B&W 706 S2 vs BW HTM72 S2 Comparison

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B&W 706 S2

Passive Bookshelf | 50-28k Hz

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BW HTM72 S2

Passive Center Channel | 70-28k Hz

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B&W 706 S2

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BW HTM72 S2

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B&W 706 S2

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BW HTM72 S2

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B&W 706 S2 vs BW HTM72 S2 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Bowers Wilkins. Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the HTM72 S2 is a Center Channel speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of B&W 706 S2 and BW HTM72 S2 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	B&W 706 S2	BW HTM72 S2
Brand	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Decoupled Soft-Dome	1" Decoupled Carbon Dome
Woofer	6.5" Continuum	2 x 5" Continuum
Frequency response	50-28k Hz	70-28k Hz
Sensitivity	88 dB	87 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	30-120 watts	30-120 watts
Weight	8.05kg / 17.7lbs	9.14kg / 20.1lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	13.5" x 7.8" x 11.9" 340.0 x 200.0 x 301.0mm	6-5/8" x 18-15/16" x 10-15/16" 169.0 x 482.0 x 278.0mm

706 S2 and HTM72 S2 are members of Bowers Wilkins's 700 S2 Anniversary Edition series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Bowers Wilkins 700 S2 Anniversary Edition Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
B&W 706 S2	Bookshelf	50-28k Hz	88 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
B&W 703 S2	Floor-standing	46-28k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
B&W 704 S2	Floor-standing	48-28k Hz	88 dB	8Ω	2 x 5"
B&W 707 S2	Bookshelf	50-28k Hz	84 dB	8Ω	1 x 5"
B&W 702 S2	Floor-standing	46-28k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	3 x 6.5"
B&W 705 S2	Bookshelf	50-28k Hz	88 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
BW HTM71 S2	Center Channel	50-28k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
BW HTM72 S2	Center Channel	70-28k Hz	87 dB	8Ω	2 x 5"

What size room are the B&W 706 S2 and BW HTM72 S2 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 706 S2	BW HTM72 S2
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Average	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Average	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.

Drivers

Both 706 S2 and HTM72 S2 are 2-way speakers.

B&W 706 S2

BW HTM72 S2

TweeterWoofer

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 706 S2	BW HTM72 S2
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 5-inch

706 S2 features a 1" Decoupled Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Continuum Woofer. On the other hand, the HTM72 S2 features a 1" Decoupled Carbon Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5" Continuum Woofer.

Frequency Response

706 S2 has a frequency range of 50-28k Hz whereas HTM72 S2 has a frequency range of 70-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 50Hz, the 706 S2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the HTM72 S2's min frequency of 70Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.

Low Frequency

Bookshelf Speakers

706 S2

HTM72 S2

Min

Average

Median

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

706 S2 and HTM72 S2 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 706 S2 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the HTM72 S2's is at 87 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the B&W 706 S2 a more sensitive speaker compared to BW HTM72 S2, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Bookshelf Speakers

706 S2

HTM72 S2

Min

Average

Median

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.

706 S2 and HTM72 S2 have the same power range of 30-120 watts.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

B&W 706 S2

BW HTM72 S2

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Both 706 S2 and HTM72 S2 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both 706 S2 and HTM72 S2 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 706 S2's and BW HTM72 S2's external dimensions. B&W 706 S2 has external dimensions of 340.0 x 200.0 x 301.0mm (13.5-inch x 7.8-inch x 11.-inch) whereas BW HTM72 S2 has external dimensions of 169.0 x 482.0 x 278.0mm (6-5/8 x 18-15/16 x 10-15/16inch).

BW HTM72 S2 is 171mm shorter and 23mm less deeper than B&W 706 S2 but it is also 282mm wider.

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 706 S2 is approximately 602.0cm² / 93.3inch² and base area of the BW HTM72 S2 is approximately 1340.0cm² / 207.7inch². The 706 S2 requires 55% less surface area than the HTM72 S2 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of B&W 706 S2?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of 706 S2:

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

What's in the Box of BW HTM72 S2?

Here are the items that come with the HTM72 S2:

Center-channel loudspeaker
Grille
Two-piece foam port plug
4 Self-adhesive rubber feet
4 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
Manual
Bowers Wilkins brochure
Warranty Information

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2 over Bowers & Wilkins HTM72 S2

Sensitivity	88 dB vs 87 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 5 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	50 Hz vs 70 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	602cm² vs 1340cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins HTM72 S2 over Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2

Minimum Impedance	4.3 ohms vs 3.7 ohms	Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	169mm vs 340mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	1199USD vs 1999USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

B&W 706 S2 vs BW HTM72 S2 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2	Bowers & Wilkins HTM72 S2
Brand	Bowers Wilkins	Bowers Wilkins
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Center channel speaker
Power Range	30-120 watts	30-120 watts
Sensitivity	88 dB	87 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Impedance	3.7 ohms	4.3 ohms
Frequency Response	50-28k Hz	70-28k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	5"
Woofer Composition	Continuum	Continuum
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Decoupled Soft-Dome	Decoupled Carbon Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	rear	rear
Physical Specs
Height	340.0mm (13.4")	169.0mm (6.7")
Width	200.0mm (7.9")	482.0mm (19")
Depth	301.0mm (11.9")	278.0mm (10.9")
Weight	8.05kg (17.7lbs)	9.14kg (20.1lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF/Wood Veneer	n/a
Available Colors	Rosewood, Gloss Black, Satin White	Gloss Black, Satin White, Rosenut
Mounting Bracket	No	No
Recommended Stand Height	24-26"	n/a
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

Verdict

Siblings in Bowers Wilkins's 700 S2 Anniversary Edition series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	B&W 706 S2 digs deeper - 50Hz against 70Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 87dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (120W vs 120W).
Size	depends	Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit.
Type	depends	A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Center Channel - a different job rather than a better one.
Expandability	depends	B&W 706 S2: bi-amping; BW HTM72 S2: bi-amping.
Price	B	BW HTM72 S2 is cheaper - $1,199 against $1,999, about 40% less; arguably a different class.

A B&W 706 S2 B BW HTM72 S2
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?

B&W 706 S2 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 67% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - BW HTM72 S2 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the B&W 706 S2 appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 70Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper BW HTM72 S2 much easier to justify. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $800 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.

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.