A three-way 600 Series floorstander with a dedicated midrange and twin bass drivers.
The 603 S3 builds a full-size stereo front without separate speaker stands.
The pair of Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 speakers combines a titanium-dome tweeter, a Continuum midrange and two 165 mm bass drivers in each cabinet. Its three-way layout keeps voices on a dedicated driver while the paper cones handle bass. That is a practical distinction from the two-way 606 S3 and 607 S3. Choose it when there is room for two cabinets just over a metre tall with their plinths.
Key features
- Three-way vented cabinet: 25 mm Titanium Dome tweeter, 150 mm Continuum FST midrange and two 165 mm paper-cone bass drivers
- Frequency response 46 Hz-28 kHz (±3 dB); sensitivity 90 dB
- Nominal impedance 8 ohms (3.0-ohm minimum); recommended amplifier 30-200 W
- Cabinet 985 × 190 × 340 mm; 1020 × 260 × 402 mm with plinth
- Weight 27.5 kg per speaker; revised terminals and Flowport vent
Driver layout
The 150 mm FST midrange has a defined role across vocals and instruments, leaving lower frequencies to the twin paper cones. The 25 mm Titanium Dome tweeter is decoupled, with an acoustically open protective mesh. A Flowport vent tunes the cabinet, and the terminal arrangement has been revised. These details give the speaker a different physical and acoustic layout from the smaller standmount models.
Planning the room
The cabinet alone is 190 mm wide, but the plinth takes up 260 mm: allow for the latter when placing the pair. Depth likewise grows from 340 to 402 mm with the plinth, before allowing working space for rear cables. At 27.5 kg each, the speakers are best positioned before final wiring. Their floorstanding format avoids the footprint of a separate stand, although each plinth still needs a firm, level surface.
A 46 Hz-28 kHz response at ±3 dB and 90 dB sensitivity describe the design; amplifier matching should also account for the 3.0-ohm impedance minimum. In a home cinema, the 603 S3 can take the front channels alongside the HTM6 S3 centre. Against the 702 S3, its tweeter sits in the baffle and its bass cones are paper rather than Aerofoil.
