Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 Prestige Edition speakers
We tend to think of tweaks or small upgrades to products being the domain of smaller companies, often run by one or two people who won’t let it lie when it comes to squeezing maximum performance out of their creations. This desire to make an audio component better is not limited to those who do it as much as a passion as a business however, it also applies to the engineers working in larger organisations. One such is Bowers & Wilkins where the research department is kept very busy making all manner of products from wireless speakers, to headphones to high end separates such as the s 707 S3 Prestige Edition speakers seen here.
This is a fancy version of the standard 707 S3, which is a compact two-way design with a five inch main driver and carbon dome tweeter. The 707 S3 Prestige Edition costs £150 more than the 707 S3 for which you get a deluxe santos veneer with 12 coats of gloss lacquer instead of the regular satin white, gloss black or Mocha. The cable terminals look the same but have higher purity brass cores and, crucially an ‘optimised tweeter grille mesh’. Which doesn’t sound very exciting as a description but makes a surprising difference to the sound of this diminutive box of audio dynamite.
The grille is a trickle down from B&W’s 800 series of range topping speakers, the smallest of which costs £8,750 (805 D4). The difference between it and the regular grille is the shape of the holes and the fact that there is less metal in what is more than just a protective barrier. The grille affects the dispersion of high frequencies in significant ways so this element is unsurprisingly quite important. I have in the past asked why the grille hasn’t been changed across the board on all the models that it fits, but this is where large organisations find things harder than their smaller competitors.
As everything is manufactured on a production line with significant lead times such so-called running changes are not straightforward, I would imagine that there are still thousands of the standard grilles still awaiting installation for one. So such upgrades are limited to range changes or one-offs like the 707 S3 Prestige Edition, and these are usually precursors of what’s to come in future series.
The carbon tweeter dome is found across the 700 series range, they call it a double dome because the 30 micron aluminium dome you can see is reinforced with a carbon coating and carbon outer ring beneath it, this stiffening of the perimeter pushes the driver’s break up frequency higher which reduces audible distortion. There is also a tube behind the dome which absorbs energy coming off the back of the driver, it’s not machined aluminium like the 800 series but it does the same job.
The Continuum woven cone in the 707 S3 Prestige Edition’s mid/bass driver is Bowers’ preferred material and used across all of its separates loudspeaker ranges. This was also developed for the 800 series and replaced the yellow Aramid weave seen on earlier designs. Its purpose is to avoid an abrupt transition between the desired pistonic movement and the inevitable break up point through controlled flexibility. Sudden changes in character are much more obvious than gradual ones in almost all spheres not least loudspeaker drivers.
The cabinet is fundamentally the same as the regular 707 S3 although the lacquer might bring a small increase in stiffness, but this is likely to be less significant than the upgraded metalwork in the terminals. At this price you don’t get copper terminals but a higher purity of brass, as found in the Signature models, is worth having. The horizontal bi-wire connections are supplied with plates to bridge them so that single wiring can be used, these were replaced with short pieces of silver plated copper wire for the review as this is an inexpensive and worthwhile tweak that anyone can make for minimal outlay.
Sound quality
I have found the more affordable Bowers speakers a little on the fierce side for tastes in recent times so was pleasantly surprised to discover that the 707 S3 Prestige Editions have a sweeter balance, which given their consistency made me wonder if the William Eikos speaker cable along with numerous other small upgrades were responsible for the change. Either way I had a stonking time listening to music through speakers that are a fraction of the price of those I have been using of late.
The 707 S3 Prestige Editions were bolted to dedicated stands and I used a variety of amplifiers to drive them including my Rega Solis, the mighty Trilogy 994 mono monoblocks and a Rega Elex-R in an attempt to get real for a moment. The results were highly engaging in every instance but the extra power of the bigger amps did bring worthwhile depth and refinement to the party.
The first impression when firing up the 707 S3 Prestige Edition is of extraordinary openness, the sound seems to totally escape the cabinets and fill the room with light and air in a way that larger speakers rarely match. Being small means that there is a lot more space around them to fill but the dispersion available from an only slightly curved front baffle is remarkable. This has more than a little to do with the new tweeter grille if comparisons heard on a different speaker are anything to go by.
As is often the case with Bowers & Wilkins creations the 707 S3 Prestige Editions like to be played at higher than average levels. You can use them for background pootling but as soon as you sit down and pay attention the desire to wind up the wick becomes very hard to resist. A lot of speakers have a sweet spot in terms of volume and with these that point is around the 80dB mark and upwards. It’s here that the recording turns into a musical experience worthy of full attention, if it’s a good recording even more so. The vivacity of Liv Andrea Hauge’s piano trio was off the scale and had me leaping about in energetic fashion, likewise Stefano Bollani’s Easy Healing, another great acoustic production with some lovely guitar work from Bill Frisell. Here the shine on high notes was particularly delightful, encouraging further investigation of the album.
For such a compact and affordable speaker the 707 S3 Prestige Edition has excellent power handling, and it’s not limited to the mid and top. Massive Attack’s Angel does extend a bit further than they reveal but you get a decent sense of menace in the growling synth and bass line, an effect emphasised by drum stick on snare rim as the darkness unfolds. A few months ago I rediscovered the Police’s Message in a Bottle, it’s a great song with some distinctly prog elements but also one that some speakers struggle with. These B&Ws on the other hand give you the energy, the brilliance of drum and guitar playing and the make it impossible to sit still. The recording is not very slick but when reproduced this well that becomes irrelevant, the recording is the sound of the music, it’s one and the same. All you need is a system and speaker that is capable of reproducing its dynamics and timing, and the 707 S3 Prestige Edition is very much in that league.
The Rega Elex amplifier has an innate musicality that makes up for its lack of refinement, and when combined with the 707 S3 Prestige Edition you get an extremely engaging result with all manner of music but particularly with stuff that can otherwise sound like a pleasant burble. In this instance the burble was provided by the rambling track Frailed on Flea’s recent release Honora, with the Rega/B&W partnership this took on a life and energy that other systems fail to reveal, making the music that much more interesting. This is a timing thing I suspect, two-way speakers have an advantage in this respect and those that are engineered with the resources available to Bowers & Wilkins are even more blessed. As a result the 707 S3 Prestige Edition is as fast and clean as you could ask for.
Verdict
There are those that will want deeper bass than is available here and others who want to be able to play louder, or maybe quieter, than they are best suited and there are plenty of speakers around that offer such qualities. However, there are few that provide the thrill power that the 707 S3 Prestige Editions can deliver for the asking price. Being a large company gives B&W economies of scale and an R&D department that few can match, but such things do not always result in truly exciting products like this. All too often economics or marketing diminish the spark that the engineers have created and you end up with a product that doesn’t deliver.
In the 707 S3 Prestige Edition the magic is potent, provide them with a clean, well timed signal and see if you can sit back and enjoy the music. You might well find yourself unable to sit still because the musical energy won’t let you, if you want to find the life force in your collection this speaker is a conduit that will bring it home.
Pros
Exceptionally open, spacious and engaging sound
A big upgrade over the standard 707 S3 for a small price increase
Excellent timing, dynamics and musical energy
Strong power handling for a compact standmount speaker
Premium santos veneer and high-gloss finish look superb
Cons
Bass depth is limited compared to larger speakers
Sounds best at higher listening volumes
Not ideal for listeners wanting a relaxed or laid-back presentation
Requires quality partnering equipment to shine fully