With the What Hi-Fi? Awards fast approaching, I've been spending my week thus far setting up and testing some of the best surround sound speaker systems on the market, including offerings from KEF and Fyne.
The current king of home cinema audio, however, is the Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package, which is a two-time Award winner and remains a reference point for other 5.1 surround sound systems to aspire to.
It's been a while since I've used this speaker package, but after plugging it into the excellent Marantz Cinema 30 AV receiver, I was swiftly reminded as to why we rate it so highly.
While its performance hasn't changed since it won for the first time back in 2023, the price certainly has. Originally launching at £2496, the system can now be snapped up for just £1999 at Peter Tyson – that's a saving of £497.
The fact that this speaker system is primarily composed of two Award-winning pairs of Bowers & Wilkins speakers – the 606 S3 and 607 S3 – should explain why this system is so impressive. Throw in the HTM6 S3 centre speaker and ASW610 subwoofer, and the 5.1 system is primed for home cinema sound duties.
We should remind you that the front and surround speakers are standmount units, so you should factor in the price of speaker stands if you're thinking of picking this system up.
The front, centre and surround channels all feature B&W's titanium-dome tweeter for crisp and stable high-frequency signals, which are backed up by Continuum cone material bass/mid drivers.
That tweeter design is crucial to the centre channel, which we found to deliver a “captivating vocal performance”, while the system as a whole offers up a rich, dynamic and engaging sound that ticks all of the cinematic boxes we look for.
B&W has been known to create some excellent subwoofers in the past, and the ASW610 is no exception. It’s small, to fit in with the fairly compact nature of this system as a whole, but it's also mighty when it comes to delivering weighty, controlled bass.
With a discount just shy of £500, this system is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to upgrade from a soundbar to a fully fledged 5.1 system. Don't miss this deal at Peter Tyson.
MORE:
Read our full Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package review
Check out the best surround sound systems
Need an AVR for this speaker package? Here's a five-star Marantz deal
