Studio Sound Comes Home
The elegance of the 700 Series is driven by performance. The range is powered by technologies that were first developed for the Bowers & Wilkins flagship 800 Series Diamond, and with eight models to choose from, there's a speaker for every home. Inspired by recording studios, designed for living rooms: the 700 Series brings studio sound into the home.
In an effort to lessen diffraction, the entire 700 S3 series has been rebuilt with a smaller cabinet and a light curve to the front baffle. As a result, you should hear more of the music itself and less of the effect of the speaker cabinet. The drive units being installed in external "pods"—a technological and aesthetic allusion to the 800 Series Diamond—helps with this as well.
The 702 S3 and 703 S3 floorstanders, the 705 S3 standmount, and the HTM71 S3 center channel are now among the half of the 700 S3 models that have Bowers & Wilkin's renowned Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top configuration with a carbon dome tweeter. This distinctive tweeter-on-top design, which is milled from a single, solid block of aluminum, has been updated for the 700 S3 series. The enclosure has been enlarged by Bowers to further decrease distortion, provide an even cleaner performance, and further isolate it from the loudspeaker cabinet.
The rest of the range, where tweeters are typically housed inside the cabinet, hasn't been forgotten about either; they also benefit from an extended tube-loading technique that tries to reduce distortion.
The three-way models (three floorstanders plus the HTM71 S3 center) feature Bowers & Wilkin's innovative Biomimetic Suspension, which was first seen in the 800 Series Diamond range last year. This system, which replaces the fabric spider suspension found in most conventional speakers, aims to improve midrange cone performance by lowering air pressure and unwanted noise as the cone moves. The models with mid/bass Continuum drive units have also been updated, with new motor systems and improved chassis.
Additionally, all models come equipped with an upgraded bass reflex port (Flowport) with a wider diameter to provide a broader, more expansive sound. This bass reflex port is part of Bowers & Wilkin's Aerofoil Profile bass cone technology, which is part of the most recent generation. For the first time, the top 702 S3 floorstander (like the 800 Diamond) includes a downward-firing port, providing an even more potent low-end response.