B&W VM6 Floor standing speakers

The technological capabilities of Bowers & Wilkins allow it to create even relatively inexpensive universal acoustics with exceptional parameters. And as an example, the VM6 model is excellent. Oval in cross-section, the bodies of these designer speakers are molded from dense plastic and, in theory, should not create resonances. All drivers are of our own design: a branded aluminum tweeter with a "nautilus" reverse chamber and a 130 mm mid-woofer with impregnated Kevlar cone. They are connected through first-order crossovers that do not introduce phase distortion. In addition, a large set of installation and fasteners has been developed for this acoustics, and you will receive a round stand, a footboard, various plugs, adapters, nozzles with each speaker. From such a "constructor" you can quickly assemble acoustic systems of any type and configuration: for stereo or home theater, for wall mounting, for placement on a shelf, stand or on the floor, with a vertical or horizontal orientation ... Engineers tried to provide for any installation options and in addition, we worked out the design so that the speaker cable supply was secretive. This flexibility is provided by the presence of two recessed terminals on the speaker cabinet. One is on the short side, the other is on the long side. The connection is carried out using a special terminal block, and the unused connector is decorated with a plug.

The sound of the VM6 has a soft dynamic pattern. Despite the light compression, the sound is very legible, articulation in the middle and high registers does not suffer at all. The bass is surprisingly low for such a compact speaker, intense, has no spurious bass-reflex overtones, although the booming overtones are somewhat more extended and monotonous. Probably, the speaker cabinet has its own bass resonance, which, fortunately, falls on a fairly low frequency and is easily eliminated by limiting the playback bandwidth to the standard 80 Hz. The middle register captivates with the purity of sound even at very high input power. The overload potential of Bowers & Wilkins systems is simply some kind of prohibitive. However, the linearity in the middle band is not ideal - sharp piercing tones are transmitted without proper brilliance and brightness. The upper range is reproduced in a manner typical of this company - smooth, extremely dynamic and at the same time with a very detailed microdynamic pattern. It is impossible to talk about any tinting, although the transmission of the highest metal trebles is "flavored" with slight dry overtones typical of aluminum dome tweeters. We will not attribute this to the shortcomings of the speakers, since a lot here depends on the amplifier and speaker cable. By selecting a pair, you can achieve both refined treble reproduction and lively fresh sound. Of course, this is troublesome, but it's worth it.