Bowers and Wilkins 705s2 Review - The JAMES BOND of Speakers!!

[@stevetwinleymusic]

Great review! I love the level of detail, the honesty and your humour. Looking forward to your next ones!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Steve! Loving the music you are creating - urge everyone to check it out on your channel!

[@andrewmorgan5795]

I have these and selected them after hearing about a dozen different standmounters and floorstanders including the other 700 series B&Ws. They stand out because with a good amp you hear the music, not the speakers. Great video and good advice. Well done.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you Andrew, much appreciated :-)

[@MidFiGuy]

OMG best intro I've ever seen in an audio review hahah! Amazing content my friend, subscribed!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Cheers dude, really appreciate the positivity and everyone should check out your channel, it’s awesome!

[@stevenoconnor5693]

I have a pair. They never cease to amaze. Sure the 800 must be epic but so are these.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Hilarious intro David. I think I buy the same brand of underpants 😂😂 Very slick review. Just subscribed 😊👍

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Haha awesome - HiFi reviewing pants! 👍 🩲

[@brown-eyedman4040]

Tarun, I know you from your YT channel and now here you are. Just subscribe here mysel!

[@sidvicious3129]

I just bought a pair yesterday and I love them. They will replace my Kef R3s.

[@HEARDIFFERENT]

Excellent video. Drooling over the speakers.!!!

[@marcusm5127]

I only have the 707 S2 connected to a Sonos amp (class D 125 W in to 8 8 8hm) but the treble is so smooth and clear on decent recordings. I am talking Spotify quality being sufficient. But they really shine with high res. TIDAL Masters MQA sounds so good.

[@driv3rde883]

Really like your approach to speaker reviews!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you very much 👍 Welcome to the channel 😊

[@dajikbatarang1]

Fantastic review. This channel is right up my alley, my listening room is small as well. A review of room treatment you use would be appreciated.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Neil, very much appreciated and a treatment video is in the pipeline!

[@brown-eyedman4040]

You'be done a great job explaining the B&W sound. Now I know what you hear. Just subscribed.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you very much, welcome to the channel! 👍

[@gregoryeiding5395]

Great video again! Really enjoyed the humor (James Bond jokes and especially the continuum drive being made of unicorns, still chuckling at that one) and real music choices (not just audiophile Diana Krall/Symphonies). Keep it up! Side note, I had the CM6 S2 which were the predecessor of the 705 S2 and definitely agree about imaging, vertical dispersion, and airiness. From what I heard at a dealer the biggest upgrade was the midrange.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Gregory, your support is much appreciated!

[@wokthetalk3079]

Thank you for your concise review of these B&W. I still have my DM7’s that occasionally connects to my system and still enjoy. Can I ask you to please include to your review a section where you compare the current item to those you have reviewed previously please? I would be very interested in you opinion of the Buchardt S400 and if it is a good speaker for a small room hookup and any equipment matching suggestions you can make.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

I’ve got more comparisons in later videos, this was one of my earlier reviews 👍 Would love to hear the S400 - I owned an S300 but felt it needed a bit more resolution.

[@henriksrensen3220]

Great review. Have you ever listened to audiovector speakers?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Not in my own listening room - would love to though, they look great! 👍

[@quanyhuang3178]

The video looks pleasant and sounds good. You put your heart into it, so do I, ha ha.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you 🙏

[@quanyhuang3178]

@@SmallRoomAudio Thank you too.

[@respondent5226]

Please compare 606 s2

[@rbsorg]

Nice video and I like how you included some music samples for reference. In a small room, have towers worked for you or do they energize the room too much? Have you ever tried a sub and what were the results? Would you do a room tour sharing your dimensions and how far the speakers are from the wall seat and back wall. Thanks!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Hi Robert! Lots of great questions here. I use a REL T5i if speakers need additional bass - I’ll get round to a quick review of this soon. Room tour and treatment videos are all coming up over the next couple of months, but I actually test speakers in two spaces: in my dedicated listening room (7x8x19) which has acoustic treatment, and in a standard untreated (marginally bigger) room (10x9x18). It allows me to get a good view of how the speaker interacts in different environments. Listening distance nearfield/midfield - 4ft/6ft triangle with a minimum of 1-2ft clearance from walls. In terms of towers, most will overload with bass or struggle to integrate drivers without a bit more space, although this is not universally true and can be helped with bass traps and choosing a design that doesn’t fight the room as much - a fun video is coming up where I experiment with two massive Klipsch Cornwalls in the room, with results that might be surprising!

[@Rascallucci]

I suspect amp-matching will be critical for such a revealing pair of speakers. I am guessing perhaps something more neutral might work better with these. May be Hegel? I happen to be running the Roksan Blak, I think the Roksan might be too much for these speakers. The amp itself is dynamic, punchy, lush and sweet, but I wonder whether added to the bright-leaning 705 S2 will make it too bright? Not sure. Actually, the 705 Signature sounds just a tad better and that Metallic Midnight Blue paint job is fire. I kind of have my mind set on the Dynaudio Special 40, just thinking what other speakers should be under consideration within that price range. Hmm...

[@pedroluisguillemain5683]

Very good video Bond! If you can, please review the Q Acoustics Concept 300 or 500. They will blow your mind.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

I’d love to try the 300 - hopefully Q Acoustics will send me a pair!

[@pedroluisguillemain5683]

@@SmallRoomAudio Yes, a very good pairing with the Line Magnetic LM-508!

[@JonathanGurgul]

Have you listened to the LS50 Metas? I’m between these and those . Just looking for opinions between them

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Hi Jonathan G - yes, check out my Meta review! It does come down to personal taste - I prefer the 705s2 for their air and midrange, but the Kef has better imaging and I found it is easier to match with equipment.

[@JonathanGurgul]

@@SmallRoomAudio I have a Marantz PM7005 60W into 8 ohms class A/B. I just am afraid of the 705s too harsh and or the LS50s being too muffled. I have 685 S2s right now but I am wanting to upgrade. I can get a great deal on either one of these two which is why I’m specifically looking at them.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Maybe drop the dealer a line and see if they are happy to send both, let you try them and send back the one you don’t like. A lot of shops seem happy to do this given the current situation.

[@hclandscapes]

Do these speakers sound silibant with female voices, and is the bass deeper than the ls50 Meta's?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Sibilance, not really from my experience, although decent, warm leaning amplification seemed to be the best match. Bass isn’t deeper than the Meta, but it has more impact - but I think it’s a slight mid-bass bump in the tuning that provides that feeling. It’s nice though, carries a tune along well.

[@goldenearaudioreview4904]

Great video! Really enjoyed the humor and introduction.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you, the kind words are much appreciated!

[@yippie6862]

Well done video.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Yippie 👍

[@JohnJohnson-lv7dh]

Nice.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you :-)

[@Luke-sk8ic]

I've never been able to appreciate B&W speakers: maybe it was the kevlar woofer, maybe the harsh tweeter, but never appreciated them , at any levels of class and price point! I always found some better rivals! Maybe the new Continuum alluminium woofer deserves a listening......maybe.....

[@SmallRoomAudio]

I do think the new driver might begin to change your mind - always worth a quick listen if you get the chance! 👍

[@icehottest]

Yes, this is what I think too, James! Thanx for your nice videos and pls remember to say "Happy Valentine" to miss Moneypenny 😉 We do care aboout you 👍

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Haha thanks icehottest! Miss money penny says thank you 🙏 😃

[@Luke-sk8ic]

@@SmallRoomAudio you welcome, Moneypenny and James 😁👍

[@cybergod77]

including a few sound clips wd be great...

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Hi Gilbert, unfortunately I don’t have the microphone equipment to do sound clips justice. Maybe down the line when I’ve saved some pennies - although most of them go on buying equipment to review at the moment!

[@cybergod77]

@@SmallRoomAudio Cool, hope u get there soon. product comparisons will be useful too, thks

[@nickspams5826]

Hi I’m new but I can tell you have potential. I have just subscribed and turned on my notifications

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Nick, much appreciated!

[@steveee2511]

what pisses me extremply up is it,s made in china for similar price you can get made in france focals,made in italy sonus faber or made in england proac just to name some examples.

[@Ryan_Vu1234]

too bad these are Made In CHINA , what a shame for a brand name as huge as B&W.