Bowers and Wilkins HTM6 S3 Centre Speaker Oak

The HTM6 S3 is the dedicated centre channel in Bowers & Wilkins’ 600 Series S3 range, sitting alongside the 603 S3 floorstanding and 607 S3 bookshelf speakers. Designed to anchor dialogue and vocals in a home cinema system, it pairs two 130mm Continuum cone bass/midrange drivers with a 25mm Decoupled Double Dome titanium tweeter in a compact two-way vented-box enclosure.

Driver Technology

The twin Continuum cone drivers handle bass and midrange duties. Continuum is a woven composite material developed by Bowers & Wilkins as a replacement for the earlier Kevlar cone, engineered to deliver a cleaner, more neutral midband without the colouration that can occur with stiffer or more resonant diaphragm materials. Each driver measures 130mm in diameter.

High frequencies are handled by a 25mm titanium dome tweeter using Bowers & Wilkins’ Decoupled Double Dome construction. The dome is mechanically isolated from the surrounding baffle, reducing the transfer of cabinet vibration into the tweeter assembly. An acoustically transparent grille mesh sits over the tweeter, protecting the dome without introducing diffraction effects.

Enclosure Design

The HTM6 S3 uses a vented-box (bass reflex) loading with Bowers & Wilkins’ Flowport technology. The Flowport is a dimpled reflex port designed to reduce turbulence at the port exit, minimising the chuffing noise that conventional ports can produce at higher output levels. The port fires from the rear of the cabinet.

The cabinet itself measures 160 × 480 × 255mm (H × W × D) without the grille, extending to 283mm deep with the grille and terminals fitted. At 7.7kg, it is compact enough to sit on a shelf or beneath a television without dominating the space.

Connectivity

The rear panel carries upgraded speaker terminals with an improved signal path. The binding posts are arranged in a bi-wire configuration with separate LF and HF connections, labelled –LF, –HF, +LF, and +HF. For single-wire operation, the supplied jumper links bridge the two pairs.

System Integration

The HTM6 S3 is voiced to match the rest of the 600 Series S3 range. In a typical home cinema configuration, it partners with the 603 S3 as front left and right channels and the 607 S3 as surrounds. All models in the range share the same Continuum cone and titanium dome tweeter technologies, ensuring consistent tonal character across the soundstage.

The Oak finish pairs a light natural wood-effect top and side panels with a white front baffle, complemented by a grey fabric grille.