Bowers & Wilkins' 705 S3 are LIKE NO OTHER loudspeaker

[@Roof_Pizza]

I have no issues with them being made in China I just think that they don't pass the savings on to the customer.

[@ADREISTER]

Thanks for the Zu comparison. Very helpful, as I'm starting to realize B&Ws aren't my cup of tea. Preference of that warmer tone saves me a ton of cash😂

[@bartjow]

Half of the time I have no idea what you're talking about but I so much love your enthusiasm with audio I keep watching your videos. Fun review again, keep it up!

[@dannyb5874]

speedy recovery :) thansk for the review John

[@keesv8000]

Love the "...aluminum from Canadia."

[@fairmania]

I watched this after the Hi-Res more recent video, and thought your voice had changed. Thanks for battling on John, worth every moment, even the ramble mid way through :)

[@MikeYoungeasytravel]

Hi John, I wish you would also review the B&W 805 d4, and others in this price range.

[@mwalker2496]

John - reiterating a few requests here - we really NEED an 805 D4 review PLEASE!!!!! Need to see what that Diamond tweeter does...

[@PAC-fp9hy]

John. The reason for the pod mounting is less to do with vibration because that will still carry through, although to a lesser effect. It is to minimise the diffraction of the high frequencies which are affected by the cabinet boundaries. It also provides a nice industrial design feature as you said.

[@AlexandreLollini]

I use a dbx driverack pa2 to split as I wish between a sub and a pair of bookshelf, this enable each device to breathe and play louder without any problem. When each device receive ideal chunk of sound, this has an effect like room treatment or even opening a window. This adds clarity, articulation, oxygen.

[@NeilBlanchard]

I *think* that the time arrival would be from aligning the center of the voice coils? So the tweeter looks to be too far forward for this to work? The tweeter pod is designed, I think to have very little diffraction for the treble - but the top corner of the main cabinet would be a (slight?) cause of diffraction. And the hard rim/edges around the woofer will have some diffraction, but yes they do reduce the size of the front baffle, which reduces the response "step" that increases what we hear from a driver, mounted in a baffle.

[@ScottHallenbeck]

Agreed on time alignment

[@Big-J-8579]

I'm sorry you have a cold. Hope your feel better soon.

[@richardkorver7482]

I paired them with a marantz 40n. Maybe it's the AB amp characteristics but the high end details became more in balance with seemingly more low end. At least that is what I experienced when compared to different D class amps in approx and bit higher price range.

[@sean_heisler]

Greetings from Omaha in the USA, home of Conor Oberst. I hope you re doing well, John, stay safe. Your videos are brilliant.

[@jean-marcfroehlinger8749]

After 3 month trying different combinations, I opted, one year ago, for B&W 705 Signature (Midnight Blue) (on very heavy feets), Parasound Hint 6 Halo, Cambridge CXN V2 with Qobuz, AudioQuest cables and some good power cables. For Jazz, it's really a marvelous combo (My fave are female voices and also piano). I never ever tried something else since this time ! I know it's not on the top side of Hifi but enough for me.

[@weeooh1]

Nice. Looking forward to the KEF R3 Meta comparison.

[@stijnvanderlooy5311]

I did not know John had the Cambridge set. Punches lots above its price level!!

[@itsmetimmee]

Hope you feel better John. And hello Olaf!

[@IsabelDuarte-o2v]

Thank you for the awesome review! I love Prima 400, and your video has helped me a lot!!

[@redstarwraith]

If the unspoken challenge in this video was "Where's Olaf?" - I found him. He's lurking in the reflection of your decorative silver ball.

[@j.b.5230]

This has to be the new thing. Each episode we need to find Olaf.

[@qevoh]

Yeah dude was there, I saw him too

[@TheMOOXTER]

😂😂😂😂

[@samuelwaters697]

Nice video, and approach to this review. I really like that you compared them with such divergent speakers. I own Zu DW’s, had 706s2’s, and have wanted to hear the Lintons for years.

[@ismarmeskovic]

Get well soon man and thanks on great content!

[@PragmaticTornado]

I pair my 705 S3's with a Yamaha RX-A6A receiver (about $2400) for my office / PC gaming room setup, as well as an Arendal 1723 1S subwoofer (sealed 14", $1700). Very happy with them, gave me tons more detail even when gaming, going from B&W 607 S2's, which are now delegated to rear surround duty. I actually like the sound of them more than my 702 S2 Signatures, which sound a bit tame by comparison particularly in the upper frequencies - and those are paired with a Lyngdorf 3400.

[@josenebrus8183]

Thanks for sharing John and get well soon gentleman 🎶👍

[@shunpillay]

Thanks for an awesome review. Hope you feel better soon.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I had the Cdm nt1 from a hundred years ago. The tweeter emerged from the top of the cabinet in its own housing, but not separately as it does on the 705 3 . I thought they were awesome speakers. Not bright or edgy in my room, nor terribly hard to drive. I think B&W can make great speakers. Thanks for the review.

[@craigmurray3084]

Great video as always. Those 705 S3 need some visual bling like my 705 SIGs in Datuk Gloss. Oh and yeah, I use a sub with them.

[@SimonMa1987]

Watching this, over my good old B&W 686. Witch honed my love for piano Music to new hights

[@JKadison]

The review was great and thank you so much for your review of the 702s3 to compare. I'm hoping to pick those up ASAP!

[@tomaszzochowski1627]

Hi Darko, great review! Quick question what's the speaker cable used for this review? Thanks

[@adsph]

Hope you feel better soon. Great take.

[@leemartin2978]

The characteristics sounded not dissimilar to my Bowers and Wilkins PM-1 monitors, with the driver arrangement being much the same . I’ve had over 9 years of very enjoyable trouble free use out of those. You make a very good point re the bass. When I do upgrade my speakers, I’ll be looking for that easy gentle fuller bass , that’s not present currently. Certainly my PM-1 ‘s sounded better at higher volume levels . Maybe the floor standers are an option for me . Great informative video as ever

[@thewillwilliams]

Really clear review. Those Zu’s are the first speakers I have seen reviewed that I might like to replace my Linton’s with. Thanks.

[@nicovince9972]

Great review , as usual ! Get well soon John.

[@Krell666]

Great video. Yeah B&Ws are definitely for a particular taste, I personally find them almost nails on a chalkboard. Get well soon mate!

[@abxaudiophiles]

Beautiful sounding speakers. To me one of the best in the line up... Great review Darko!! Cheers buddy

[@unityoc]

Sorry to hear you've got health issues again. Wishing you a speedy recovery from your old home Sydney, Australia.

[@bodhid]

Superb production values and review!

[@danielsntg]

Thanks for the great review ! I’m a mastering engineer and I just ordered the along with an EL 34 tube amp, and I’m very excited to work with these speakers! 🫡

[@LeezahB]

Excellent video!! Feel better!!🥰💖

[@MichealC]

Great review, and prayers for a speedy recovery. Stay well..

[@rikardekvall3433]

Summary = Bright speaker with some slight listening fatigue?

[@RyanZNO]

I can safely say that B&W speakers also pair very well with the class AB offerings from Rotel. I have 702S3’s and 705s3 and they both sound absolutely wonderful through my Rotel stack.

[@ChicagoRob2]

Vintage 1995 B&W Matrix 805s sound amazing with the Yamaha A-S1200. Smooth, detailed, with zero upper-mid hardness.

[@dan-qe1tb]

Good choice. Rotel tends to try for a neutral sound in their amplifiers, letting the character of your speakers shine through. I had a Rotel cd player that I had paid $700 for in 2012, and I always knew that I was getting a good deal for the price. It had outperformed the Denon and the Marantz I had before. Rotel is a family owned company that has one of their core values, offering the working class a good value. They also insist on providing their own components instead of off the shelf ones (the capacitors, the transformers, etc), but not a higher cost for the consumer. Like NAD, they also offer a no frills approach, eschewing unnecessary glitz in their products, putting the money to where it affects the sound quality.

[@papagen00]

I've got 802 D3's at home but for decades I preferred attending live symphony and opera for the most part. The way I see it, different concert halls and opera houses have different 'sound signatures' just like Hi-Fi speakers. L.A.'s Disney Hall has beautiful deep bass for orchestra but not so good for voices; the NYC's David Geffen Hall (NY Phil) has no bass but voices sound great! The Met Opera House, Meyerson Hall (Dallas), NSO in Washington D.C. all have perfect acoustics, differing only in degrees of transparency and detail. Back to home speakers, I had auditioned a number of speakers and finally settled on the 802 D3's because their sound signature most closely matched that of the NSO concert hall in D.C. where I heard some incredible concerts and operas. Also there are pieces that are better heard at home without distractions of audience noises and applause, works like Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique", Mozart's "Ave verum corpus", etc.

[@priedits]

I have 703 S2 and best amp I have tried was Willsenton R8 with EL34 Tubes : )

[@janswanson1123]

Thank you for the very informative review. I just heard these speakers today at a Best Buy in the Chicago area and was very impressed with their sound. Like you mentioned the bass was a bit lacking and would need a sub to make these special. I have a REL sub that should do the trick in my small listening room so these might just be what I was looking for. Thanks again for the review.

[@andrewcrossley2448]

I auditioned the smaller 706 against AE500s. The B&Ws were dry and a bit brittle. The AEs were far more engaging. I bought the AE500s and the dealer supplied me with the same stands as you have. When -Audio T came to my house to set everything up, they also tuned my room with a stereo pair of the small but great REL T Zeros. Can I recommend that you demo some AE500s, possibly with a pair of RELs. I think you’d be surprised at how good they are. Bob Dylan’s man in a long black coat in full hires is amazing.

[@brucermarino]

Does it not only a line the drivers but also reduce defraction? Thanks again!

[@millmoormichael6630]

That’s a great way of explaining the need for a sub 👏

[@mikeroeder]

I'm looking forward to hearing what version of Stop Making Sense you think is the best. It would appear, as you suggest, that the 2023 vinyl version is the same mix as the 1999 "Special New Edition" since both credit ET Thorngren as mixing it. I was pretty disappointed when the 1999 version came out because it was missing "Cities" and "Big Business/I Zimbra" so it's nice that they have remedied it somewhat. It would be nice if there was a full hi-res digital version of this available. Back when this came out on VHS, I rented it and dubbed the whole concert to cassette, which I still have today.

[@Staybrown11]

Excellent review and video…makes me wonder what Qacoustics brings to the table with their concept 50. Same price…

[@AndyRat]

❤ get better soon

[@pedge66]

Hi John, nice video, I’m happy with my set up at the moment but I watch these out of general interest but more for music tips, I was already into FSOL and Amorphous Androgynous but thanks for turning me onto PBS, Deadbeat and Steffi to name but a few

[@r3forge]

Thank you John, lovely as always. They look fancy. Pretty sure they will find lots of homes For 3k€ I'd rather get 2xGenelec 8330RAW + 7350 SUB + GLM kit and have a full range, room corrected, active set of awesome speakers. But I guess there is a market for these B&W too :)

[@GR8Tmate]

Get well soon Darko 🤗

[@krischanrudolph6005]

Gute Besserung und Grüße an Olaf

[@ErichHofer-p9e]

1 meter from front wall. measured from speakers front baffle or from speakers back side? thank you, great review.

[@analogueman5364]

From baffle

[@VinceWatches]

Very accurate comments from @darko , B&W always tend to a monitor rendering so a good match with a warmer amplifier . And a subwoofer is always a superb addition , I did the same with my CDM7NT….highly recommended

[@andrehorstman8003]

You Have to know the B+W's sounds good playing louder, and I like to listen most of the more relaxing. People should know that, I think.

[@badgastein2]

The 705 S3 appears to be the successor to the B&W PM1’s which were bookshelf size, had a nautilus tweeter tube on top of the cabinet and cost about £2,500 with stands .

[@cyryx20]

I have one of those and they are still rockin'. They are pretty impressive for the size

[@RUfromthe40s]

what is bookshelf size are there standart dimentions to a shelf ,and the speakers buy them small but never put them on a shelf ,maybe if they are large and deep they might reveal a better sound, if empty with no books

[@ben23a31]

As usual another great review. However, I'm curious, Time Alignment (at least according to Thiel and their speaker designs from many years ago) would have the tweeter recessed or behind the mid/bass woofer considering high frequencies travel faster than mids and lows. Thiel speakers were slightly angled back to compensate and ensure proper time alignment. Thoughts? Thanks

[@stefanjacobsen246]

The speed of sound varies by 0.1 m/s below 100 Hz. Above 100 Hz it is largely constant.

[@ToddBalzer]

They also consider the crossover in the time alignment.

[@MaxPower-zp7wy]

I always wanted to hear what the B&W Formation Duo sounds like. Maybe one day. Still waiting for a Monitor Audio Floor standing speaker review, Silver 200, 300, 500. Hope you feel better soon John.

[@fredrikkvamme7359]

I heard them in a somewhat mediocre listening room when I was considering them and kef ls50w (gen 1). I found them inferior to my ears. A bit..thin.

[@mikemcdonald7149]

Feel better John!

[@stevengarner8524]

A decoupled tweeter wins hands down everytime, it let's the driver drive in its own space . Great video mate ..

[@citytianyu]

I checked my headphone connection twice for the "unfamiliar" voice from John in the beginning of the video. Of course I learnt why is that in the end. Take care, John.

[@NBPT428]

Hope you're feeling better John. I have the B&W 705 S2 but was still interested in your observations. I have them connected to an NAD M10V2 and I'm trying an SVS Micro 3000 Subwoofer. I like the set up overall but I don't know what to do for speaker cable. What were you using for this audition? What speaker cables would you audition? Feel better!

[@Mulokaj]

Dear Darko, thank you for the great review. I will buy these speaker and stands. Did you do something under the speaker to make them more steady? greetings!

[@ChristianVolkmann-r8w]

Had the same question in mind. These stands look amazing, but I would have the fear, that the speakers could easily fall down. @darko: did you add anything to make them a bit more stable? Thanks!

[@markmcfeaters9116]

I have no problem running my musical fidelity m6 series 5 channel amp with a Nad M17 Master series processor. With bowers n wilkins speakers, 702S2 fronts, 2 705S2 paired together for the center and 705S2 for the rear. And for home theater a SVS PB3000 subwoofer. It sounds killer in stereo or home theater. The detail and pinpoint accuracy of sound is amazing. If this helps anyone. I love the musical fidelity amplifiers. The Nad processor is also amazing.

[@stephantranquille6681]

Great review as usual. Considering the lack of deeper bass, I would definitely go for the bigger brother, the standmounters.

[@ashleymackenzie7209]

Hope you’re feeling better soon!!

[@D_Chm]

When I grow up, I want to discover the world and find where Canadia is ;) Great video as always!

[@gregmatula9749]

Fantastic review!

[@sjqideez6626]

You really blew it out the water with this review 😆 Compared to your older speaker reviews, the difference was night & day 🤣 Wish you a speedy recovery dude.

[@masterblockwarrior]

Get well soon John!

[@onecreative1]

Great video. Speedy recovery mate. BTW, have you ever evaluated the Totem Acoustic loudspeakers? I really like mine, but I'm curious to see what you think of them.

[@trevorbartram5473]

John, to what do you attribute the appreciable difference in sound of all these speakers? I assume they all measure well. I believe it may be the bass/mid driver cone material: Continuum, Kevlar, aluminum, paper, polypropylene but how does this show up in measurements? It's interesting that the 705 S3 bass/mid driver is not mounted close to the top edge of the cabinet to improve vertical dispersion in the crossover region? Did you notice any stand up / sit down effects?

[@litenbrandbil]

I do agree with you John about the treble, I sometimes liked it, but most of the time it was too sharp for me. That's why I returned the B&W 705 S3. You review is very good, as I have had the same experience with them, looking forward to the R3 Meta comparison. I would like to see a comparison where Elac Vela BS 404 is included, should be easy to find in Germany, and a very different treble compared to B&W 705 S3 and Kef R3 Meta.

[@kazzzer4876]

I too would love to see a comparison of the 705 s3 with the kef r3 meta. My cousin has the 705 and they play beautifully with rotel. At one time I was considering the kef r3 meta but it happened that the elac bs 404 stood in my house. For the moment I think these speakers will play in my house for a very long time they are exceptional.

[@guillermosanchez8784]

Great video! Please do a side by side comparison with the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g. Which one would you choose??

[@carlosmanueldealmeida1774]

In the Project USA website you can see photos of the Project A2 backside 😉

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Thanks for another great video John hope you’re feeling better! You have certainly been through the ringer with medical issues this year. Your thoughts match my experience with these speakers. Definitely needed a sub and I have a pair of SVS 1000 Pros. I compared to the KEF R3 Meta and the Metas were much better as a 3 way speaker at about 2/3 of the price. Will be interested in your upcoming KEF review. Be well!

[@davidprice-oh2ji]

Hey John... get well soon! Ii recently picked up a pair of ex-dem Mission 770s for a great price, and have been blown away by them, so dont reckon the BWs are for me. Great video, thanks.

[@love2spinvinyl]

Totally agree on Talking head album, picked it up this week and, wow it really is awesome. They didn’t miss on the price with it though. I still have my original Oz first pressing on vinyl (i got myself as a kid) and tape of this, also an anniversary version on cd of it. The CD i hated as the new mastering really annoyed me. My record would only be graded VG these days and sounds ok. But to now have the whole concert and how well this was done, the clarity and how low the bass gets just gave me a massive smile while listening to it.

[@larryschwartz9883]

Get better soon John. You’ve had a rough year!

[@saudisalim8957]

As always nice review

[@RUfromthe40s]

the Linton speakers are on top of my choice for a new pair of speakers, i only have to hear others that might sound good but not yet had the oportunitie of traveling 400km´s to hear them in Lisbon

[@chenshen1391]

Hi Darko, will you review the 705 S3 Signature version? Thanks!

[@kjbiz]

The choice of equipment really appealed to me on this one 🙏

[@papimonster100]

I will always be entertained by the ""yes, but what we do"" stories that come out of all the speaker manufacturers

[@windynotes]

Am curious why the speaker cable are connected to the LF terminals instead of the HF. Btw the Dali Rubicon 2 already has 3 of the 4 points mentioned except the tweeter pod, made many years ago.

[@thewheelieguy]

The shorting plates connect the two for single wiring, so it matters not which you choose...

[@itisjustacomment]

Where did you get you 3 leg speakers stands from?

[@oftankoftan]

just google solidsteel ss-6

[@robmaxwell3678]

John, out of curiosity, have you tried either Lyngdorf as a streaming pre-amp to the PrimaLuna or Peachtee or other? Alaskanian (next to Canadia) would like to know

[@LeezahB]

How would you compare these B&W 705S3 speakers to the Buchardt S400 MKII! Would you say the Buchardts are warmer with more bass? I am auditioning the Buchardts and loving them. Don’t think they need a sub and unlike others I love the treble. For me, just because they are not too forward or bright doesn’t mean they don’t have lots of detail but with a more full sound.

[@michaelrossmaessler200]

John just before you mentioned your results with the Primaluna I was thinking what about tubes, how would they work put with the speaker. Glad you tried it. Excellent review as always 🙂

[@davidrivera2165]

JD, I "downgraded" from a full range $7k floor standing speaker to the KEF 3r meta with two fantastic 10" sealed subwoofers added. "The r3 meta "downgrade" ended up being a more detailed airy presentation. Additionally they provide a better bass integration with the subs. Please make sure upcoming review of the r3 meta includes your comments with and without subs. Thank you for your extremely fair reviews that include comparisons. My R3 Metas are Indigo Blue, same as your pair in Lisbon. Lookers for sure.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

What floorstanders are those, if you dont mind?

[@HiFi.DIVINE]

Good review, congrats!

[@rosswarren436]

Get well soon! Loved the albums featured in the video. Good stuff! The tweeter in a top mount will split people. Yeah, we understand the logic behind it, but some will think it looks too much like the vocalist was lazy and didn't put their microphone away after a session, or others like you, will think it looks functionally cool.

[@danrosewarne6986]

I know these aren’t standmounts, but just to add into the general discussion, I auditioned the B&W 704 s3, Kef R5 Meta and (cos I was curious) the Linn Majik 140. Just to get it out of the way, the Linn, for me, was far from Majik: dull, lifeless and certainly not suited to my listening tastes (mainly rock, goth, metal - but with some classical). The KEF’s were fine with sedate music, but (like my previous and much cheaper KEF Q550s) really struggled with the upbeat and complex material. The B&Ws, for me, blew them all away. They could deliver classical music with air, space and a wide soundstage, but could also keep up with Cradle of Filth 🤘 So I think the key to any criticism or praise of a speaker is to bear in mind a number of factors such as music taste, what equipment you have, the tonality of speakers that you prefer and speaker positioning. It’s all totally subjective, but we all knew that already 🤣

[@dal2258]

Feel better soon John! I kind of hear a lot of similarities to the KEF LS50 meta in your description, no?

[@restcarl83]

The rant was good!

[@DarkoAudio]

Glad you liked it!

[@syanhc]

Brilliant ❤