In this review, we will be comparing CWM7.3 S2 and 300 IW 6, two Passive In-wall speakers from Bowers Wilkins and Focal.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of B&W CWM7.3 S2 and Focal 300 IW 6 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | B&W CWM7.3 S2 | Focal 300 IW 6 |
|---|
| Brand | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" Inverted Hard-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" Aerofoil | 6.5" Flax |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-28kHz | 55-28kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-200 watts | 25-130 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 12.43kg / 27.3lbs | 2.22kg / 4.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 28.0000" x 9.9375" x 4.0625"
712.0 x 253.0 x 104.0mm | 11.5000" x 7.5000" x 3.7500"
293.0 x 191.0 x 96.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the B&W CWM7.3 S2 and Focal 300 IW 6 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 |
Focal 300 IW 6 |
| 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 300 IW 6 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 S2Focal 300 IW 6
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 |
Focal 300 IW 6 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
CWM7.3 S2 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the 300 IW 6 features a 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Flax Woofer.
Frequency Response
CWM7.3 S2 has a frequency range of 48-28kHz whereas 300 IW 6 has a frequency range of 55-28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the CWM7.3 S2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 300 IW 6's min frequency of 55Hz.
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
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 and 300 IW 6 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
Sensitivity
In-wall 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.
CWM7.3 S2 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas 300 IW 6 has a max power handling value of 130 watts RMS, 70 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
CWM7.3 S2 features Spring post type posts and 300 IW 6 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 Focal 300 IW 6'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 Focal 300 IW 6 has external dimensions of 293.0 x 191.0 x 96.0mm (11.5000-inch x 7.5000-inch x 3.7500-inch).
B&W CWM7.3 S2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 62mm wider, 419mm taller and 8mm deeper than Focal 300 IW 6.
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 CWM7.3 S2 weighs 12.43kg / 27.3lbs and the Focal 300 IW 6 weighs 2.22kg / 4.9lbs. This makes the CWM7.3 S2 460% heavier than the 300 IW 6.
Here is a comparison of how CWM7.3 S2 and 300 IW 6's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive In-wall class.
Weight
All In-wall Speakers
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 Focal 300 IW 6?
Here are the items that come with the 300 IW 6:
- One in-wall speaker
- Grill (white)
- 12.5
 Max Input Power |
200 watts
vs
130 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
48 Hz
vs
55 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
|
Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
293mm
vs
712mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
183cm2
vs
263cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
799USD
vs
4200USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2 |
Focal 300 IW 6 |
| Brand |
Bowers Wilkins |
Focal |
| Speaker Type |
Passive In-wall Speaker |
Passive In-wall Speaker |
| Power Range |
25-200 watts |
25-130 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
48-28kHz |
55-28kHz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aerofoil |
Flax |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Inverted Hard-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4" |
No |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
712.0mm (28") |
293.0mm (11.5") |
| Width |
253.0mm (10") |
191.0mm (7.5") |
| Depth |
104.0mm (4.1") |
96.0mm (3.8") |
| Weight |
12.43kg (27.3lbs) |
2.22kg (4.9lbs) |
| 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 |
These sit in different price classes - B&W CWM7.3 S2 costs roughly 5.3x what Focal 300 IW 6 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 55Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | A | B&W CWM7.3 S2 takes more power (200W vs 130W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Focal 300 IW 6 is easier to place; B&W CWM7.3 S2 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | B | Focal 300 IW 6 is cheaper - $799 against $4,200, about 81% less; arguably a different class. |
A B&W CWM7.3 S2 B Focal 300 IW 6
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, Focal 300 IW 6 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. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Focal 300 IW 6 much easier to justify. 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, Focal 300 IW 6 is the easier speaker to get right.
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.