Loudspeakers

It’s only about two years ago that Bowers & Wilkins introduced the S3 generation of its 700 series. A major overhaul of the venerable British brand’s popular midrange offering, its attention-grabbing improvements included a notably curvier front baffle with protruding drivers (housed in ‘pods’) and an elongated tube for the ‘Tweeter-on-Top’. This was all quite familiar for anyone who saw the earlier revamped 800 D4 series, so B&W isn’t being untruthful when it claims to deploy trickle-down technology.

Now come Signature editions for three of the 700 S3 models: the floorstanding 702 S3 Signature tested here for £7000, plus the 705 S3 Signature bookshelf and – for the first time – a Signature centre speaker in the shape of the HTM71 S3. As expected, these Signature versions are refinements of existing loudspeakers, so don’t expect a major revamp of the industrial design or driver configurations. That said, previous Signature models have proven that incremental tweaking can deliver noticeable improvements, the 800 D4 Signatures being particularly fine examples.

Signalling The Difference
A Signature edition wouldn’t be the same if there weren’t exclusive finishes, and here Bowers & Wilkins has opted to re-run two of its greatest hits: Datuk Gloss (a veneer sourced from Italian eco-wood producer and long-time partner ALPI) and Midnight Blue Metallic. Both were previously available for the 702 S2 Signature, while the latter is also an option on the 800 D4 Signature models alongside California Burl Gloss.

In either colourway the 702 S3 Signature is a glamorous-looking speaker, although B&W has added a design element which manages to be both luxurious and divisive. Encircling all five drivers are gold-coloured bands that – to channel Marmite’s marketing division – you’ll either love or hate. The tweeter trim, in particular, contrasts with its black grille and satin-black elongated teardrop housing.

These two finishes are more lavish than the regular S3’s gloss black, gloss white or mocha, so you might wonder if the £1500 per pair you pay extra is mainly for a lick of paint. ‘Certainly not’, I was told (off) by B&W when I posed the question. ‘The main extra cost goes into improving audio components.’

Standing Down
Cabinet construction has not changed – it’s the same modestly sized floorstander with three 165mm Aerofoil bass drivers, a 150mm Continuum Cone FST midrange and 25mm ‘decoupled’ carbon dome Tweeter-on-Top as in the standard S3 model. Differences compared to the 700 S2 generation are more pronounced; in addition to the curved rather than flat front baffle and new driver housings, the S2’s rear-facing Flowport now ‘vents’ from the bottom of the cabinet. This arrangement allows for the 702 S3 Signature to be placed closer to a rear wall, which could be useful in smaller quarters. To ensure the downward-facing bass port performs more predictably, attaching what was previously an optional base plate on the S2 floorstander is now a must.

The ‘under-the-bonnet’ upgrades of the 702 S3 Signature are reminiscent of those deployed on the 800 D4 Signatures. As then, B&W has focused on the crossover, introducing higher-performance Mundorf MCap Evo SilverGold capacitors with ‘Angelique’ lead-outs, and improved bypass capacitors from Bevenbi, next to new inductors (including air-core types for the Aerofoil woofers). Revisions have also been made to the polepieces in the midrange and woofer motor systems, while the bass driver benefits from an all-new suspension ‘spider’. The large nickel-plated binding posts – two sets for bi-amping – are another Signature embellishment, as is the open mesh grille over the dome tweeter, derived from that debuted on the upgraded 800 D4 series.

Nickel-plated bi-wire/bi-amp terminals, and associated links, are a feature of all 700 Signature speakers. B&W’s Flowport reflex port faces downwards in the 702 S3 and Signature

Emotional Affair
The way B&W’s loudspeakers generally portray music on a highly defined, broad soundstage filled with movement is, to my mind, a strength of the brand. Its speakers seem designed to make the most of a stereo image, and the 702 S3 Signature is no exception. Driven by a Primare PRE35 and A35.8 multichannel amp, the latter bridged for a bi-amp connection, these floorstanders filled my listening room with an articulate, musical performance. There’s nothing cold or distant about the sound, just unadulterated emotion and involvement.

On ‘Babooshka’ from Kate Bush’s Never For Ever [Rhino; 44.1kHz/24-bit], the glass that shatters across the stage and the chants echoing off into the distance illustrated the speaker’s convincing imaging and HF detail, although for the maximum effect it was key to find the right toe-in.

Revisiting this early ’80s classic via its 2018 remaster is interesting, as the master is a bit of a mixed bag – there’s certainly a more pronounced spatial feel to the later ‘Babooshka’ version, which was very noticeable on B&W’s new speakers, but the original album’s mix of ‘Violin’ remains my favourite. If you like delving into these kinds of analyses, you’ll find the 702 S3 Signature well suited to the task of exposing the small and sometimes not-so-small differences between recordings.