Audition Impressions: B&W 684 and 683

[Asr]

Listened to these speakers last week at a local dealer. Impressions below written from saved notes.

Source Component: Rotel RCD-1072

Amplifiers: Rotel RC-1070 pre-amp & RMB-1075 power amp

Impressions:

I started off by going straight into the 684, as it's the cheaper model. However, I immediately realized that my listening would be futile without a comparison of some kind, and there were a bunch of other B&W speakers in the room that could be switched between at will, so I ABX'd the 684 against the next-higher-up model, the 683, for all of my listening.

Reference CD tracks included:

- Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite - "Let Me Touch You For Awhile"

- James Newton-Howard - The Village [OST] - "Noah Visits" & "Those We Don't Speak Of"

- Massive Attack - Mezzanine - "Inertia Creeps"

- Porcupine Tree - In Absentia - "Blackest Eyes"

- Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day - "Dream"

- The Crystal Method - Community Service - "Dude In The Moon [Luna Mix]"

Initial impression of the 684 before I heard the 683 was relatively positive - it sounded good and didn't seem to do anything bad that I could tell right away. However, as soon I switched to the 683, the 684's shortcomings were instantly obvious. The 684's bass was fairly boomy (which was certainly fun-sounding), had a considerably smaller soundstage, and there was an upper-mids/lower-treble spike that gave it a nasal, bronzy, hard quality.

The 683 threw open the soundstage quite a bit more than the 684, though it didn't really completely "disappear," as I could still easily pinpoint the music coming from the speaker drivers with my eyes closed. But in comparison to the 684, it actually partially disappeared, whereas the 684 didn't. The 683's sound was definitely clearer than the 684's too, with better separation and less muddying throughout the entire frequency spectrum. It was also less boomy, more controlled, and more rhythmic in the bass. It also had increased treble energy over the 684 that made it sound more articulate and fast, not slowed down by anything, while the 684 seemed a bit sluggish. There was also a difference in presentation between the two models - the 684 was forward and direct, while the 683 was more in the laid-back direction (but not as laidback as the Monitor Audio RS8 that I heard just before RMAF).

Neither of the speakers were totally dynamic or totally rhythmic - I didn't get a good sense of either of them contrasting quiet vs loud very well (lacking immediate volume intensity also), especially as neither was really subtle on quiet parts - I tried to hear a sense of fading "silence" from them but neither expressed that aspect. And while the 683 was certainly more rhythmic than the 684, even it sounded a bit slow in both the bass and treble area. I felt the 683 lacked some treble extension to really make fast notes & effects stand out.

I came away feeling the 683 is a good speaker overall, considerably better than the 684. Anyone looking to buy either should definitely skip the 684, the 683 was that much of a jump over it. I thought the 683 was good enough that I could live with it, but in comparison to the Monitor Audio RS8, I definitely prefer the RS8's sound and would rather live with something more like that...which is why to start with, I've already bought their BR5, which if it doesn't work out, I can always sell later.