B&W 705 S2 User Comments

[Rossco]

Hi guys long time,

I am thinking about buying a set of b&w 705 s2 speakers here in Australia. Curious what people here think of them and also how they may pair with an older Denon 3806 or similar receiver until I save up for a dedicated external amp.

Really love the speaker design and aesthetics.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks gang.

 

[Bobby Bass]

I tried a pair on their dedicated stands. I love the look with the tweeter on top in Rosenut. Speakers and stands are Very well made with excellent fit and finish. I Did not love the sound. I prefer towers over 2-ways on stands with subs. I had a pair of 702 S2 towers powered by the same Denon AVR in an 2 channel setup and they were well powered so should work with the stand mounts. Bought through Best Buy in the US so had 15 days to try at home and returned with no charge. Suggest you try the same if possible, depending on what’s available for retailers in Australia, to make sure they meet your needs especially at the cost of speakers and stands. Good luck!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You will see a lot of bashing of B&W speakers primarily because their measurements suck compared to many speakers. Even their $50K speakers don’t measure as well as many speakers that cost a fraction.

But as long as you like how they sound, then it’s okay. But I would not expect a lot of approval.

About 10 years ago I bought a pair of brand new B&W 802D2 mainly for the aesthetics. I knew they didn’t sound as good as some other speakers, but I bought them anyway.

 

[EBN]

You will see a lot of bashing of B&W speakers primarily because their measurements suck compared to many speakers. Even their $50K speakers don’t measure as well as many speakers that cost a fraction.

But as long as you like how they sound, then it’s okay. But I would not expect a lot of approval.

About 10 years ago I bought a pair of brand new B&W 802D2 mainly for the aesthetics. I knew they didn’t sound as good as some other speakers, but I bought them anyway.

The famous Batman house curve! Grumpy TLS Guy would love these!


705 S2 20Hz - 20kHz (measured @ 2m, plotted @ 1m)

 

[EBN]

Electrical Phase looks amp buyers nightmare due to multiple -45 and 45? Thankfully impedance doesn´t drop much below 5ohm.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The famous Batman house curve! Grumpy TLS Guy would love these!


705 S2 20Hz - 20kHz (measured @ 2m, plotted @ 1m)

It seems like all the B&W speakers regardless of price have that Batman curve.

Although I recall one time TLS Guy posted an in-room FR of his friend's B&W 800D or 802D and the FR actually looked very LINEAR/FLAT. Don't know how he managed to do that. I guess with measurements, if you play with them enough times, you might get one good measurement out of a hundred.

 

[lovinthehd]

What do you mean by "pairing"....connecting them?

 

[TLS Guy]

It seems like all the B&W speakers regardless of price have that Batman curve.

Although I recall one time TLS Guy posted an in-room FR of his friend's B&W 800D or 802D and the FR actually looked very LINEAR/FLAT. Don't know how he managed to do that. I guess with measurements, if you play with them enough times, you might get one good measurement out of a hundred.

Yes, I did measure my late friends 800 D3 loudspeakers. This was the FR on and off axis.

The waterfall plot.

Impedance curve and phase angles.

The on axis response is quite good, and the off axis response mirrors the exis response to 60 degrees, but there are problems out at 90 degrees which is the black line.

This measuring technique is reliable above 200 Hz, less so below 200 Hz where there can be some room interaction.

As far as I can find I am the only one publishing this data. I can not find other measurements.

These speakers, replaced his 800 D2 speakers. The D3s sounded a lot better than the D2s. The 800 D3 speakers did sound as good as they measure and I would rate them a good speaker. He replaced his D2s after a prolonged listening session at our home while we lived on Benedict Lake. When he returned home his was out of love with his D2s. He was happy with D3s. Those speakers were the only B & W speakers I could have lived with. I have not heard their replacement, but published FRs are not encouraging.

 

[Rossco]

Yes, I did measure my late friends 800 D3 loudspeakers. This was the FR on and off axis.

The waterfall plot.

Impedance curve and phase angles.

The on axis response is quite good, and the off axis response mirrors the exis response to 60 degrees, but there are problems out at 90 degrees which is the black line.

This measuring technique is reliable above 200 Hz, less so below 200 Hz where there can be some room interaction.

As far as I can find I am the only one publishing this data. I can not find other measurements.

These speakers, replaced his 800 D2 speakers. The D3s sounded a lot better than the D2s. The 800 D3 speakers did sound as good as they measure and I would rate them a good speaker. He replaced his D2s after a prolonged listening session at our home while we lived on Benedict Lake. When he returned home his was out of love with his D2s. He was happy with D3s. Those speakers were the only B & W speakers I could have lived with. I have not heard their replacement, but published FRs are not encouraging.

Niiiiiice setup man. I just bought the 705 s2 and I gotta say I think the sound exceeded my expectations. It's a very audiophile speakers in every way...made me realize miles Davis kind of blue is definitely not as good sounding as I thought...although Tears for Fears Elemental album sounds Phenomenal, that's a VERY audiophile recording in every way.

 

[Rossco]

To

I tried a pair on their dedicated stands. I love the look with the tweeter on top in Rosenut. Speakers and stands are Very well made with excellent fit and finish. I Did not love the sound. I prefer towers over 2-ways on stands with subs. I had a pair of 702 S2 towers powered by the same Denon AVR in an 2 channel setup and they were well powered so should work with the stand mounts. Bought through Best Buy in the US so had 15 days to try at home and returned with no charge. Suggest you try the same if possible, depending on what’s available for retailers in Australia, to make sure they meet your needs especially at the cost of speakers and stands. Good luck!

I don't agree one bit. I just bought the speakers, they are sound huge with really nice detail l, transparency. They project an image and soundstage much bigger than the speakers at least the way I have them setup.

Of course sound is subjective but I really dig the upper end b&w sound especially with modern high quality records l although the are unforgiving in every way possible, they don't hide anything.l all is revealed.

 

[TLS Guy]

Niiiiiice setup man. I just bought the 705 s2 and I gotta say I think the sound exceeded my expectations. It's a very audiophile speakers in every way...made me realize miles Davis kind of blue is definitely not as good sounding as I thought...although Tears for Fears Elemental album sounds Phenomenal, that's a VERY audiophile recording in every way.

Yes, that is my late friend's set up. His wife is still using it.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Niiiiiice setup man. I just bought the 705 s2 and I gotta say I think the sound exceeded my expectations. It's a very audiophile speakers in every way...made me realize miles Davis kind of blue is definitely not as good sounding as I thought...although Tears for Fears Elemental album sounds Phenomenal, that's a VERY audiophile recording in every way.

At least on Stereophile, S&V, Soundstage, etc., I bet your 705s measure just like the 800D from 200Hz-20kHz.