B&W'S WINNING 685 S2 SPEAKERS
Loudspeakers
One of the world’s most famous loudspeaker manufacturers releases a new, updated ‘Series 2’ version of one of its best-selling, multi-award winning bookshelf/standmount models. What could possibly go wrong?
Ummm… a whole lot of misinformed and anonymous internet users could claim that it’s not a new version at all… that’s what!
The equipmenT
So let’s start by discussing the topic of what constitutes ‘new’, which is a subject that has proved somewhat controversial amongst audiophiles because, if you frequent the forums, you’ll find many posters claiming the 685 S2 is not a new design at all. So how different is this S2 version from the original 685? According to B&W’s Patrick Butler, who should know, everything about the 685 S2 is new: ‘ New cabinet, new drivers, new crossovers. The only thing that is not new is the name,’ he posted on one of the forums in answer to the naysayers. [See full quote on page 35]
The problem is that the definition of what constitutes ‘new’ really depends on how pernickety you wish to be about it. The bass/ midrange driver on the 685 S2, for example, is most certainly making its first appearance on the 685 S2. It has not appeared on any previous B&W model. So I’d personally say that qualifies it as being ‘new’. But its cone is made of the same woven Kevlar used in dozens of previous B&W models, including some of its highest-priced offerings. It also uses the same type of aluminium in the driver chassis, the same type of copper for the wire used in the voice coil, the same type of Nomex in the voice-coil former… the point is that in the year 2014, nothing in this world is really completely ‘new’. The bass/midrange driver in the 685 S2 may indeed incorporate materials that have been used previously by B&W, but in its entirety it is, truly, a new driver for B&W.