Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series 3 - Manual (Page 4)

Bracing
Unshakable, that’s how we like to think
of our speakers. Maximum delivery with
minimum vibration. Inside the cabinets
you will find a system of strategically-
positioned panels that brace the walls of
the speaker. Panel resonances are restrained,
allowing you to push the volume as high as
you want. With this extra stiffening inside the
speaker, you can enjoy bass with a
bit more backbone.
Crossover
Among the more esoteric pastimes enjoyed
at B&W’s University of Sound is the auditioning
of components for the crossover filters.
Capacitors, in particular, elicit endless hours
of study. Not even the experts there can say
exactly why different brands of nominally
identical components affect the quality of the
sound or the stereo image. However, there is
no doubt that each component leaves its own
audible imprint on the sound.
For the 600 Series 3, we have made a
new selection of capacitors. We won’t try and
explain it scientifically – we just know they
sound better, adding clarity and openness to
audio delivery.
Flowport
Taking the dimples off a golfball would make
it much harder to hit a hole in one. Dimples
reduce the turbulence created in the ball’s
wake and, in identical fashion, B&W’s
Flowport creates tiny surface eddies in the
pulse of air that oscillates in and out of the
cabinet’s ‘exhaust pipe’. In smoothing the
general airflow, Flowport drastically reduces
the ‘chuffing’ noises that occur in less
sophisticated designs, and extends the
bass delivery. (For less ‘boom’ in resonant
rooms, foam inserts are available with every
model for plugging the port tubes and
reducing bass energy).
It’s not just our large or top-flight
speakers that benefit from the cleaner beat:
we have made Flowport par for the course
throughout the 600 Series 3.
Subwoofer Amplifiers
Every 600 Series 3 subwoofer features
an amplifier custom tuned to maximise the
potential of each individual driver/cabinet
combination and realise true bass extension
in an easily accommodated package. All
have adjustment to match the subwoofer
to the room acoustics and to enable it to
blend with a wide variety of other speakers
in the installation.
The most powerful of these amplifiers –
delivering up to 500 watts for the ASW675 –
uses a switch mode power supply and Class D
configuration for maximum efficiency, ensuring
cool and reliable operation. Power factor
correction maintains a clean mains supply,
avoiding interference with other electronic
components.