Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3
B&W delivers an impressive level of performance but, at this price, is it enough?
Standmount speakers | £2600 | whf.cm/705_S3
Bowers & Wilkins employs some of the best examples around of trickle-down technology. The innovations that the British hi-fi brand implements in its flagship 800 Series Diamond usually find their way down to the 700 and 600 ranges below – meaning you get leading technology at more affordable prices as you go down the chain.
Nowhere is this better showcased than in the new Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 stereo speakers. It’s the top standmount speaker model in the new 700 Series 3 range (launched in September 2022) and features plenty of acoustic technology that was originally developed for the latest 800 Series Diamond range launched last year.
Compared with the previous model – the 705 S2 – there has also been a significant price hike. That older model was £1800 back in 2018; the new 705 S3 speakers now retail at £2600.
A classy elegance
Given that price tag, it’s a good thing the speakers look and feel premium. We always find B&W’s speakers to be elegantly put together, and the new 705 S3 is an even classier design than before.
Part of that is down to the slight curve to the speaker’s front baffle – it looks more svelte. The cabinet is a touch slimmer, too, and the build quality is impeccable. Everything is built and finished to a high quality.
Our review sample is a gloss black finish, but you can also get the speakers in satin white or a new mocha wood finish. There are optional matching stands, the FS-700 S3 (£800), which have also been redesigned to match the speakers’ slimmer, curved cabinets. They are pricey but are a natural match for the 705 S3, so we think it’s worth splashing out for them if you don’t already have adequate speaker stands.
As before, the 705 S3 is a two-way design that incorporates B&W’s distinctive solid body tweeter-on-top enclosure, which is milled from a single, solid block of aluminium and houses the 25mm carbon dome tweeter. An evolution of the tweeter-on-top found in the 800 Series Diamond, this arrangement has been revised for the new 700 Series 3. The enclosure has been lengthened: inside is a longer tube-loading system that reduces distortion by further eliminating soundwaves from the back of the tweeter, which results in a cleaner performance. It is isolated from the speaker cabinet more effectively, too.
The 705 S3’s curved front baffle isn’t simply for aesthetics; it is also designed to reduce cabinet diffraction. Coupled with the slimmer profile and less cabinet real estate around
