Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature
Bowers & Wilkins have established a working pattern over the last decade or so that sees certain models from their upper ranges upgraded to Signature status after they have been on the market for a while. We saw this most recently with the 801 Signature and this year the 700 series has seen three of its number assume the same suffix. Of these the 702 S3 Signature is the biggest and thus, theoretically at least, the best.
What do you get for the extra £1,500 asking price of the Signature version? If you look at the comparison chart on the 702 S3 Signature web page that lists the basic specs next to the standard model the answer would appear to be nothing. However, you can see the fabulous midnight blue metallic paintwork or Datuk gloss veneer finishes and there are changes under these shiny skins that have a greater bearing on performance. Not least is an upgraded crossover with Mundorf Evo capacitors, better inductors and high frequency caps with Mundorf Angelique lead out wires. There are also much larger air-core inductors for the bass drivers and doubled up Bevenbi bypass caps.
The cable terminals are low lead brass types with a chrome finish as seen on 800 series models. And for the 702 S3 Signature Bowers have introduced a higher quality spider in the three bass drivers. The midrange remains a woven six inch Continuum cone with biomimetic suspension and slimline FST surround while the tweeter is a decoupled carbon dome that’s housed in an aluminium chamber atop the cabinet. The grille on this driver has however changed, this was developed for the 800 Signature models and is more open than that on the standard 702 S3, which made an obvious difference when the two models were demonstrated. The sound becoming notably more open with vocals being projected better and timing improving. Some of these characteristics will be down to the crossover changes etc but the grille is not an insignificant element. Given that it costs no more I asked why it hadn’t been phased into the 700 series, but apparently that’s not how manufacturing works on the sort of scale that Bowers & Wilkins does it.
The 702 S3 Signature is a substantial and elegant speaker, it stands over 113cm high on its plinth and weighs a respectable 35 kilos plus (78 lbs), I didn’t fancy carrying one. However the packaging allows each cabinet to be stood upside down so that a plinth can be attached to the base. Initially I assumed that this plinth was provided to enhance stability and pass tilt tests but one look at the base reveals a large reflex port that needs to have some space beneath it in order to breathe. The supplied plinth leaves a suitable gap thanks to metal spacers and means that this speaker should be a bit more tolerant of placement near boundaries than rear ported types. Both spikes and half round feet are supplied for carpet or solid floor use, I am not a spike fan so went for the white rubber dome feet. This is not a choice that many brands offer but shows that thought has gone into all aspects of the design.
Sound quality
I have found that the more affordable Bowers & Wilkins speakers sound best when they are placed fairly close to the wall and firing at right angles to it, eg with no toe-in. That proved to be the case with the 702 S3 Signatures which gave an even tonal balance with only 30cm between them and the rear wall. This factor will vary significantly with room shape, construction and furnishings of course and my room is if anything a little bass light. The perceived balance of this speaker is that it is designed for spaces with greater bass reinforcement and more soft furnishings, which probably accounts for the majority of UK sitting rooms.
If you like tight, fast, precise and expansive sound the 702 S3 Signature is bang on the money. They deliver oodles of detail in a coherent and dynamic style with excellent bass extension and control. Put on Big Boi and Dre Present… Outkast and you get a tight, deep pulse that propels the groove in no uncertain fashion, the vocals clear and well defined and the beat at the centre of the action. With the live e.s.t. 30 album the soundstage is huge, and the beauty of some pieces palpable to all. The more I played them the clearer it became that the 702 S3 Signatures share a characteristic found in many big Bowers designs; the desire to play at high volume, or to put it another way, they sound better when the level is raised. Which is no bad thing if the neighbours don’t mind.
They time well for a three-way too, it’s always harder to get high coherence out speakers with higher order crossovers but this one is on the money, this is because the bass is so well defined and never appears to blur leading edges in the midband and above. It is as fast and nimble as the rest of the tonal range which means that it’s not as forgiving of coarser mixes but really revels in decent ones. One such being Nepalese Bliss by the Irresistible Force, this is presented with maximum low end girth and mountains of detail, it’s not an audiophile production by any standards and that much can be heard but the way that these speakers control its energy is impressive. I upped the BPM with Floating Points’ Les Alpx and things got very lively indeed, if you fancy a living room rave, look no further.
The above observations were made with my Moor Amps Angel 6, 150W power amplifier, which has plenty of muscle to control these speakers. Out of interest I also tried a Rega Elex which while a little on the inexpensive side is a very nimble and articulate amp, it pulled out loads of detail and atmosphere from Frank Zappa’s Roxy Performances release but was ultimately a little bit too lean for these B&Ws. They require warmer power and as I happened to have a Sugden IA-4 integrated amp while the 702 S3 Signatures were in the room I put the two together. This proved to be a very good idea, the Class A nature of the Sugden seemed to balance the eagerness of the Bowers & Wilkins perfectly, producing expansive three dimensional imaging. You get the energy without any sharp edges and this allows musical tension to build superbly, which makes the material more interesting and engaging. The way that this pairing tracked low level dynamics was also very impressive, by revealing changes in note volume and attack/decay they paint a much richer picture of each performance and draw the listener in.
Many of the above are typical Class A characteristics of course but the 702 S3 Signatures proved equal to the task of revealing them, and the fact that the Sugden is only a 33 Watt amplifier was clearly not an issue. These speakers are not inefficient but they need a relaxed yet firm amplifier to give of their best. They can be explicit in the rendering of detail and you need to pick an amplifier that can work with this degree of exposure and not sound forward or edgy. They are very revealing for their asking price, and that means that the quality of source and amplifier will be obvious. The upside is that with a sympathetic pairing you get to hear more than comparably priced competitors, vocals for instance can be very clear which makes lyrical comprehension a lot easier. Ditto the bass is solid and well extended, you get a lot of air moving capability for your buck, it’s tight and clean too.
Conclusion
Bowers & Wilkins always come through when it comes to trickling down critical tech from their flagships to more affordable models like the 702 S3 Signature. The changes that the Signature element brings in are not insignificant in the final mix and move what was already a very capable loudspeaker up to the next division. This combined with the fabulous finish and high build quality make the 702 S3 Signature a hard act to beat.