Getting great sound from Bowers & Wilkens 705 speakers.

[Wynbnt]

I have a 5.1 with Bowers & wilkens 705 bookshelf Speakers in the front. In Ceiling Proficient in rear. I do not remember the model, but the higher end ones for home theater.
A denon avr 2312 to drive them. I was wondering how to get great sound out of these beautiful speakers without breaking the bank. I have access to marantz, denon, yamaha at some discount.
I am not sure of bi- amp wiring, to amp drivers separate from tweeters. I guess some of the issue might be power, but I believe it could also be speaker placement ( now they are , room, EQ, crossover? I also have a subwoofer, set the speakers to small, crossover at 80Hz.
What is different about higher costing receivers? Would Bi Amp help? If you Bi Amp what do you use?
All my gear is about 40 feet away in a closet. I am using decent 14 gauge audio wire, a bit better than standard wire, for the front speakers.
The left and right speakers are 14 feet apart.
I feel I am not getting anywhere near the speakers potential. I don't always want it loud, sometimes, but I do want some options.
Using uncompressed wireless iTunes, Sony BD S 585 Bluray, and DTV Satellite.

 

[lsiberian]

Speakers make the sound no receivers.

 

[Wynbnt]

Speakers make the sound, yes, but they only make the sound that is given to them. Question is, how do I get the best sound without breaking my bank?

 

[adk highlander]

Have you run Audyssey room correction that comes with your Denon receiver? That would be step one. Next have you crawled for bass to determine the best location for your subwoofer? How big is the room? If it is a big room these monitors may not be big enough to really fill the room. Checking the distance to the side and back walls to either get some kind of boundary reinforcement or remove it if you are getting port noise or boomy sound.

What are the surfaces in the room. Is it all hard walls and floors where you are getting all kinds of reflections?

The setup you have is of very good quality and will produce very good sound. You just need to figure out the best placement and setup for your particular room. Much of this is trial and error to see what you like and don't like.

My first step would be to run Audyssey with as many positions as your version allows. Next would be to look at the crossover values and make sure the speakers are set to small and crossed over at 80hz. Then listen to material that you are very familiar with and see what you don't like. Not enough bass, etc. Then work on placement and rerun Audyssey with each movement.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

IMO, the best sound will be using discrete sound that is unprocessed by EQ, RC, DSP, THX (bypassing Audyssey, EQ, DSP), and having good speaker placement.

 

[Wynbnt]

The best I have ever heard these speakers is with a HK high output stereo receiver. They were in a different room and much closer together. Whole lotta love lead ride was out off this world.

 

[PENG]

The best I have ever heard these speakers is with a HK high output stereo receiver. They were in a different room and much closer together. Whole lotta love lead ride was out off this world.

No idea what you meant by high output. Those little B&W can't take too much power and won't produce a lot of SPL so in a smaller room and closer to each other may explain why they sounded good to you with the HK.

The 2312 is obviously not a power house so for peace of mind you may grab a 3312 or 4311 if you can find them at affordable prices. If you are going to stick with the 2312, as long as the room is small to small medium and you listen at normal spl, they should still sound good if you have a good sub and set your crossover to 80 Hz.

 

[Phules]

from the manual incase you didnt have it:
50W – 120W into 8 ohms on unclipped programme
As an initial guide:
• Position the speakers and the centre of
the listening area approximately at the
corners of an equilateral triangle.
• Keep the speakers at least 1.5m apart to
maintain left-right separation.

Moving the speakers further from the walls
will reduce the general level of bass. Space
behind the speakers also helps to create an
impression of depth. Conversely, moving
1
the speakers closer to the walls will
increase the level of bass.
If you want to reduce the bass level without
moving the speakers further from the wall,
fit the foam bungs in the port tubes.
(Figure 4)
If the bass is uneven with frequency it is
usually due to the excitation of resonance
modes in the room. Even small changes in
the position of the speakers or the listeners
can have a profound effect on how these
resonances affect the sound. Try mounting
the speakers along a different wall. Even
large pieces of furniture can have an effect.
If the central image is poor, try moving the
speakers closer together or toeing them in
so they point just in front of the listeners.
(Figure 2b)
If the sound is too harsh, increase the
amount of soft furnishings in the room (for
example use heavier curtains), or reduce it
if the sound is dull and lifeless.
Test for flutter echoes by clapping your
hands and listening for rapid repetitions.
Reduce them by the use of irregular
shaped surfaces such as bookshelves and
large pieces of furniture.
Ensure the speaker stands are firm on the
floor. If you have a carpet, use carpetpiercing
spikes and adjust them to take up
any unevenness in the floor.

I have 703s using a Yamaha AVR with preouts and an Onkyo amp to power them. B&Ws have always seemed to like power.