Полочная акустика — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) 705 S3

The 705 S3 is a stand-mount in the third generation of Bowers & Wilkins' 700 Series, which went on sale on 21 September 2022. Its US launch price was USD 3,400 per pair. It is the lowest-priced 700 S3 model with the tweeter mounted in a separate housing on top of the cabinet, and a 705 S3 Signature at USD 4,500 per pair sits above it.

Key specs that matter

The 705 S3 is a two-way vented design that combines a 25 mm Decoupled Carbon Dome tweeter with a 165 mm Continuum cone bass and midrange driver, crossed over at 3.5 kHz. The ±3 dB response is 50 Hz to 28 kHz, and the -6 dB range is 45 Hz to 33 kHz. Sensitivity is 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and impedance is 8 ohms nominal with a 3.7 ohm minimum. At 90 dB and 1 m, distortion is below 1% from 100 Hz to 22 kHz and below 0.5% from 150 Hz to 20 kHz. Bowers & Wilkins recommends 30 to 120 W into 8 ohms with unclipped programme and a maximum cable impedance of 0.1 ohm. The cabinet is 345 mm high, or 413 mm with the tweeter housing, 192 mm wide and 297 mm deep, or 337 mm including grille and terminals. Each speaker weighs 9.58 kg.

Engineering and use context

The Carbon Dome tweeter was developed for the 700 Series and pushes the first breakup of the dome to 47 kHz, well above the audible range. In the Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top arrangement, the tweeter sits in its own machined housing above the cabinet, away from the baffle edges, and the S3 version is longer and better decoupled from the main enclosure. Bowers & Wilkins developed the Continuum cone to avoid the abrupt transitions in behaviour that conventional cones show as frequency rises, and uses it for the bass and midrange driver here. The bass and midrange driver and port sit in a new pod housing behind a curved front baffle, and the dimpled Flowport, enlarged in diameter for S3, vents to the rear. Mundorf capacitors are used in the crossover. The 705 S3 comes in Gloss Black, Satin White or Mocha, with Rosenut offered only in Hong Kong. Stands are not included.

Pairing

An impedance curve without deep dips and a middling sensitivity make most integrated amplifiers in the power window given above a workable match. Rigid stands are needed, and the rear Flowport benefits from some clearance behind the speaker.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 is the smaller 700 S3 stand-mount, with the Carbon Dome tweeter in the baffle, a 130 mm Continuum driver and a USD 1,800 launch price.