New Products

Can you make a great speaker even better? Bowers & Wilkins believes it can and makes a regular practice of doing so. The brand that’s tantamount to British speaker royalty today introduced a new series of speakers that aims to push its already excellent 700 Series up a notch on the high-fidelity scale.

Carrying the Signature designation created for the Silver Signature speaker introduced in 1991 to posthumously honor company founder John Bowers, the 700 Series Signature brings a round of refinements to three new models: the flagship 702 S3 Signature three-way tower speaker ($9,000/pair), 705 S3 Signature two-way stand-mount speaker ($4,500/pair), and HTM71 S3 Signature center-channel speaker ($3,300), a first for the 700 Series.

The carbon-dome tweeter that sits on top in its own bullet-like enclosure remains the heart of the 700 Series but in the new Signature models it has been enhanced with the addition of a “more open” mesh grille derived from the 800 Series Signature models introduced in last year.

Signature models also feature B&W’s decoupled Continuum Cone FST midrange driver, which incorporates the Biomimetic suspension scheme developed for the 800 Series Diamond range as a replacement for the decades-old fabric “spider” used in traditional drivers. The suspension system is said to ensure a more open, spacious midrange by reducing unwanted coloration emanating from behind the driver.

Additional refinements include the use of upgraded Mundorf capacitors, improved inductors, and rearranged bypass capacitors in the crossover to “further increase transparency” and binding posts that have been upgraded with high-quality brass cores.

To acknowledge the prestige associated with B&W’s Signature designation, the back panel of each new model is adorned with a Signature logo plate and classy gold trim rings encircle the tweeter housing and each of the drivers.

The Details: Model by Model
Here’s a brief overview of the new 700 Series Signature models.

702 S3 Signature ($9,000/pair): A three-way floorstanding speaker featuring three 6.5-inch Aerofoil Profile woofers, a 6-inch Continuum Cone FST midrange drive, featuring upgraded suspension for improved bass clarity, and B&W’s 1-inch carbon-dome tweeter in a cabinet about 45 inches tall (including tweeter housing on top and plinth). The speaker is rated to play down to 46 Hz (±3 dB).

705 S3 Signature ($4,500/pair): A two-way stand-mount speaker that mates the same 1-inch tweeter with a 6.5-inch Continuum Cone FST woofer in a cabinet 13.6 inches tall. Its low-frequency limit is rated at 45 Hz (–6 dB).

HTM71 S3 Signature ($3,300): The 700 Series’ first center-channel speaker mates the 1-inch signature tweeter with a 5-inch midrange driver and two 5-inch Aerofoil Profile woofers in an enclosure about 25 inches wide. The speaker is rated down to 45 Hz (–6 dB).

Like all Bowers & Wilkins speakers, the new 700 Series Signature models are backed by a five-year warranty and include a lowest-price guarantee, free shipping, and a 30-day in-home trial.

The new 700 Series Signature models are offered in two finishes: blue metallic and “Datuk Gloss” wood veneer. For more information, visit bowerswilkins.com.

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Related:

B&W Evokes its Iconic Flagship in 700 Series Update (9/27/22)

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