Customer Reviews

Stunning! Both Visually and Sonically

A beautifully crafted, stunning speaker that really needs a lot of power to perform as it should. 100wpc is just a snack for this hungry fella. It is a beautiful addition to any room and it sounds wonderful - very crisp and clean reproduction.

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Everything I hoped they would be.

I've been listening to these lovely speakers for a month now and I am very happy with my decision to buy them. This was a significant upgrade for me. So, to be fair, I knew they were going to impress me. My old speakers are B&W CDM 1-NT's. The first thing I noticed is that the tweeters are super clear, but warmer compared to older B&W speaker models. Generally speaking, I think people prefer a warmer sound. I don't, but I'm not bothered by the change. They do need volume to really shine. I assume that's why it's often said they need a powerful amp to drive them. I bi-amped the speakers to a Sony AZ5000 and it drives them just fine. I love the Sony receiver and it's superb DAC. The combo produce a very clean, clear and amazing listening experience. The mid-range drivers really show off songs that are primarily voice. K.D. Lang's - "Wash Me Clean" is sublime. You are going to want a subwoofer. The space below what these speakers reproduce needs to be filled. When you fill that space, songs like Jackson Brown's - "Nothing but Time" will make you feel like you were on the tour bus when they recorded the song. The rumble of the bus engine pops right out as it shifts gears. One last recommendation is Robin Trower's - "Bridge of Sighs." That song will blow your mind with the crystal clear highs and Robin's voice (which takes center stage). Lastly, they do have a sound stage sweet spot, so experiment with placement. I hope this review was helpful.

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B&W 702 S3 is awesome!

Powered by a Denon AVR-X6800H and backed up by a SVS PB16 Ultra, the B&W 702 S3 plays clear, plays loud, and sounds fantastic! I could not be more happy with this system, and judging by the way my wife dances to it, she agrees, also.

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

Just set up a new set, they sound nice. Driving them with a Carver TFM42 power amp, 385 continuous unclipped (750 at clippimg) watts per channel. I have a Bowers DB4S sub being delivered from Crutchfield tomorrow to add a little thump. I'm happy.

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Wonderful

Incredible sound! They do take some power though. Added a Rotel 1582 to my Denon Avr 3800. Have also B&W 704 S3 as surround but 2 channel stereo is awesome! Clean, deep and clear. I can hear the words of songs like never before.

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

Great audio quality, and even better esthetics. 10/10 recommend.

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

Very clear sound and great bass

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

Paired with an Anthem MRX740 bi-amped, WOW. Amazing speakers for a large bedroom.

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

A huge upgrade from my over 15 year old B&W speakers. Much clearer, brighter tweeter, fuller midrange and bass. I highly recommend these speakers.

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B&W 702 S3

My first impression of the B&W 702 S3 was WOW. I have a 5.1.4 surround system the 702's are replacing a pair of Paradigm Studio 100 v3. The 702's will make a superb addition to any surround system but to really appreciate these speakers you must listen to them in 2 channel stereo. I have an Onkyo TX-NR7100 AVR putting out 100 watts @ 8 ohms per channel which is plenty to drive these speakers. The CD player is a Rega Apollo. The turntable is a Music Hall MMF-7 with a Sumiko Blue Point Special Evo III MC cartridge. I started with 2 recordings "Glenn Miller Orchestra In the Digital Mood" and "Fleetwood Mac Rumours". The 702's have a broad sound stage with very good imaging. Each instrument finds its place in the broad soundstage with all instruments being reproduced clearly with no coloration. These speakers bring out all of the music from the highs and lows to every instrument in the recording. You can hear the softest sound in the background while the lead instrument is blasting away in the foreground. I found myself being drawn into the music. I would be unconsciously tapping my feet to the music. I had 4 "Goose Bump Moments" listening to these 2 recordings. Also this is a beautiful speaker. I haven't been this excited about listening to my music in years. Needless to say I will be going through my entire music library in the near future. I feel the B&W 702 S3 is one of the best if not the best 3-way speaker you can buy in this price range.

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

The clarity in the upper range is beyond words. The singer sounds like they are in the room. As others have said you need a dedicated sub and i paired mine with a pair of REL s510 and with Marantz for Pre and dedicated external anthem amp with over 200+ WPC. The speakers are power hungry and they don't start to get near reference levels until you have the proper amplification. The speaker are revealing so if you don't have your source sorted FLAC lossless or comparable format, the recording will sound subpar but get it right with the recording, dac, uplinks, amplification, subs, etc and reference levels can be achieved. BWs are bright but you can tame that with EQ but even with EQ BWs tend to favor certain genre of music like Jazz, electronic and complex recordings sound incredible so much so you hear things in the recording lower tier speakers just cannot reproduce. Rock and Rap still sound good but there are other speakers that do it better but if you combine the BWs with external subs it is best of both worlds so you gain in midrange and bass so the advantage of say a KEF R11 is negated but the highs are still there with BWs. The brightness does shock some people, so you need to make sure you listen to the sound and like it. BW customers are usually repeat customers so if you buy one you generally tend to stay with the product. BWs also have good resale if you decide to trade.

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Perfect

Outstanding sound

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My first Bowers

Great speakers, both sounding and looking. I have them bi-amped and they sing! Strong support from Crutchfield after purchase.

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My new 702's

Love my new speakers. Great sound and great looks!

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

Awesome sounding speakers!!!

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Worth the Price of Admission

My Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 journey has been a long and twisted one. I initially tried to grab the last remaining stock of the S2, this series' predecessor, hoping to get a deal; as things would work out, I couldn't get a pair, only a single speaker. So I tried the 703 S3, again eyeing cost. The 703s are perfectly acceptable, but they definitely lack some oomph and fullness in the sound despite having an identical frequency response range to the 702s S3s on paper. I yearned for a more complete and balanced sound, so I returned the 703s and purchased the 702 S3s. I am overwhelmed by the clarity and separation these speakers have. Sitting in the sweet spot between the speakers is like attending a live concert. The 702 S3s are musically crisp, but not harsh, with excellent detail and a significant bass extension. If you use these entirely for musical listening and don't often listen to bass-heavy music, you could get away with not having a subwoofer. Even on most pop tracks, there is more than enough bass and these play loud.That said, nirvana is achieved (especially in a home theater setup) with a subwoofer that can play really low. In the end, these reveal everything I hoped for in my music effortlessly, have great looks and are built like tanks. Hats off the B&W for making me smile while listening to my music again!

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Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

My first Bowers & Wilkins speakers, and I am quite impressed. Outstanding sound from classical to hard rock. Impressive bass given 6" woofers, but I bought the 702 S3's for the dynamic range of mids and treble. One word description, VIBRANT! Paired with Parasound pre-amp/amp and SVS sealed woofer from Crutchfield. Thanks to Simon at Crutchfield for his 702 S3 recommendation! You nailed it!

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Crutchfield fails to deliver

This is my first major purchase with Crutchfield and they shipped these expensive speakers to Florida via a 3rd party carrier called Mako and this company made 3 appointments on 3 different days to deliver the speakers, and failed to show up every time. Crutchfield said this is the only carrier they use in Florida so after weeks of waiting and 3 wasted days with their shipping company I was forced to cancel the order.

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