In this review, we will be comparing 702 S3 and Performa3 F208, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Bowers Wilkins and Revel.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of B&W 702 S3 and Revel Performa3 F208 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | B&W 702 S3 | Revel Performa3 F208 |
|---|
| Brand | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 | Revel
United States · founded 1996 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Aerofoil | 2 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 46-28k Hz | 31Hz- 20kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-300 watts | 50-350 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 33.46kg / 73.6lbs | 36.27kg / 79.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44.8" x 7.6" x 15.4"
1138.0 x 192.0 x 391.0mm | 46-3/4" x 13-5/8" x 15"
1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the B&W 702 S3 and Revel Performa3 F208 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
B&W 702 S3 |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both 702 S3 and Performa3 F208 are 3-way speakers.
B&W 702 S3Revel Performa3 F208
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
B&W 702 S3 |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
702 S3 features a 1" Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the Performa3 F208 features a 1" Aluminum Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
702 S3 has a frequency range of 46-28k Hz whereas Performa3 F208 has a frequency range of 31Hz- 20kHz. With a minimum frequency of 31Hz, the Performa3 F208 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 702 S3's min frequency of 46Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
702 S3 and Performa3 F208 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 702 S3 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Performa3 F208's is at 88.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Revel Performa3 F208 a more sensitive speaker compared to B&W 702 S3, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Performa3 F208 can handle a max power of 350 watts RMS, whereas 702 S3 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Performa3 F208.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both 702 S3 and Performa3 F208 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
B&W 702 S3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Revel Performa3 F208's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both 702 S3 and Performa3 F208 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare B&W 702 S3's and Revel Performa3 F208's external dimensions. B&W 702 S3 has external dimensions of 1138.0 x 192.0 x 391.0mm (44.8-inch x 7.6-inch x 15.4-inch) whereas Revel Performa3 F208 has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm (46-3/4 x 13-5/8 x 15inch).
B&W 702 S3 is 155mm narrower and 50mm shorter than Revel Performa3 F208 but it is also 10mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of B&W 702 S3 and Revel Performa3 F208 in scale.
Comparison image of B&W 702 S3 and Revel Performa3 F208 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the B&W 702 S3 is approximately 750.7cm2 / 116.4inch2 and base area of the Revel Performa3 F208 is approximately 1322.1cm2 / 204.9inch2. The 702 S3 requires 43% less surface area than the Performa3 F208 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The B&W 702 S3 weighs 33.46kg / 73.6lbs and the Revel Performa3 F208 weighs 36.27kg / 79.8lbs. This makes the Performa3 F208 8% heavier than the 702 S3.
Here is a comparison of how 702 S3 and Performa3 F208's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of B&W 702 S3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 702 S3:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- Plinth (base)
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Two-piece foam port plug
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Lock-nuts
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- 4 Lock washers
- Hex-key
- Manual
- Bowers & Wilkins brochure
- Warranty Information
What's in the Box of Revel Performa3 F208?
Here are the items that come with the Performa3 F208:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Foam port plug
- Owners Manual
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
28k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1138mm
vs
1188mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
750cm2
vs
1322cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
350 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
31 Hz
vs
46 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
5500USD
vs
6998USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
| Brand |
Bowers Wilkins |
Revel |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-300 watts |
50-350 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
88.5 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.1 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
46-28k Hz |
31Hz- 20kHz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aerofoil |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
270Hz and 2200Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1138.0mm (44.8") |
1188.0mm (46.8") |
| Width |
192.0mm (7.6") |
347.0mm (13.7") |
| Depth |
391.0mm (15.4") |
381.0mm (15") |
| Weight |
33.46kg (73.6lbs) |
36.27kg (79.8lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
Wood/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black,Satin White,Mocha,Rosenut |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: B&W 702 S3 is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Revel Performa3 F208 digs deeper - 31Hz against 46Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 350W). |
| Size | depends | B&W 702 S3 is easier to place; Revel Performa3 F208 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | B&W 702 S3: bi-amping; Revel Performa3 F208: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Revel Performa3 F208 is cheaper - $5,500 against $6,998, about 21% less. |
A B&W 702 S3 B Revel Performa3 F208
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Revel Performa3 F208 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 46Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Revel Performa3 F208 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.