B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs DALI Phantom H-50 Comparison

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B&W CWM7.3 S2

Passive In-wall | 48-28kHz

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DALI Phantom H-50

Passive In-wall | 52-25kHz

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B&W CWM7.3 S2

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DALI Phantom H-50

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B&W CWM7.3 S2

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DALI Phantom H-50

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B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs DALI Phantom H-50 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing CWM7.3 S2 and Phantom H-50, two Passive In-wall speakers from Bowers Wilkins and DALI.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of B&W CWM7.3 S2 and DALI Phantom H-50 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	B&W CWM7.3 S2	DALI Phantom H-50
Brand	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966	DALI Denmark · founded 1983
Design	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Soft-Dome	1.1" Soft-Dome
Midrange	4"	—
Woofer	2 x 6" Aerofoil	5.25" Wood Fiber
Frequency response	48-28kHz	52-25kHz
Sensitivity	90 dB	88 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Power range	25-200 watts	30-120 watts
Weight	12.43kg / 27.3lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	28.0000" x 9.9375" x 4.0625" 712.0 x 253.0 x 104.0mm	9.4375" x 9.4375" x 3.6875" 240.0 x 240.0 x 94.0mm

What size room are the B&W CWM7.3 S2 and DALI Phantom H-50 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 CWM7.3 S2	DALI Phantom H-50
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

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that CWM7.3 S2 is a 3-way design whereas the Phantom H-50 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 CWM7.3 S2

DALI Phantom H-50

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 CWM7.3 S2	DALI Phantom H-50
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.1-inch
Midrange	1 x 4-inch	-
Woofer	2 x 6-inch	1 x 5.25-inch

CWM7.3 S2 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the Phantom H-50 features a 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer.

Frequency Response

CWM7.3 S2 has a frequency range of 48-28kHz whereas Phantom H-50 has a frequency range of 52-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the CWM7.3 S2 can go slightly deeper then the Phantom H-50's min frequency of 52Hz.

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

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

CWM7.3 S2

Phantom H-50

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

CWM7.3 S2 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Phantom H-50 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. CWM7.3 S2 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Phantom H-50's is rated at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the B&W CWM7.3 S2 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Phantom H-50, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

CWM7.3 S2

Phantom H-50

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.

CWM7.3 S2 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Phantom H-50 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 80 watts less than the CWM7.3 S2.

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 CWM7.3 S2

DALI Phantom H-50

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

CWM7.3 S2 features Spring post type posts and Phantom H-50 has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

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 CWM7.3 S2's and DALI Phantom H-50's external dimensions. B&W CWM7.3 S2 has external dimensions of 712.0 x 253.0 x 104.0mm (28.0000-inch x 9.9375-inch x 4.0625-inch) whereas DALI Phantom H-50 has external dimensions of 240.0 x 240.0 x 94.0mm (9.4375-inch x 9.4375-inch x 3.6875-inch).

B&W CWM7.3 S2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 13mm wider, 472mm taller and 10mm deeper than DALI Phantom H-50.

What's in the Box of B&W CWM7.3 S2?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of CWM7.3 S2:

In-wall loudspeaker
Mounting frame
Grille
Baffle box
2 Mounting plates (1 pre-installed)
Paint shield
Two-piece foam port plug
8 Screws
2 Wing-nuts
Hex-wrench
Cutout Template
Installation Instructions
Warranty Information

What's in the Box of DALI Phantom H-50?

Here are the items that come with the Phantom H-50:

2 loudspeakers
2 Grilles
2 Logo badges
2 Foam blocks (pre-installed)
Allen-key
Manual
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2 over DALI Phantom H-50

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 120 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	90 dB vs 88 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	6 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	48 Hz vs 52 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	28k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency

Reasons to choose DALI Phantom H-50 over Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2

Height	240mm vs 712mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	225cm² vs 263cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	798USD vs 4200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs DALI Phantom H-50 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2	DALI Phantom H-50
Brand	Bowers Wilkins	DALI
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	25-200 watts	30-120 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	88 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Frequency Response	48-28kHz	52-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	1
Woofer Size	6"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Aerofoil	Wood Fiber
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	4"	No
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	712.0mm (28")	240.0mm (9.4")
Width	253.0mm (10")	240.0mm (9.4")
Depth	104.0mm (4.1")	94.0mm (3.7")
Weight	12.43kg (27.3lbs)	n/a
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - B&W CWM7.3 S2 costs roughly 5.3x what DALI Phantom H-50 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 digs deeper - 48Hz against 52Hz. A subwoofer would even that out.
Amplifier needs	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Amplifier match	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 is the easier load at 8 ohms.
Headroom	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 takes more power (200W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	DALI Phantom H-50 is easier to place; B&W CWM7.3 S2 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	B	DALI Phantom H-50 is cheaper - $798 against $4,200, about 81% less; arguably a different class.

A B&W CWM7.3 S2 B DALI Phantom H-50
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?

The usual trade-off: B&W CWM7.3 S2 measures better, DALI Phantom H-50 costs about about 5.3x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. In a large or open-plan room, B&W CWM7.3 S2 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, DALI Phantom H-50 is the easier speaker to get right. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, B&W CWM7.3 S2 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.

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.