In this review, we will be comparing 3050 and 702 S3, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Q Acoustics and Bowers Wilkins.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Q Acoustics 3050 and B&W 702 S3 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Q Acoustics 3050 | B&W 702 S3 |
|---|
| Brand | Q Acoustics
United Kingdom · founded 2006 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Paper composite | 3 x 6.5" Aerofoil |
|---|
| Frequency response | 44-22k Hz | 46-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-100 watts | 30-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 17.80kg / 39.2lbs | 33.46kg / 73.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/16" x 12-3/16" x 12-1/2"
1020.0 x 310.0 x 317.0mm | 44.8" x 7.6" x 15.4"
1138.0 x 192.0 x 391.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Q Acoustics 3050 and B&W 702 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* |
Q Acoustics 3050 |
B&W 702 S3 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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 3050 is a 2-way design whereas the 702 S3 is a 3-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.
Q Acoustics 3050B&W 702 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 |
Q Acoustics 3050 |
B&W 702 S3 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
3050 features a 1" Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Paper composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2600Hz. On the other hand, the 702 S3 features a 1" Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Aerofoil Woofer.
Frequency Response
3050 has a frequency range of 44-22k Hz whereas 702 S3 has a frequency range of 46-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the 3050 can go slightly deeper then 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
3050 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the 702 S3 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. 3050 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the 702 S3's is rated at 90 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Q Acoustics 3050 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.
702 S3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas 3050 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the 702 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 3050 and 702 S3 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
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both 3050 and 702 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 Q Acoustics 3050's and B&W 702 S3's external dimensions. Q Acoustics 3050 has external dimensions of 1020.0 x 310.0 x 317.0mm (40-3/16 x 12-3/16 x 12-1/2inch) whereas 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).
Q Acoustics 3050 is 118mm shorter and 74mm less deeper than B&W 702 S3 but it is also 118mm wider.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Q Acoustics 3050 needs about 31% more floor or shelf area. B&W 702 S3 is 74mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. B&W 702 S3 is 118mm taller.
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 Q Acoustics 3050 is approximately 982.7cm2 / 152.3inch2 and base area of the B&W 702 S3 is approximately 750.7cm2 / 116.4inch2. The 3050 requires 31% more surface area than the 702 S3 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Q Acoustics 3050 weighs 17.80kg / 39.2lbs and the B&W 702 S3 weighs 33.46kg / 73.6lbs. This makes the 702 S3 88% heavier than the 3050.
Here is a comparison of how 3050 and 702 S3'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 come with the 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
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Low Frequency Response |
44 Hz
vs
46 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1020mm
vs
1138mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
549USD
vs
6998USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
100 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
28k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
750cm2
vs
982cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Q Acoustics 3050 |
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 |
| Brand |
Q Acoustics |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
25-100 watts |
30-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.1 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
44-22k Hz |
46-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper composite |
Aerofoil |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2600Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1020.0mm (40.2") |
1138.0mm (44.8") |
| Width |
310.0mm (12.2") |
192.0mm (7.6") |
| Depth |
317.0mm (12.5") |
391.0mm (15.4") |
| Weight |
17.80kg (39.2lbs) |
33.46kg (73.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black,Satin White,Mocha,Rosenut |
| 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 |
These sit in different price classes - B&W 702 S3 costs roughly 12.7x what Q Acoustics 3050 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 | evenly matched | Much the same reach (44Hz vs 46Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | A | Q Acoustics 3050 is more sensitive (92dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | B&W 702 S3 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | B&W 702 S3 takes more power (300W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Q Acoustics 3050: bi-amping; B&W 702 S3: bi-amping. B&W 702 S3 sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Q Acoustics 3050 is cheaper - $549 against $6,998, about 92% less; arguably a different class. |
A Q Acoustics 3050 B B&W 702 S3
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 702 S3 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 12.7x the price. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - Q Acoustics 3050 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the B&W 702 S3 appeals to you. Match it to your room: we rate Q Acoustics 3050 the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and B&W 702 S3 for a large room and a very large room. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Q Acoustics 3050 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.