BlueWizard
Distinguished Member
I happened to be in a Audio Shop and briefly auditioned the Bowers-Wilkins Speakers. I was very impressed.
Here are the speakers they had lined up in a row -
603 Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
703 S2 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
702 S2 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
804 D3 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
I started with the B&W 700-Series. Very impressive. Excellent Mid/Highs, with smooth bass.
The B&W 702-S2 with out-board tweeter were very impressive. The element I'm looking for in new speakers is good mid/high with crisp detail, and these speakers delivered it nicely without tend to be forward or bright.
I like a somewhat laid back speaker for music, but that type of speaker tends to be a bit too laid back for movies. For movies I really want a good Mid/High presence, but it has to do so without becoming overbearing. That 700's deliver that, They still have a nice mellow easy to listen to characteristic, but at the same time have the solid Mid/High presence that I am looking for.
The next speaker up in the 700 Series is the B&W 702-S2 with the Out-Board Tweeter. These are amazingly impressive. The Outboard Tweeter really makes a difference and just expands the sound, and perhaps with a bit more detail in the highs.
I have heard to older 600-Series, both one model back and two models back. With the oldest I thought the bass was a bit over blown and the created a slight tendency to muddy the Mid/High a bit. One series back, the one that has just been replaced, I thought sounded very good even when compared directly to the B&W CM Series. Of course the CM sounded better, but the 600 came pretty close for substantially lower money.
The latest B&W 603 with 6" Silver Mid driver, and 2x6.5" Bass drivers, were impressive, and if I had only heard them on their own, I would have been more impressed. They did sound good ...but... stepping directly from them to the 703-S2 and the 702-S2 at the touch of a button, the difference was noticeable. The 603 are very clear, but compared to the 703/702, a bit less detail in the Highs and a softer Midrange, but still a good sounding speaker for very substantially less money.
But the 703/702 are really sweet in the Mid/High with very nice detail, but without exaggerating anything. And the Outboard Tweeter, I just can't say enough about it, very noticeable different in sound quality and sound stage, but they aren't giving them away. You pay an extra (roughly) £1000 for the speaker with outboard tweeter. Worth it though in my opinion.
Since they had the 600, 703/703, and the 804-D3 lined up, it was not big deal to simply switch to the 804. I've had several auditions of the 800 series, or at least the lower Floorstanding in the 800 series, and I've never been impressed. They are clear enough but in each case, the bass seemed overblown and out of proportion. Since that is completely opposed to what others are telling me, I chalked it up to a bad audition, most likely poor speaker placement.
However, in this case, yesterday, with the newest 804-D3 I was indeed impressed. Very Smooth well balanced Bass and the Mid/Highs were a small but clear step above the 700 series. A bit rich for my blood but at least I had one good audition of the 804, and they were impressive. As with the 700 series, they had good Mid/High presence without being forward, bright, or over bearing. These are all speakers that you can listen to for extended periods of time without fatigue which is kind of what I am looking for in potential new speakers.
All the speakers has very smooth well controlled balanced bass, which is a good thing in my book. If I want more bass, I'll add it with the Bass Control, I would rather they balanced the speaker, and left the adjustments to me. It is easier for me to turn up the bass, then, and oddly so, for me to have to turn down the bass.
I suspect if I had heard the B&W 603 on its own, I would have been impressed and pleased with the sound, It is only in contrast to the 700 Series that it come up lacking.
There was an error in the prices, I was quoting US$ without realizing it. Here are actual selling prices in the UK for Bowers-Wilkins -
B&W 603 - £1249/pair
B&W 703-S2 - £2399/pair
B&W 702-S2 - £3299/pair
B&W 804-D3 - £6750/pair
If there were any way I could afford it, I would very dearly love to have a pair of B&W 702-S2; very nice speakers, and they are about HALF the cost if the still impressive B&W 804-D3.
It is really worth the extra £1000 to step up from the 703-S2 to the 702-S2, you get a slightly larger cabinet with an extra Bass Driver, and you get the outboard tweeter. That price difference seems justified. But I'm not sure I'm good with adding another full £4500 to step up to the 804-D3. Those are good speakers, but the 702-S2 come very very close at HALF the cost. That makes the 702-S2 a winner in my book.
I have to ask myself, would it be better to have a PAIR of 804-D3 or would it be better to have TWO PAIR of 702-S2? Given what I heard, I think one or two pair of 702-S2 wins.
It was a short audition, and these are my impressions. I've always like the B&W 600 and the B&W CM and now 700. But I really and truly like the newest versions of all the above over the previous versions. Noticeable improvement with each new generation.
For what it is worth.
Steve/bluewizard
Here are the speakers they had lined up in a row -
603 Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
703 S2 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
702 S2 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
804 D3 Floorstanding Speaker | Bowers & Wilkins
I started with the B&W 700-Series. Very impressive. Excellent Mid/Highs, with smooth bass.
The B&W 702-S2 with out-board tweeter were very impressive. The element I'm looking for in new speakers is good mid/high with crisp detail, and these speakers delivered it nicely without tend to be forward or bright.
I like a somewhat laid back speaker for music, but that type of speaker tends to be a bit too laid back for movies. For movies I really want a good Mid/High presence, but it has to do so without becoming overbearing. That 700's deliver that, They still have a nice mellow easy to listen to characteristic, but at the same time have the solid Mid/High presence that I am looking for.
The next speaker up in the 700 Series is the B&W 702-S2 with the Out-Board Tweeter. These are amazingly impressive. The Outboard Tweeter really makes a difference and just expands the sound, and perhaps with a bit more detail in the highs.
I have heard to older 600-Series, both one model back and two models back. With the oldest I thought the bass was a bit over blown and the created a slight tendency to muddy the Mid/High a bit. One series back, the one that has just been replaced, I thought sounded very good even when compared directly to the B&W CM Series. Of course the CM sounded better, but the 600 came pretty close for substantially lower money.
The latest B&W 603 with 6" Silver Mid driver, and 2x6.5" Bass drivers, were impressive, and if I had only heard them on their own, I would have been more impressed. They did sound good ...but... stepping directly from them to the 703-S2 and the 702-S2 at the touch of a button, the difference was noticeable. The 603 are very clear, but compared to the 703/702, a bit less detail in the Highs and a softer Midrange, but still a good sounding speaker for very substantially less money.
But the 703/702 are really sweet in the Mid/High with very nice detail, but without exaggerating anything. And the Outboard Tweeter, I just can't say enough about it, very noticeable different in sound quality and sound stage, but they aren't giving them away. You pay an extra (roughly) £1000 for the speaker with outboard tweeter. Worth it though in my opinion.
Since they had the 600, 703/703, and the 804-D3 lined up, it was not big deal to simply switch to the 804. I've had several auditions of the 800 series, or at least the lower Floorstanding in the 800 series, and I've never been impressed. They are clear enough but in each case, the bass seemed overblown and out of proportion. Since that is completely opposed to what others are telling me, I chalked it up to a bad audition, most likely poor speaker placement.
However, in this case, yesterday, with the newest 804-D3 I was indeed impressed. Very Smooth well balanced Bass and the Mid/Highs were a small but clear step above the 700 series. A bit rich for my blood but at least I had one good audition of the 804, and they were impressive. As with the 700 series, they had good Mid/High presence without being forward, bright, or over bearing. These are all speakers that you can listen to for extended periods of time without fatigue which is kind of what I am looking for in potential new speakers.
All the speakers has very smooth well controlled balanced bass, which is a good thing in my book. If I want more bass, I'll add it with the Bass Control, I would rather they balanced the speaker, and left the adjustments to me. It is easier for me to turn up the bass, then, and oddly so, for me to have to turn down the bass.
I suspect if I had heard the B&W 603 on its own, I would have been impressed and pleased with the sound, It is only in contrast to the 700 Series that it come up lacking.
There was an error in the prices, I was quoting US$ without realizing it. Here are actual selling prices in the UK for Bowers-Wilkins -
B&W 603 - £1249/pair
B&W 703-S2 - £2399/pair
B&W 702-S2 - £3299/pair
B&W 804-D3 - £6750/pair
If there were any way I could afford it, I would very dearly love to have a pair of B&W 702-S2; very nice speakers, and they are about HALF the cost if the still impressive B&W 804-D3.
It is really worth the extra £1000 to step up from the 703-S2 to the 702-S2, you get a slightly larger cabinet with an extra Bass Driver, and you get the outboard tweeter. That price difference seems justified. But I'm not sure I'm good with adding another full £4500 to step up to the 804-D3. Those are good speakers, but the 702-S2 come very very close at HALF the cost. That makes the 702-S2 a winner in my book.
I have to ask myself, would it be better to have a PAIR of 804-D3 or would it be better to have TWO PAIR of 702-S2? Given what I heard, I think one or two pair of 702-S2 wins.
It was a short audition, and these are my impressions. I've always like the B&W 600 and the B&W CM and now 700. But I really and truly like the newest versions of all the above over the previous versions. Noticeable improvement with each new generation.
For what it is worth.
Steve/bluewizard
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