Check out Hyperfi again. They've got 775e's listed at the ridiculous price of £200. Now add the £200 or so for the plinths and your not talking much more than the 602.5's.

Just a thought.

excuse my ignorance what is a plinth?
Is that the part of the speaker which touches the ground?
thanks!

Hi Liam,

Plinth = stand, same thing.

I would have to agree with djy regarding prices of stands - £100 max on a pair of £300 speakers. Atacama do some nice ones at about £75.

Personally - for front speakers (if you have the space) I would go for floorstanders - but you tend to have to be a little careful with positioning - too close to walls or corners and the bass can get a bit wild! Standmounters are (usually) more forgiving in smaller rooms.

The Acoustic Energy Evo3's are supposed to be good floorstanders (and have the benefit of being upgradeable to a full 5.1 or 6.1 system with matched surrounds, centre and sub later).

Cheers,

Mark C

Oops! should have added the link.