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The 683 is the top model in B&W's most recent incarnation of the entry-level 600 Series. It's not a speaker range to be taken lightly, especially given that B&W is one of the largest dedicated loudspeaker makers in the world and thus one of the biggest players in the audiophile market.
The new 600 Series is smaller than previously, and there are just two standmounts, the 686 and 685, and two floorstanding stereo models, the 684 and 683. There are also three subwoofers: ASW 608, 610 and 610XP (the ‘8' and ‘10' refer to the driver size in inches, and XP essentially just means bigger and better). There are also two centre speakers and a surround speaker.
While the standmounts are very similar, except for the size of main driver and box, the two floorstanders are distinctly different. The 684 is a two-and-a-half-way with two matching Kevlar cones (one dedicated to bass, the other to bass and mid), while the more expensive and taller 683 takes an FST midrange unit from the 800 series and augments it with two new bass drivers. All the 600 series models have the same aluminium tweeter set in its distinctively offset face plate.
