Bowers & Wilkins 705 SIGNATURE HiFi Speakers REVIEW
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- This is my video review of the Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature HiFi Speakers and I look at whether they are worth their £2699 asking price. I think for some Audiophiles they will be worth it for their very high quality fit and finish, its very stand out.
They are also very good sounding speakers in the majority of areas but I found them to sound really quite different depending on which amplifier was used. I think this is a good sign of the speakers transparency to the HiFi System.
www.bowerswilkins.com/en-gb/s...
I talk about how the 705 Signatures sound with two different amplifiers I am reviewing
Gryphon Audio Design Diablo 120 • "Entry Level" Gryphon ...
Leema Acoustics Tucana II Anniversary
SOUN DEMO Video HERE • SOUND DEMO Bowers & Wi...
I Reference a Brand New Subwoofer in this video - check back in with me in early April for details about it
I also reference my review of the Monitor Audio Platinum PL100 Mk2 found here • Monitor Audio Platinum...
For my Review of the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 see here • Bowers & Wilkins 705 S...
For my Review of the Bowers & Wilkins 606 see here • Bowers & Wilkins 606 H...
I offer a Professional Dirac Live Calibration Service, for more information please visit www.diraclivecalibration.com
If you would like to know more come and visit my main website www.pursuitperfectsystem.com
For Exclusive content, Extended Reviews and Sound Demo videos consider joining my Patreon www.patreon.com/PursuitPerfec...
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:56 The Signature
2:54 Setup
5:10 The Amplifiers
5:56 BASS
7:50 TREBLE
8:50 VOCALS
9:45 Other Sound Fundamentals
12:39 Comparison
13:50 Final Thoughts
Thanks for watching - Terry Ellis Pursuit Perfect System
#705Signature #hifispeakerreview #bowers&wilkins
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I talk a lot about the excellent pairing of the Bowers 705 Sigs's with the Gryphon Diablo 120 and here is the review for the amplifier czcams.com/video/oQZ1s9nylww/video.html
Here is the SOUND DEMO video for this review czcams.com/video/iHwyzQJ07rw/video.html
Will they pair well with the Mcintosh MC275?
Your cinematography is truly amazing. You really show off the beauty of this speaker
Thanks man been working hard at it :)
Beautiful speakers.
I Remember owning the original matrix 805. I loved them
I gave this a 👍 simply because Terry managed to get the word "voluptuous" into the review. 😁
The extensions of my limited vocabulary sometimes surprise me too :)
Oh yeah, 1st review in the row. Can’t wait to be home tonight to watch it ❤️👍
I just hope that I not gonna burned my credit card once again because of you 🤣
You need more than one CC watching my channel :)
@@PursuitPerfectSystem 😂🕺👍
I was really missing your review. It starting very very good !!!!!
Thank a lot ! Can’t wait for the next one !!!!
I use them with the NAD C 298, in a small room. Sounds superb.
I'm saving up for my first pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705s2 speakers for my home theater and music listening. So far I'm at $2,000. Only 1,277.48 to go :(
Beautiful speakers :) and will be worth it in the end.
Always looking forward to your reviews, awesome job!
Its always worth saving for the ones you really want!!
Buy used.
I recently bought these speakers. Incredible sound for such small speakers and they look very, very nice. I use a 30 Watt class A Synthesis tube amplifier, and that gives a great result.
Great video 👍
Great review! Would be great to also see a review of the 702 signature?
Thanks I was offered this opportunity a little randomly so no idea if I will get another crack at it :) thanks though
Love the thoroughness of your review Terry. These speakers are for true B&W fans who love their aesthetics. You stepped nimbly through the minefield of reviewing an Iconic British speaker brand, so as to be truthful, but without offending anyone. Congrats. I'm personally not a B&W fan, but I am interested in the Gryphon Diablo 120.
I would love to listen to a demo of the 120 driving your KEFs Reference 3. Thanks Terry.
Hi David, The Diablo 120 review is coming next but my KEF are gone to new owners and I have a shiny new high end camera in their place :) Priorities and all that
@@PursuitPerfectSystem review the Diablo 120 next! nice one Terry looking forward to that one (so hmm rubs chin.. how do you listen to music with a Camera
Would you consider these speakers a good match with the Naim Uniti Atom ? Thanks for the review !
I’m not a seasoned audiophile, but I do have some feedback regarding the 705 S2 speakers that may contradict all this talk about needing a high end amp to hear a difference or to make it worth the cost to upgrade. I purchased a pair of 707s2 speakers and had the for about 10 days. I paired them up with both a Peachtree Nova 300 and also used them with a mid-upper range 10 year old Class B AV receiver and also with a 3 y/o Class D AV receiver. I can attest that the difference in EVERY case is night and day, hands-down, no-contest. The 705s2’s are fantastically good whether powered by a $400 AVR unit or a $2,000 audiophile-class 2-channel integrated. If you’re thinking about taking the leap, fear not, you will be pleased - and you can always eek out the remaining 20-25% of performance when you save up for it. In the meantime, you will not be disappointed.
Great feedback thanks
I still think my 685 mk1s sou d brilliant had them 10yrs ran them on a 50w nad amp for years and thought they sou ded great great bass and detail , years later i bought the nad 268 power amp amp now they sound unbelivalble , running mono 2 speakers on 1 - 300w channel and they properly kick
A Hegel amp is my proposed setup with these. I think they might benefit from a nice subwoofer for better low bass performance? They are redesigning the 805s, which were stellar, but the 705s with a sub, (a Bowers and Wilkins sub) has to be great... I am debating waiting for the new 805s, but they may not have a prestige edition anytime soon, or at all.
really appreciate this post. How would you rate the 705 Sigs against the KEF R3 to get a warmer bass
The B&W seemed more refined
B&w 705 s2 vs 705 signature which of these is the best for music
I myself have the 705S 2 I think they’re phenomenal speakers. The real question I think that you should’ve addressed in the review would be are they worth it in comparison to the original and also are they worth the price difference bridging the gap between the original S2 model versus the 805D3 models is there enough sun a difference and improvement to say that the flagship series is worth skipping this or is it a consideration to go with the original models to save money.
I think that this was an opportunity missed in this review not to be mean I appreciate your review but I very much wanted to see the comparison and really more of your opinion directly involving the two models because they are so similar but I definitely wanted to see your opinion on the 800 series and this.
I covered this in the first sentence Steve I reviewed the 705 s2 3 years ago so I can't draw on any reasonable comparison from that long ago. The signature are more price comparable to the monitor audio platinum pl100 mk2 which is why I talk about that comparison more.
I concluded that the finish on these speakers I think will be the reason people buy them or maybe not and the fact they sound better is the bonus that comes along with it
@@PursuitPerfectSystem you still have the sonic signatues the video clips and options to demo the same songs you played on the s2 for comparison. Still could use the science to have show the differences in sound. It would save your viewers from jumping between videos to see a video with the information in one place. Would have been interesting to see the impact with the different crossovers between the 2 models
My system is different from when I reviewed the 705 and my recording equipment is different and my listening rooms acoustical design is different and even how I use the video editing software is different for audio. The 705 review was from when I first started and if you look at the videos you will see its all very different to now so I cant sadly draw any conclusion and I dont have any of the files anymore either its just one of those. I am sure others have compared them directly I couldn't in this instance so I had to focus on what I had and could do
@@PursuitPerfectSystem believe it or not I’ve looked really no one has. The closest I’ve ever seen of any comparison was of the 800 series bookshelf speakers in an audio comparison and there was o one video still good enough. Still I appreciate your options. From what I’ve heard of these compared to the original s2 I see minimal difference from what I could hear. The video I refer to is this czcams.com/video/Gg2oBZ648h4/video.html
look very nice
Hi @Pursuitperfectsystem I have a question regarding the 705 S2 signature. I'm currently using a Naim Atom as amplifier in your opinion do you think this speaker are overkill? If so what other bookshelf speakers do you recommend please? I'm currently using the Focal Aria 906 🙏
Maybe check out my speaker group tests, they might help
I am considering purchasing a Pre-Owned set of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 stand mount speakers.
I would be pairing them with my vintage Rotel RMB 1095 5-channel amplifier & an Outlaw Audio 7-channel
preamp/ processor.
I think this might be a good match.
Any thoughts??
Hi Terry would you say these are a good buy for £2k? Can get them for that. I got the impression that although you think they are good, you weren’t exactly bowled over by the sound, more impressed with the finish?
Yeah its a great speaker for that money, I think its a good all round speaker that can sound fantastic with the right setup.
Great review. Why is there a double spike in the bass? Is that particular to your room?
The likeness of the measurements of the 606 and 705 Signature is eerily scary (carbon copy) - here's a question for you, can 2 speakers have the same measurements and sound very different with the twist here being that they are made by the same manufacturer using nearly identical parts?
I would personally expect that if the 702 Signature used much better electronics and drivers, we'd see a difference in the measurements.
A-ha! They do need great equipment to get the most out of them 🙃 For the tower, imagine bi-amping it.
Yeah thats the effect of the room and the effect boundary gain of close to the wall / corner placement. If you measure speakers in a lot of rooms like I do bass is always like this, up and down and all over the place.
What people think they are listening to is always very different to what they are listening to - hence the reason I use Dirac to iron out these problems as much as poss.
I would greatly appreciate if you could name top 3 amplifier to run these speakers, up to £2000 budget
I am using harman kardon amp, 125w @8ohm, power wise it’s plenty to run the speakers, but i feel they sound bit lean im missing richness in the sound
Ive got 705 s2 not sure if they much if any different from 705 signatures
Would somethink like technic gu700m2 be good candidate, rotel ra1592 mk2
any idea ?
That will easily happen with bowers speakers as they are designed to be bass neutral (which is lean) but top end lively so setup is critical as is the room they are played in. Adding subwoofers will help. For an amp around that money I would go with the NAD M10 v2 and use Dirac to manage the sound to be more where it needs to be
Hello Terry, Where are these 705 Signature speakers made? Thanks.
China I am pretty sure Richard
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Thanks, Much appreciated.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem shameful
@@hypnotechno if you want Bowers made in the UK buy the 805
705 s3 vs 705 s2 how Much differens in sound is it.?
When the automatic subtitle captioning announced a review of the 'Bowels and Wilkins 705' I wondered how they would sound and if they had a tightly controlled bottom end. 😃
haha :)
I wonder if the subwoofer is by Polk Audio
Its not a Polk haha :)
So…these or the MA PL100IIs ? :)
I still think the 28 yr. old Matrix 805s are the most linear of all the B&W bookshelf monitors.
@Jake Roberts I will never replace my 805s. They were good in stock form, but I went ahead and replaced the Bennic tweeter caps with Jantzen Superior Z Caps. I also soldered all the connections and added sound-absorbing felt material to the woofer baskets. The speakers are extremely transparent. I run them with a M&K sub, with a 50Hz low-pass.The 805s run full-range on my Yamaha A-S1200. Are you thinking about replacing your 805s with different stand-mount speakers, or with floor-standers? This is all very subjective, but I do like Wharfedale speakers a lot, either stand-mount or floor-standing.
@Jake Roberts The Jantzen caps really opened up the sound. However, removing the crossover boards is a real PITA. Another thing to do is to remove the tweeter housings and clean the male and female connector contacts with DeoxIT or contact cleaner. Push the connectors together a few times and then re-attach the housings. A lot of oxidation can occur in 20+ years.
I couldn't find your email. Would you be interested on coming on for a podcast?
Yes possibly my email is terryellis@pursuitperfectsystem.com Thanks for reaching out
Can I match this speaker with Arcam SA30?
Yes I think so
when using a gryphon just about any speaker sounds amazing
That is what's interesting because the general consensus is spend most of your money on the speakers but I have been saying for a while is that really the best way to go
That characteristic B&W measured treble lift is for old folks like me with money and poor hearing. I guess that's partly why I own and like my 804 D3s. I don't think B&W is for everyone.
I think there is a little bit of science in it too if you look at equal loudness curves
In the US, the list price is $3999 without stands.
I just checked the exchange rate difference and yeah that sounds about right mate
@@PursuitPerfectSystem That is the price listed on the US website.
Beautiful to die for. When I hear seven layers of coatings it makes me nervous because it makes me aware a lot of attention and resources has gone toward the eye pleasing features and not sonic department Please quite review 2/3k speakers with 5/10k amps because it does-t apply to the real world situation. I beg the reviewer to use some Marantz, Cambridge ,Rega, Arcam amps as well that normal folks can afford and provide his opinion.
You could argue that hearing 100% or close to what the speaker can do and reporting back on that is being more truthful than hearing maybe 60-80% of what the speaker can do and reporting back on that.
Whats important is being able to hear what the speaker can do not what the limitations of the gear might be
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I get your point but to fully close the informative circle of the review you have to pair the speakers with 1k or 1.5k amps. Had I been on the market for these speakers I would have been at loss with what amp to pair with.
@@benjaminqilafku5714 how can a review tell you what amp to buy that you will like in your room, I did go to great lengths to suggest the tonal qualities of an amplifier I think would work well so you can mayne start your search there at your given budget range - that is the best any one can do
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Audio world has so many variables and the combo you described may sound completely different in my room. Very much appreciate your interaction and keep it up Terry
Why not just use an amp with tone controls and.a sub?
You could use Tone controls - but that is a crude method of sound management and you could use a sub but not for a review. Its also counter intuitive to buy a speaker to then try and change its sound profile - makes more sense to buy something else if your not a fan of it
Pursuit Perfect System hey thanks for responding! Isn’t it effectively changing the sound of the speaker by choosing a specific sounding amp though? What do you mean by crude? Do tone controls lower the quality?
@@deankim6687 tone controls will just increase or decrease the volume of a broad range of frequencies which can change the sound of course but especially with bass its not an accurate way of doing it
reviewing a pair of 3K speaksrs with 5k and 9k amps is (fill in the blank). Odd, would be a benevolent insertion
The other way around I can see it being an issue, but why is it an issue to go higher with an amplifier than a speaker. I have never understood the notion that you can only use / review speakers with similar priced amps - why is that a thing. People use speakers with all manner of different gear you cant make a review relevant to everyone no matter what you do
A reviewers job is to find out what a product can do, you cant do that with a limitation in the system so a better amplifier to speakers make a whole lot of sense
Are these better than the bowers 805 D3 as I heard them and didn't like them. A bit harsh.
I haven't reviewed them but I cant see them being better as they are a higher product in the ranges - I talk at length about why people might find the speakers harsh in this video, that is why I did
Personally I have never understood the narrative that spending more than $X on amplification for a pair of $Y speakers is "overkill." Some terrific-sounding speakers are unusually tricky to drive and unusually tricky to match. So if you can get the most out of a $2500 pair of speakers by spending $7500 on amplification -- and if the end result sounds fantastic -- how is that a less intelligent decision than it would have been to do the opposite?
Compair with cheeper 706s2?
Don’t like either
B&W new range of speakers, highly detailed and highly forward. The old made in England are much better.
Sadly they’ve shifted their production to China
Take them apart and they use cheap crossover parts on the inside
Who has taken these apart to confirm that?? I havent seen anyone do it to the Signature range
Cropped-off y-axis kinda makes the graph useless
I just checked and apologies that was done by accident - each of the horizontal lines represents 5db
You know we all really appreciate your sharing with us the exotic esoteric and expensive high end audio equipment that we otherwise would never in a month of Sundays ever see or know about ~ But! when you review Speakers at this 'affordable price to us normal folk' you really (really) should resist temptation to throw £5k ~£10k amplifiers into a main review
(the Leema just maybe?) .............like why? well we normal folk can spend maybe (wife/ life allowing) around £10k and in time £15k on a "entire system that's everything" so maybe Amplifiers around £2k ~ £3.5k to start your review with? .. its just a suggestion then us 'normal' folk can feel real-world involved and financially interested in the review subject matter >> of course nothing wrong at all in the last 25% of review throwing esoteric very expensive £10k+ amplifiers and etc into the review mix for that 'temptation what IF you had £25k+ to spend' ....... just saying is all
Mike did you get to the end of the review??
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Yes of course always do, but still think real world amps (at this review price point) to start with be interesting instead of 'money no object' > after that 'whatever' you have available be it £25k amp is all good
These amps are what I am reviewing at the minute but I would always use the best gear I have available because really I feel the reviewer should be putting the gear on the limit of what it can do within obvious reason - otherwise your not really reviewing it as your hearing the limitations of everything else. That's just my take on it dude appreciate not everyone will see it that way
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Oh not realize that sorry Terry! .. then maybe say 'only Amps i have available here at this moment' at start? save me feeling bit foolish after the fact
Please dont feel foolish Mike, they were not the only 2 amps I had here but they are the two I am spending my time with to get to know as best I can
Maybe you can you warn folks there is no sound demo?
I do sound demos in separate videos because sometimes CZcams blocks them at a later date and I don't want my library of reviews to suddenly disappear. If the video title says sound demo then its a sound demo, if it doesn't then its not for future reference
Bass sound, quality, and performance without a subwoofer? You mentioned nothing about this important aspect of loudspeaker performance.
David I talked about this extensively and its the purpose of doing the amplifier comparison