Bowers & Wilkins 703 User manual

HI-FI CHOICE november2003
48
B&W’s new 700-series neatly fills t e gap between its ‘budget’ 600s and upmarket Nautilus 800s
SEVENTH HEAVEN
Te largest of all t e specialist i-fi
speaker brands, Wort ing-based B&W is
notewort y for t e considerable
resources it devotes to researc and
development, wit a small army of engineers
operating out of a well-equipped, purpose-
built facility some miles away from t e main
factory in Steyning.
It’s t is researc effort t at lay be ind t e
very advanced and radical Nautilus 800
models in 1998, and t eir subsequent
Signature upgrades, and somet ing of t e
same as now ‘trickled down’ to t e brand
new 700-series models, w ic very muc fill a
gap between t e 800s and t eir ‘budget’
600-series bret ren.
T ere are t ree 700s all told: an £800 per
pair 705 standmount; a £1,300 per pair 704
two-and-a- alf-way floorstander; and t is
£2,000 t ree-way 703 floorstander, w ic
arrived just a couple of weeks too late for
inclusion in t is mont ’s group test.
In a sense, t ese 700s replace t e CDM NT
models, t oug per aps supplant is t e better
word, as t ey by no means fit into t e same
price slots and are claimed to deliver muc
more of a mid-point level of performance
between t e widely separated 600s and 800s
t an t eir predecessors.
T e industrial design brief ere was to make
reference to t e cabinet s ape of t e
outgoing CDM NT series – specifically t e
concept of mounting an external tweeter on
top of a sloping cabinet top – but also to
incorporate t e bent-wood tec nology t at
was pioneered in t e Nautilus 800s. A furt er
requirement was to reduce t e rat er angular
appearance of t e CDM NTs, and also to take
acoustic factors into account.
T e new speaker looks less fussy t an its
predecessor, wit cleaner lines and
construction t at promises some performance
advantages. T e front and top are formed
from a single piece, giving great strengt ,
w ile t e curve under t e top-mounted
tweeter will give greater ‘scatter’ t an t e flat
surface used before. T e radiused edges ave
disappeared now, but t e enclosure is subtly
tapered front to rear, so t e only parallel
surfaces are t e front and back, w ic will
elp to de-focus t e internal standing
waves. Classy real-wood veneer covers all
t e faces, our samples coming in an
attractive American walnut.
Crucially, t is 703 uses a version of t e
‘surroundless’ FST (Fixed Suspension
Transducer) midrange driver t at was
PRODUCT B&W 703
TYPE 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker
PRICE £2,000
KEY FEATURES Size (WxHxD): 23x101x36cm
PTube-loaded alloy dome tweeter P165mm Kevlar
midrange driver P2x 165mm paper/Kevlar bass drivers
CONTACT 01903 221500 qwww.bwspeakers.com
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49
[
Review
]
B&W 703 loudspeaker
pioneered by t e more upmarket Nautilus
models, and w ic provides one of t e better
reasons for adopting t e extra complexity of a
t ree-way, as distinct from t e two-and-a- alf-
way configuration used in t e 704.
In t e vast majority of t ree-ways, t e
midrange driver is eit er t e same as, or a
scaled down version of, t e bass driver.
However, t e essential difference between a
midrange-only unit and any unit required to
produce bass (w et er bass-only or bass/mid)
is t at a mid-only driver doesn’t undergo
significant cone excursion.
W ereas t e rubber roll surround at t e
edge of a driver cone normally as to centre
t e cone, absorb edge-of-cone vibration and
permit generous fore ’n’ aft excursion, a mid-
only driver as no need for t e last of t ese.
B&W as t erefore come up wit a midrange
driver wit a eavy but unfixed surround t at
locates t e cone but ignores excursion in
order to optimise t e vibration absorption
c aracteristics, by using a eavy rubber gasket
in place of t e usual roll. T e result, allegedly,
is improvement in dynamic range resolution.
T anks to relatively new Klippel distortion
measuring apparatus, all t e drive units ave
undergone significant improvements over
t eir predecessors. B&W calls t e tec niques
it as used to make t e drive unit magnetic
fields more symmetrical and minimise
variations in inductance ‘balanced drive’. T e
ig frequency extension of t e external
tube-loaded tweeter as also been improved,
avoiding any need for a ‘super-tweeter’.
T ere are two bass drivers ere, port-loaded
and operating in tandem, and eac wit
november 2003 HI-FI CHOICE
Kevlar-reinforced paper cones 120mm in
diameter. T e FST midrange as B&W’s
familiar yellow woven Kevlar cone, 140mm in
diameter, w ile t e tweeter as a 25mm alloy
dome. Just two pairs of terminals are fitted,
conveniently low down near t e floor.
SOUND QUALITY
Not unexpectedly, in-room measurements
pointed towards free-space siting for t is
substantial floorstander, t oug t e bass
alignment is relatively dry and bungs are
provided s ould close-to-wall siting be
unavoidable for domestic reasons.
First impressions came as a bit of a surprise,
especially as t e Signature 805 (see p62) was
on site at t e time of its arrival, allowing
immediate comparisons. T e 703 is certainly
muc less laid back t an t e baby Signature,
and actually sounds muc more upfront t an
any B&W in recent memory.
Indeed, t e initial judgement was t at t is
speaker was a little too brig t and edgy for its
own good, wit a touc of aggression and
ars ness t at bordered on t e unacceptable.
T is opinion was reinforced by t e visible
peak at around 4.5kHz, near t e bottom end
of t e tweeter’s operating range, w ic was
clearly visible on t e far-field in-room traces.
W ile t is treble strengt did seem likely to
pose a problem at first, after a few days t e
tendency towards ars ness and aggression
seemed to ave mollified quite significantly.
Our samples ad apparently ad a couple of
days of running in before being s ipped, but
presumably t is is a speaker t at needs at
least a week to get properly settled down. P
MULTICHANNEL OPTIONS
“The 703 is much less laid back than the
Signature, and actually sounds much more
upfront than any B&W in recent memory”
B&W makes centre and surround speakers to
fit in-between and around t e 703/4/5
stereo pairs for multic annel sound. T e £450
HTM7 (for ‘Home T eater Monitor’) is t e
centre-front. Retaining t e curved top and
external tweeter, t is two-way appears bulky,
but voice-matc es t e 703 well enoug , albeit
wit out t e latter’s slig tly brig t top end. (It
matc es t e 704 even better – probably
because it s ares t e same drivers.) One
crucial t ing to note – t e HTM7 s ould not
be placed on top of a large-screen TV set, as
close proximity to a large flat surface adds a
‘ onky’, t ickening coloration in t e midband.
Coming soon, t e £900 per pair DS7 surround
speaker looks potentially even more
interesting. It’s switc able between dipole and
monopole modes (t e former best for movies,
t e latter for music), and t e c ange can
cleverly be effected remotely via a 12V
‘trigger’ signal from t e receiver.
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HI-FI CHOICE november2003
50
Once properly in t e groove, t e 703
s owed some delig tful c aracteristics, and
an overall standard of performance t at
stands well out from t e two-grand crowd.
T ere’s still arguably a touc too muc
strengt at t e top end ere – it’s certainly a
dB or two stronger t an t e 704 ere, for
example – and t is can occasionally prove a
trial wit brig t and edgy recordings,
especially if you want to play t em loud. But
by t e same token it often adds some
welcome extra ‘bite’ and clarity to t e
musical proceedings.
It was interesting to ave t e 704 on and,
and many will prefer t e slig tly warmer and
more laid-back balance and restrained treble
of t e less expensive model (reviewed next
mont ). But direct comparison immediately
ig lig ts t e obvious superiority of t e 703’s
FST midrange, w ic reproduces voices in
particular wit muc greater clarity and
expression, wit a significantly wider dynamic
resolution window. It’s not entirely free
from coloration – t ere’s a certain
amount of nasality ere – but it
is very expressive, and stereo
imaging is beautifully spacious
and superbly free from boxiness.
A very complex modern
composition involving several c oirs
– Idmen, by Iannis Xenakis, since you
didn’t ask – came over t e BBC
airwaves late one summer’s evening,
and t e separation and clarity w ic t e
703s broug t to t e complex vocal parts
was really quite transfixing. T is is far from
familiar or indeed comfortable music for late
nig t listening, yet I was genuinely
disappointed w en it finis ed.
If t e midband is somet ing a bit special,
t e bass end is arguably even better. It’s dry,
clean, deep and even, all of w ic is quite
unusual and impressive. Even better, it’s very,
very fast and always agile, bringing truly
propulsive momentum and drive to a bass-led
album like t e Easy Star All-Stars’ Dub Side Of
The Moon. Even an overblown recording like
Wyclef Jean’s The Carnival managed to sound
quite crisp and controlled – and very, very
clean and clear.
Do c eck first t at t is speaker’s slig tly
cool, t in and brig t balance suits your
personal taste and system. If it does, you’ll be
rewarded wit a wonderfully analytical and
entertaining speaker, wit superb agility and
an exceptionally wide dynamic range. HFC
Paul Messenger
SOUND >> 91%
EASE OF DRIVE >> 66%
BUILD >> 95%
VALUE >> 88%
RPRO
Classy floorstander has
artfully shaped enclosure and
very advanced drive units.
Superb imaging and an
exceptional dynamic range,
with expressive midband, and
fast, clean and deep bass.
SCON
Sound is dry, cool and a touch
thin – the top end a mite
strong, giving a character
which can become aggressive.
CONCLUSION
Classy floorstander with very advanced drivers delivers superb
imaging and exceptional dynamic range, with a very expressive
midband and fast, clean bass, though its bright top end can
become aggressive when played loud.
OVERALL SCORE
89%
>>
VERDICT
Detail
101cm
23cm
‘Flowport’
reflex port
Alloy dome
tweeter is
mounted
externally,
coming with
its own loading
tube and grille
nclosure slightly
narrower at rear
than front
Solid base
provides
secure spike
accommodation
Twin terminals
set nice and low,
for bi-wiring/
amping
POSITIONING
For t e smoot est and most even bass delivery,
t is speaker design oug t really to be kept well
clear of walls if at all possible. If domestic
considerations dictate some wall proximity, bungs
are supplied to block up t e ports. However, t e
ports ere are tuned to a low 35Hz, w ile
close-to-wall bass reinforcement occurs rat er
ig er up, in t e 50-100Hz octave, so results are
unlikely to be smoot .
MEASURED PERFORMANCE
B&W’s claim for a 90dB sensitivity is fully justified
– even marginally pessimistic per aps – but t e
generous figure is compromised by a rat er
demanding load, w ic its a t ree-o m
minimum at around 100Hz, w ic is a power-
ungry part of t e spectrum, and remains low
between 80Hz and 350Hz.
T e in-room far-field averaged responses look very
promising, owever. Wit t e speakers mounted
well clear of walls, and t e ports left open, t e
bass comes across as unusually smoot (+/-4dB
t roug out, in spite of room modes), and also
very well extended (-3dB at 20Hz in-room). T e
lower midband is a little lean, but strengt ens
between 500Hz and 1.5kHz. T e presence zone is
slig tly recessed at 1.5-3.5kHz, but t en peaks up
quite strongly at 4-6kHz, alt oug t ese trends
are obvious enoug , bot in measurement and
audible terms.
SYSTEM MATCHING
Alt oug t is speaker as a
decent enoug sensitivity,
t e impedance dips to a
low t ree o ms in t e
bass and lower
midband. It’s t erefore
not really suitable for use
wit lower power valve
amps suc as single-
ended and direct-coupled
types, and is better
partnered wit solid state
amplifiers t at ave
relatively generous current
delivery capabilities.
SET-UP
0.8-1m 0.8-1m
1-1.5m 1-1.5m
2-3m
3-4m
[
Review
]
B&W 703 loudspeaker
Q
165mm FST
(surroundless)
Kevlar cone
midrange driver
2x 165mm
paper/Kevlar
cone/dome
bass drivers
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