In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Bowers Wilkins. Bowers & Wilkins 704 S3 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the 705 S3 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of B&W 704 S3 and B&W 705 S3 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | B&W 704 S3 | B&W 705 S3 |
|---|
| Brand | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" Decoupled Carbon Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Aerofoil | 6.5" Continuum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 46-28k Hz | 50-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 30-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.53kg / 45.2lbs | 9.58kg / 21.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38" x 6.5" x 11.8"
964.0 x 165.0 x 300.0mm | 16.3" x 7.6" x 13.3"
413.0 x 192.0 x 337.0mm |
|---|
704 S3 and 705 S3 are members of Bowers Wilkins's 700 S3 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the B&W 704 S3 and B&W 705 S3 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 704 S3 |
B&W 705 S3 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* 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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 704 S3 is a 3-way design whereas the 705 S3 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
B&W 704 S3B&W 705 S3
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 704 S3 |
B&W 705 S3 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
704 S3 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 5" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the 705 S3 features a 1" Decoupled Carbon Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Continuum Woofer.
Frequency Response
704 S3 has a frequency range of 46-28k Hz whereas 705 S3 has a frequency range of 50-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 46Hz, the 704 S3 can go slightly deeper then the 705 S3's min frequency of 50Hz.
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
704 S3 and 705 S3 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 88 dB.
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.
704 S3 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas 705 S3 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the 704 S3.
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 704 S3 and 705 S3 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
B&W 704 S3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
B&W 705 S3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both 704 S3 and 705 S3 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 704 S3's and B&W 705 S3's external dimensions. B&W 704 S3 has external dimensions of 964.0 x 165.0 x 300.0mm (38-inch x 6.5-inch x 11.8-inch) whereas B&W 705 S3 has external dimensions of 413.0 x 192.0 x 337.0mm (16.3-inch x 7.6-inch x 13.3-inch).
B&W 704 S3 is 27mm narrower and 37mm less deeper than B&W 705 S3 but it is also 551mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of B&W 704 S3 and B&W 705 S3 in scale.
Comparison image of B&W 704 S3 and B&W 705 S3 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 704 S3 is approximately 495.0cm2 / 76.7inch2 and base area of the B&W 705 S3 is approximately 647.0cm2 / 100.3inch2. The 704 S3 requires 23% less surface area than the 705 S3 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of B&W 704 S3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 704 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 B&W 705 S3?
Here are the items that come with the 705 S3:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 2 Two-piece foam port plugs
- 8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
- 4 Jumper-straps
- Manual
- Bowers & Wilkins brochure
- Warranty Information