There are many stereotypes in the audiophile world that need a little disruption. Okay, there are a lot. One of them is that somehow bass response is always better from a big floorstanding loudspeaker, and that any audiophile should invest his or her money more in larger loudspeakers than smaller, stand-mount ones. Where that concept falls apart is that any audiophile can get more accurate, smooth, resolute (you pick the adjectives) bass from a smaller speaker, then match it with a reasonable audiophile subwoofer and have a more full-range music playback system than if you bought a pair of $31,000 per pair Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4s like my reference. The simple fact is that, for audiophiles looking for maximum performance, but who have a real-world budget, a pair of world-beater bookshelf speakers, paired with a capable yet reasonable powered subwoofer, is going to get more performance and more enjoyment, all for a fraction of the price. This is where the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 bookshelf speakers make their mark.
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers are a $3,395 per pair (buy at Crutchfield), audiophile-grade transducers from one of the world’s most famous and respected engineering-driven loudspeakers. Bowers & Wilkins speakers are used at Abbey Road Studios in the U.K., as well as at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch here in California. The Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series speakers bring a lot of the technology that is pioneered in the company’s 800 Series speakers to critical listeners who might not have the same big-time budget needed for the 800 series, such as the recently reviewed Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4s (read the review here). With an above the cabinet tweeter, 50 Hz reported bass and the Bowers & Wilkins house “sound” (and it isn’t much of a flavor, which is good), the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s are a compelling option for all sorts of audiophiles. Let’s dig into how they perform and their overall value.
What Makes the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Loudspeakers So Special?
- The aforementioned tweeter is top-mounted, very similar to what we see in the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series products. That is a really cool design featured visually and far better sonically. The Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series can’t deliver this at their lower price points, as their tweeter needs to be more traditionally installed inside the speaker cabinet, thus not on top. The Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series speakers use the Diamond tweeters, which are insane. I’ve held them in my hands at a press event in San Diego and they weight about 5 pounds, which is hard to imagine. The Bowers & Wilkins carbon dome tweeter is a very respectable way to get a taste of the best technologies at a far lower price.
- There are three finishes offered on the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 loudspeakers: Gloss Black, Mocha and Satin White. The speakers have a gorgeous design aesthetic. They might not be sanded by 2,000- and 3,000-grit (so fine) sandpaper by a robot sander like the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series are, but they are some slick-looking and solid-feeling speakers when compared with others more in their price range. The additional speaker stands are nicely integrated into the speakers, with the Bowers & Wilkins branding nicely presented on the bottom of the stand.
- The Continuum Cone is the new midrange driver in this two-way bookshelf speaker, replacing the legendary yellow Kevlar driver that Bowers & Wilkins made famous for years. I’ve asked Bowers & Wilkins head designer, Andy Kerr, about the somewhat recent decision to give up the yellow drivers, and he admitted that it came after a lot of consternation and a few heated discussions. The new Bowers & Wilkins midrange drivers are not yellow-colored, thus not so strikingly visually different as the drivers of the past. Despite the implications, you can’t shoot your Kevlar Bowers & Wilkins drivers with a .9MM and expect anything but a gunshot wound in your audiophile loudspeakers, as Kevlar is a good woven material for speaker drivers, but not really bulletproof, despite what you might think. In the end, Bowers & Wilkins had a good, long run with Kevlar midranges, but now they’ve got something better, which just isn’t yellow anymore. We will survive as well as we move on to a better-performing driver.
- The bass response from these speakers measures at a respectable 50 Hz. That’s not going to get you everything that you want on the very low end, but without a sub, the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s are punchy and dynamic on their own. You don’t need a subwoofer on Day One, but I really liked them better with one in a 2.1 configuration.
- With an 88 dB sensitivity, the Bowers & Wilkins are not a cake walk to drive, but they aren’t power pigs by any stretch of the imagination. I listened to them on a bigger Rotel amp, as well as a 100-watts-per-channel $6,000 McIntosh integrated amp. I liked the sound with the bigger Rotel, as it had more impact or dynamics, although both components could make it plenty loud on the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s.
- The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s come with a five-year warranty, which is pretty generous by today’s audiophile standards.
- You can do an in-home demo for up to 30 days. I’ve seen longer demo periods (45 days from SVS is what I remember), but this too is pretty generous, in that you will know if you want to keep said speakers after a month of listening.
Why Should You Care About the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Stand-Mount Speakers?
The music lover who will be interested in the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers is one who seeks resolution, laser-focused imaging and sonic detail. He or she also is still a bit of a value shopper, as this audiophile appreciates what the expensive stuff can do, without question, but they also don’t throw nickels around like manhole covers. Don’t worry, Bowers & Wilkins gets you. While it is a well-proven fact that trickle-down economics isn’t a thing, although we were told it was by country club Republicans in the 1980s, but where trickle-down is a thing is in technology, and the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s give you a healthy dose of what a Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 can do for well less than half of the retail price in a similar-sized small speaker.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the T+A PA 3100 HV…
- Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s are designed to not be tipped over easily, as the E.U. has uniquely high standards for such an event. Even with such an audiophile black swan event in mind, if you have toddlers, animals or amped-up cleaning ladies, you might want to look to a comparable floorstanding speaker for even better stability.
- The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 is a vented speaker, which can make it a little placement-critical. With that said, I found more positive results with some toe-in, as opposed to worrying about the back wall as one might with a rear-ported speaker. The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s aren’t that fussy with placement, but it worth mentioning.
- If you are looking for that smooth “driving through town in a Crown Victoria” sound – you need to look at different speakers. The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s have that “what you hear is what you get” or in-the-studio sound that is accurate, dynamic and a little visceral. That appeals to me, but not to everybody. If you want a little more forgiving, easygoing audiophile loudspeaker – there are many to choose from.
- While you don’t “need” a subwoofer with the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s, you will want one. I used an SVS SB-1000 (buy at Crutchfield), a REL T/X7 (buy at Crutchfield), and even a brief session with a MartinLogan Foundation Dynamo 10 (buy at Crutchfield), which are all roughly $1,000 subwoofers, and boy, was that a big difference. You might not “need” a subwoofer, but you sure as hell want one and, even if you can’t have one right now, you can always add a top performer at a later date.
Listening With to the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Loudspeakers …
If you were asking me for the one album that most exudes audiophile store, it is Dire Straits’s Brothers in Arms. This MTV-tastic record was a game-changer in the 1980s, and Brothers in Arms is a fantastic recording with nearly every song worthy of your attention. I didn’t have to get past the opening track “So Far Away” (Qobuz) to hear what the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s can do best. At the end of the first chorus, the snare hits had that visceral pop that you hear with real live snare drums, but far less frequently when listening to audiophile speakers. The layering and depth of the background singers was another lovely reveal when listening to the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s. The lap-steel guitar had the ability to elevate itself above the layering of the mix to highlight just how fantastic the depth of soundstage could sound on the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 loudspeakers.
Going back to another classic audiophile album and place in time, “Gold Dust Woman” from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album (Qobuz) is one of my most frequently used demo tracks in 2024, and I am still hearing new, fascinating details in this layered, gorgeous analog recording. The flanged (a somewhat common effect) guitar is almost addictive when listening through the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers. The clock-like time-keeping on the snare (tapping) had a reality to it that one might expect from a more expensive speaker. Like the Dire Straits song above, the layering of the various background singers is pure ear candy. Depending on the electronics and/or the quality of your source (I used my phone and a Bluesound Node 2024 buy at Crutchfield), you can hear a little heat on the very high frequencies, as it can come across a little bright. When I say “a little,” I mean a little. It is worth mentioning, but it goes away as your system gets more and more refined upstream from your Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers. That costs more and more money, but it is the fun of the hobby and more specifically the fun of owning a pair of speakers like the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s.
When push comes to shove, I make my money selling advertising, and “You Never Give Me Your Money” from Abbey Road by The Beatles (Qobuz) is, sadly, sometimes my theme song. The piano sound is exactly what you need to listen to when auditioning the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s. Paul McCartney’s bass has an engaging feel and is tight until it is gone. Bass guitar doesn’t go much lower than about 42 Hz, but with that REL and SVS sub in the loop, everything sounds richer (meaning higher up the frequency range), more than extending to pipe organ lows which, respectfully, rock music rarely dips to. The fact that Abbey Road uses Bowers & Wilkins speakers in the studio is a good starting point, but the track is so impressive on the 703 S3s that it is hard to make it to the next track, as I kept going back to hear more on this personal favorite Beatles song.
Will the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s Hold Their Value?
Yes. Enthusiastically, yes. The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers are blue-chip audiophile speakers with two generations of history, gold standard pro audio roots, and over 100 engineers back in England making speakers that do the opposite of sucking. Bowers & Wilkins are increasingly a brand found in car audio, which makes more people aware of the company. Being sold in many of the best specialty AV dealers helps. Being sold in over 200 Magnolia AV stores is even better. Your money is safe invested in a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers.
What is the Competition for the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Speakers?
The GoldenEar BRX at $1,899 a pair (buy at Crutchfield) is a compact, high-end bookshelf loudspeaker that is less expensive than a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s, but it has somewhat comparable performance traits. The Bowers 705s deliver a vivid and open sound, in part because of their top-mounted tweeter. The GoldenEar speakers go about getting an airy, musical sound via the use of an AMT-type (folded motion) tweeter, which is also very effective. Again, like the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s, the GoldenEar BRXs are speakers that, paired with a mid-level, audiophile-grade subwoofer, gives you full-range, highly dynamic and coherent sound. The fact that Paradigm has rescued GoldenEar from its past owner (AudioQuest) is a good thing. AudioQuest makes suitable cables and really strong Niagara AC power products (read Paul Wilson’s review), but proved that they should leave the speaker design and sales to somebody who knows more, be it audiophile loudspeaker impresario Sandy Gross (co-founder of GoldenEar, Definitive Technology and Polk), or the current owner, Paradigm. I feel much better about the GoldenEar brand going forward.
The ELAC Concentro 2.0 bookshelf speaker at $3,499 per pair is another with an AMT tweeter, which is very different technology for high frequencies, but the European build quality and high value make it a worthy comparison. I saw these speakers at the Munich High End show in 2024 and was blown away by the quality. They felt like a very affordable competitor for the Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4, which are close to $9,000 per pair. These German-designed speakers offer a very open yet punchy/dynamic sound. These speakers scream “audiophile value” at first glance and crush it when the volume is turned up.
The Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 (read Greg Handy’s review) is an expensive option at more than double the cost, but for about $9,000 per pair (plus stands if you need them), you get that Nth degree of performance for your extra investment. The midrange drivers are similar, as is the overall sound of the 805s vs the 705s, but the refinement of sound is way better with Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4s. The 800 Series Diamond Tweeter is just next level. The cabinet finish is better. You can pay to order them in custom colors. If you can swing it, you can get most of the sound that I get from my reference Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4 floorstanding speakers (read the review) for a fraction of the cost of the floorstanding Bowers 800 Series speakers. Then again, for less than half that money, you can get awfully close to that same sound and have enough money to perhaps take your family to Maui for spring break.
Respectfully, there are nearly unlimited options for competitors in this midrange audiophile stand-mount loudspeaker category. Focal is an old favorite, even if I don’t like how the company is run these days. Revel makes speakers that measure as well as any in the business and sound absolutely fantastic. MartinLogan, Paradigm Founder Series … We’ve got a pair of Alta Audio Alyssa bookshelf speakers (read Bob Barrett’s review), for about $5,000, posting soon, which are a similar form factor that have perhaps the best bass any of us have ever heard from a speaker of this size. Simply put: you’ve got a lot of fantastic options to choose from in this price range and category.
Final Thoughts on the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Bookshelf Loudspeakers …
The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 loudspeakers are a case study in sonic refinement, but offered at a price that audiophiles with a moderate loudspeaker budget can actually afford. I heard a pair of $100,000 per pair all-titanium speakers at last year’s AXPONA show. They were pure audiophile insanity and a proof of concept of what is actually possible when all of the design money in the world is in play. These speakers are also insanely priced, so if you are living in a real-world home/apartment/condo and you want some real-world audiophile value, I suggest that the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s be on your short list of speakers to audition in the $3,000 to $5,000 per pair range.
The legacy of Bowers & Wilkins is beyond reproach, as any long-time audiophile will tell you. They are an engineering-first company with meaningful ties to the highest levels of music and film production, recording and mastering. If you want to hear what’s on the master tape without any veiled sonic effects, the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3s will not let you down. They don’t try to make anything sound better, as much as they deliver you the information that’s on your vinyl records, silver discs or, more likely, streaming into your system from any number of good music streaming companies. You get so much of the very high-end experience for the money that it is hard to not appreciate the performance and value of a speaker like the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3.
