Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Review
The 700 series, in a way the crown princes in the B&W portfolio, traditionally follow closely on the heels of their big siblings and benefit from developments. Now there is something new again.
by Tom Frantzen
We all know that the flagships from B&W enjoy great attention and also popularity. But in the end, it is the larger quantities that ensure market share and ultimately profit. And here, the 7 or 700 series plays a key role. Because it delivers almost 800-series quality at a kind of halved price. The Brits put an enormous amount of brainpower into making this possible at all. And that, in turn, leads to them sometimes catching up dangerously close to their siblings.
The 702 S3 shows, as naturally as it is unmistakable, both the hereditary traits of its predecessor and the genetics of the 800 series. With a height of around 114 centimeters, it already counts among the medium floor-standing speakers but is, with just under 33.5 kilograms, strikingly massive and heavily built. It is designed as a true three-way bass-reflex construction, and the ventilation opening is—unlike in the previous model—directed downward, which is called “downfire” in modern parlance. In fact, numerous tests have shown that this orientation towards the floor makes itself felt through a physically stronger bass presence and limits placement options less than, for example, a rear opening.
By the way, the size of the new 702 is absolutely acceptable to the majority; especially since it is ambient-friendly and stylishly designed, it usually does not lead to discussions with cohabitants and is acoustically suitable for almost all medium-sized spaces estimated at about 12–40 square meters, including the average German living room of around 24 square meters. That the generously dimensioned and typically like a golf ball aerodynamically optimized reflex opening prevents airflow noise is mentioned only in passing as a matter of course. Nothing escapes the in-house “University of Sound,” and nothing is left to chance. This, of course, also applies to the selection of materials, such as the very high-quality components in the crossover.
- 7Review earns Amazon affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases.
Of course, the tweeter sits decoupled and freely radiating on top of the cabinet, as with all B&Ws of the highest performance classes. Its new tube, milled from a single piece of aluminum in which resonances are supposed to die out, is longer and furthermore optimized. Together with the strong drive and the newly developed carbon dome, even more extreme dynamics, resolution, and also confidence are said to have been achieved, especially in the crossover area to the midrange driver.
The carbon material—carbon as in the diamonds of the 800 series, although not quite as hard—only acoustically breaks up at nearly 50 kilohertz, which represents a clear superiority over the previous two-piece aluminum domes. The chassis is gently coupled with six decibels per octave. This is supposed to contribute to especially good impulse behavior but requires exceptionally benign drivers and clean interplay at the transition points, even if B&W deliberately refrains from brutally maximizing linearity here in terms of measurement.
B&W entrusts the musically eminently important midrange to the already legendary suspension-less FST midrange driver with the unique Continuum diaphragm, which in its latest reincarnation dispenses with any conventional centering diaphragm except for a handful of special, springy high-tech fibers, thereby being able to play even more freely—and with less noise. This is called “Biomimetic Suspension” in B&W jargon.
This exceptional chassis is also carefully mechanically decoupled from the rest of the cabinet, not least by a single central screw, and protected from interactions with the high-excursion bass drivers.
By the way, in the bass department, three 165mm bass drivers equipped with Aerofoil diaphragms are at work, which ensures high speed and yet a large membrane area. For the ideal “pistonic,” i.e., piston-like oscillation, resonance-preventing, precisely calculated differences in thickness in the diaphragm structure are used. Together with powerful drives, every score finds virtually ideal technical conditions here.
The new B&W plays confidently and convincingly. That “crown princes” are at work here is not noticeable for a second
B&W PREDECESSOR 702 S2
The 702 S2 (around $4,725), was followed by B&W—not least due to the constantly evolving technology—with an optically spectacularly enhanced “Signature” model featuring numerous detail improvements and around $1,050 surcharge. This model already attracted attention and established itself extremely successfully in the market. Overall, however, the 702 S3 is still evolutionarily recognizable as a 702. The cabinet volume was already roughly the same in each case, but the new S3 has now grown a bit upwards because the bass-reflex opening has been relocated downwards.
The necessary “lifting” onto metal feet does it good both visually and acoustically. The tweeter was also already decoupled on top of the cabinet in the S2 model, but in version 2 it was still an aluminum dome with a shorter “tapered tube.” The suspension-less Continuum diaphragm replaced the previously common characteristic yellow Kevlar materials at B&W but did not yet have the now completely new BMS suspension without the usual restoring centering diaphragm.
An Ear-Opening Experience in the Listening Test
The musical presentation of the B&W is characterized by clarity, openness, and high confidence, with large, three-dimensional imaging and high impulse fidelity across the entire spectrum. Tutti entries come as if from nowhere, intense and effortless.
Meanwhile, the British loudspeaker plays very balanced and long-term fatigue-free, but with lively temperament, is already fully present at relatively low levels, and can also handle high volumes without problems. In terms of music genre, it is also by no means picky; we tried everything from chamber to full orchestral in classical and were enthusiastic about the “air” around the instruments and the almost endless, compression-free reserves it repeatedly showed.
With Marillion’s “Season’s End” and “Hell’s Bells” by AC/DC, it really gets going, and although I, for obvious reasons, more often take compact speakers but almost never floor-standing speakers into the home office, in this case, I made another exception and enjoyed the weekend with the 702—my children aged 13–22, who were at least partially present, did too.
TEST DEVICES
Turntable: Clearaudio Ovation
CD Player: LUA Appassionato Mk IV Class A
Integrated Amplifiers: Audionet WATT, LUA Reference 8 Class A NOS, Musical Fidelity M8xi
Loudspeakers: DALI Epicon 6, PMC Twenty5.22
Cables: HMS, SilTech, Supra
To speak of a technical weakness would be somewhat exaggerated, but we have to criticize when the impedance of a loudspeaker dips below three ohms, especially when this happens in the power-demanding bass range. 2.87 ohms, however, is nothing that would trouble anything except very weak eight-ohm A/V receivers. Any decent amplifier—and we would expect nothing less on a $ sound transducer of this caliber—should handle this with a virtual smile of superiority.
A Successful Coup
The 702 in its third generation is an absolutely excellent loudspeaker that makes listening to music a lot of fun, but which is also highly suitable for critical listeners focusing on neutrality and fine details. One can enjoy it for hours without fatigue.
In our opinion, it does not quite reach the confident qualities of an older—and larger—803 of earlier generations, as predicted by B&W, but we did not seriously expect that. Nevertheless, it is a distinctly musical and very capable loudspeaker that will cause a sensation in the class around $ and possibly beyond. With the 702 S3, many demanding and audiophile fans may have “arrived.” Anyone who wants to climb a bit higher on the high-end ladder will also have to dig considerably deeper into their pockets.
And so, in the end, it is once again to be noted that the “little” sister is hot on the heels of the big role models, possibly closer than the price tag might suggest. The aforementioned attention and popularity that the 700 series enjoys are therefore justified. A real highlight.
WITH THIS WE LISTENED
Marillion: Season’s End
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Measurements
The new 702 in the third generation benefits enormously in sound from the development of the 800 series flagships. Resolution, microdynamics, tonal colors: Thanks to technology transfer, it can do everything even better than the already very good predecessor.
Specifications
- DC Resistance: 3.9 Ohm
- Minimum Impedance: 2.87 Ohm at 100 Hz
- Maximum Impedance: 13 Ohm at 55 Hz
- Sensitivity (2.83 V/m): 88.5 dBSPL
- Power for 94 dBSPL: 8.58 W
- Lower Cutoff Frequency (-3 dBSPL): 47 Hz
- Distortion at 63/3k/10k Hz: 0.33% / 0.03% / 0.18%
- Price: (in satin white, high-gloss black, or mocha)
- Dimensions: 29 x 114 x 41 cm (W x H x D)
- Warranty: 5 years
Features
Three-way bass reflex design with downward-firing vent, integrated stand base, bi-wiring terminal, and fabric grille.
Verdict
When you purchase through links on our site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Speakers – Signature vs Standard
Klipsch RP6000F II Review
Founded in July 2014, 7Review is a free audio resource for beginners, and we're dedicated to helping you create the ultimate movie-watching experience right at home. We pull insights from top audio magazines and trusted industry sources to bring you well-researched, reliable reviews and tips. Whether you're a home cinema pro or just starting out, we aim to give you the info you need to make the best choices for your setup.
