The 685 is a bit of a star. Every edition since it first appeared has swept up rave reviews and product of the year awards, and trumped expectations of performance and design from speakers in the affordable price range. This, the fourth generation of the 600 Series, features improved drive units, minimalist crossovers and a whole new design.

For hi-fi or home cinema in small to medium-sized rooms, you need a loudspeaker that doesn't take up floor area, but whose sound can still command the space. You'll find the 685, which can sit on a shelf, table, stand or wall-mount, an inspired
choice.

The 685, with its 165mm diameter Kevlar® cone bass/midrange is based on a tried-and-trusted B&W design, but its new fixed centre bullet helps to smooth the response in upper frequencies. Also, by setting the bass/midrange closer to the tweeter than in equivalent earlier speakers, we have improved the integration and vertical dispersion of sound from the two units. The Nautilus tube-loaded, aluminium dome tweeter, featuring a new surround material to improve spaciousness and imaging, adds needle-sharp top end all the way to 50kHz and beyond.

The improvements to the drive units in the new 600 Series make it possible, for the first time, to introduce a minimalist crossover to the range. The use of components that are fewer in number but higher in quality hand-picked in exhaustive listening tests reduces the degradation of the signal significantly. So, whether you're enjoying hi-fi or home cinema, what you hear is that much closer to what was recorded.
Visually, a refreshed, contemporary design language and a widened choice of wood finishes allows the 685 to fit in effortlessly with any interior

Technical features

• Nautilus tube loaded aluminium dome tweeter
• Kevlar® brand fibre cone bass/midrange
• Flowport
• Description: 2-way vented-box system
• Frequency range: -6dB at 42Hz and 50kHz
• Frequency response: 49Hz - 22kHz ±3dB on reference axis
• Recommended amplifier power: 25W - 100W into 8 ohms on unclipped programme
• Dimensions
• Height: 340mm (13.4 in)
• Width: 198mm (7.8 in)
• Depth: 331mm (12.3 in)
• Net weight: 7.0kg (15.4 lb)