Полочная акустика — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) 700 S3 Prestige Edition

The 707 S3 Prestige Edition is a limited special-edition take on the most compact two-way standmount in the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series 3 range. Its cabinet wears Santos Gloss, a deep high-gloss lacquer built up from 12 coats of paint and lacquer and inspired by Santos Rosewood, paired with a black grille and an aluminium nameplate. The launch price was GBP 1,550 or EUR 1,750 per pair, and B&W presents the model as a special-edition release, so availability may be more limited than for the standard 707 S3.

Key specs that matter

B&W fits a 25 mm Decoupled Carbon Dome tweeter and a 130 mm Continuum cone bass and midrange unit in each box, split by a two-way passive crossover. B&W rates the response at 50 Hz to 28 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, with an overall range of 45 Hz to 33 kHz. Sensitivity is 84 dB SPL at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 4.0 ohm. Second and third harmonic distortion at 90 dB and 1 m on axis stays below 1% from 110 Hz to 22 kHz and below 0.5% from 150 Hz to 20 kHz. The cabinet measures 300 mm high, 165 mm wide and 247 mm deep, or 284 mm deep including grille and terminals, and each speaker weighs 6.2 kg.

Engineering and use context

The Prestige Edition borrows two parts directly from the 705 S3 Signature. The first is an optimised tweeter grille mesh with a revised pattern, intended to cut acoustic diffraction around the dome. The second is a set of low-loss speaker terminals that B&W says give a cleaner signal path and a more secure electrical contact. Everything else follows the regular 707 S3 recipe. The enclosure is a two-way vented box, and its reflex opening is a rear-mounted Flowport. The carbon dome tweeter is mechanically decoupled from the enclosure, and the Continuum cone is the same material family used by B&W across the 700 Series 3 line.

Pairing

B&W specifies 30 W to 100 W on unclipped programme as the suitable amplifier power band. Any amplifier used here must be stable with the impedance dip, and the low sensitivity means the speaker asks for more power than higher-efficiency designs to reach the same level. The maker also caps speaker cable impedance at 0.1 ohm, which favours short cable runs or heavier gauge wire.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature is a larger standmount in the same series and the donor of the tweeter grille and terminals used here.