Sound That Will Make You Sit Up and Take Notice: Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Includes 6.5-Inch Driver and New Titanium Tweeter In the case of the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 bookshelf loudspeaker, it's okay to judge a book by its cover, which proudly showcases a new grille cover taken directly from the company’s 800 Series.

This 13.6 x 7.4 x 11.8-inch (HWD) dynamo provides clear, pure sound as clean as its classy, looks-good-anywhere aesthetics. Don't let its deceptively polite appearance fool you. Each 15.5-pound unit plays with a fullness, punch, snappiness, and attack that will have you sit up, take notice, and put down your phone.

Revealing and yes, belying its compact size, powerful, 606 S3 showcases the fundamental appeal and lively details of any style of music — be it the tonal beauty of a chamber orchestra, intensity of a speed-metal burner, rhythmic complexity of a bebop classic, or acoustic signature of a country ballad.

Beginning with a new decoupled double-dome titanium tweeter housed in an elongated tube-loading system, the flagship-derived characteristics of the ultra-dynamic 606 S3 continue with its 6.5-inch Continuum cone bass/midrange driver – a trademarked innovation that took eight years to develop and first found in Bowers & Wilkins' costlier 800 Series.

It works in complete harmony with the one-inch tweeter to provide degrees of purity, smoothness, and accuracy. An exemplar of precision, 606 S3 probes and identifies the layers embedded in songs and albums, and renders film soundtracks with an immersive aptitude that nonetheless avoids being sterile or clinical.

It's also a looker. A white, oak, or black matte finish complements aesthetics free of grille pegs and sleek cosmetics that hide the rear-firing, dimpled, flared Flowport in the back of the cabinet. And worry not: 606 S3 generates size-defying bass that remains taut, controlled, and round.

Removable magnetic grilles, self-adhesive rubber feet, and the option to pair 606 S3 with custom Bowers & Wilkins STAV S2 stands (sold separately) add to the versatility. Voice-matched to all other 600 Series models, 606 S3 also proves a beast when employed in a multichannel setup.

It excels at both low and high levels, while its vented-box architecture means you'll also enjoy satisfying low-end frequencies that help bring involving energy to music and movies.

Factor in a five-year manufacturer warranty, and it's high time you spent some quality evenings driving 606 S3. “The pristine, capable nature of these new standmounters is still very impressive and they are a big, easy listen.” —What Hi-Fi?, Best Standmount Speaker €600-€800 2024 Award