[Mag]

Are linear highs important?

Well it depends on how you like your music. My preference for example is a DTS type sound where high frequencies don't roll off. This is absolutely essential when listening to rock. I want the guitars to sound raw with a bit of an edge. As well as trumpets and other similar synthesized sounds.

When I first started out in home audio I had speakers that smoothed out the highs. It took me awhile to realize something was missing when listening to rock. That's when I traded those speakers in for B&W 601 S3 which has a pretty linear tweeter.

Then there's the Dolby type sound that tends to roll off or smooth the highs and can sound rather pleasant. Nothing wrong with that if that's your preference. But it doesn't cut it when listening to guitar rock!

[srb]

Are linear highs important?  Well it depends on how you like your music.

It does.  I found the B&W 600 S3 series tweeter to sound a bit unnaturally bright to me, although a sine wave frequency response chart might show it less pronounced than what I was hearing.  And rock music is only about 3% of my library.

I owned the 602 S3 and its larger box and slightly larger woofer (7" vs. 6.5") had promise of more bass (which it did have), but that bass was a bit boomy and wooly regardless of placement in the room, and I ended up bunging the port closed.  It probably made it sound closer to the 601, which would probably be my model pick out of the entire 60x S3 series speakers.

Steve