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what is the difference between b&w 686 and 686b?

post #1 of 8
1/11/13 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
I see that the 686b only cost 479.98 a pair at best buy magnolia, but another store wants to sell me a used pair of the 686 for $350.00. is that to high or what do you all think?
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post #2 of 8
1/11/13 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
sorry for the confusion I thought that b&w had a 685b and a because the other store wasn't specific in the model. they just said 686. if it was you would you spend $350.00 on a demo pair or buy new?
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post #3 of 8
1/11/13 at 11:07am
685 and 683 are the stars of the 600 line. I can't comment first hand but many are not found of the 686.
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post #4 of 8
1/11/13 at 11:42am
maybe the "b" stands for black?
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post #5 of 8
1/11/13 at 11:44am
I'll bet the B stands for Black. So to answer your question, no difference between 686 and a 686B other than the B is black finish.

I have seen demos/open box 686's go for around $420 pair at Magnolias. These would be with full warranty so if I was in the market for a pair of these, I would inclined to go this route instead of $350 for used as you were quoted. Unless the $350 had a warranty. Then that is a good price if they are in very good condition.

I have never heard 686's so cannot comment on how they would sound compared to other bookshelf models in this price range. I have only heard the 683's and found them to be very engaging and strike me as a lot of speaker for the money. Definitely the star of the line up as was poined out by jima4.
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post #6 of 8
1/11/13 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
the $350.00 used to be authorized dealer, but lost it when magnolia best buy stores started selling b&w. the store seems to think that b&w would still honor the warranty but for some reason I don't think they would. what happened was b&w told a lot of dealers if you can't sell as much as best buy magnolia you are no longer authorized. they couldn't do it. that owner told me he knew a lot of other rotel and b&w dealers who also lost the authorized status because they couldn't sell as much.
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post #7 of 8
1/11/13 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
most of the stuff at the 350 price is leftover demo stuff except parasound. they still are authorized to sell that.
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post #8 of 8
1/11/13 at 8:14pm
The "b" indeed indicates the black ash finish for the speakers. The 686s are great for surrounds or in a very small listening space. As jima4a already mentioned, the 685 and 683 are the best speakers in the line.
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › what is the difference between b&w 686 and 686b?