What followed confirmed those impressions. The piano had an appropriate degree of resonance and impact at the low end, with good clarity, and a nice ping on the top notes. The tonal balance from bottom to top of the instrument's range was well-nigh perfect. The reproduction of the sound of the violin, too, was excellent, with nice body resonance, a good sense of bow on strings, and a silky, nonstrident sweetness.
In most recordings of solo voices the singer is centrally placed, but the voice can be poorly defined and/or sound bloated. One might reasonably point the finger at the microphone placement or the balancing/mastering process, but it's just as likely to be a problem in playback caused by a poorly matched pair of speakers. Well, the B&W 702 S2s simply nailed solo voices and solo instruments—each was defined and coherent as a single entity.
That was easily demonstrated by some old favorites: Gerald Finzi's song "Come Away, Death," sung by mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland with pianist Sergei Osadchuk, in a free stereo 24-bit/192kHz PCM download (SACD/CD, 2L 2L-064-SACD)—or any track on Ry Cooder's Jazz (CD, Reprise 27355-2). Michael McDonald's voice in "I Heard It through the Grapevine," from his Motown (SACD/CD, Motown 038 652-2), also had good detail and specificity, but with a slight sacrifice in warmth. Of course, I don't know what McDonald's voice actually sounds like—these comments are based only on what I've previously heard from this and other of his recordings through different systems. The slight diminution of warmth was inconsequential, and the pounding bass beat had as much weight and impact as ever.
I moved on to larger ensembles recorded in bigger spaces, beginning with Eriks Eenvalds's The First Tears, from the collection The Doors of Heaven, with Ethan Sperry directing the Portland State Chamber Choir (CD, Naxos 8.579008). Through the 702 S2s, the choristers' voices were both specific and ethereal: the former because I could hear individual voices at different positions on the soundstage, the latter because the entire choir seemed to be standing slightly above and behind and spread farther apart than the speakers themselves. I heard the same with that old chestnut "La Folia de la Spagna," from Gregorio Paniagua and Atrium Musicae de Madrid's La Folia (CD, Harmonia Mundi HMA 1951050)—I could visualize the array of instruments and be startled by the percussive effects.
What about the really big stuff—orchestra and chorus, mebbe a pipe organ? I chose something that had it all—Mahler's Symphony 2, "Resurrection," in an underappreciated performance by Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (SACD/CD, Delos SA 3237)—and found out that the 702 S2s liked to be played loud. Throughout this masterpiece, but especially in the long final movement, the sound was glorious, the experience overwhelming. The bass was full and firm, and the orchestra balanced across the soundstage. The solo singers were a bit closer, almost in the plane of the speaker baffles, but the chorus was spread wide and extended to the back of the hall, and I could hear nearly every voice, All of the recorded dynamics were delivered, including the foundational organ-pedal notes at the end.
Comparisons
After I'd lived with and listened almost exclusively to the B&W 702 S2s for nearly three months, it was time to compare them with other speakers. I set up the B&W 804 D3s side by side with the 702 S2s and was surprised by the family resemblance: siblings of nearly the same size, but one with greater sartorial style, Playing some of the same recordings mentioned above and a few others, I heard a sonic resemblance, too, though that wasn't surprising. A quick scan of the two models' specs revealed only small differences, but other than the fact that, at $9000/pair, it costs twice as much as the 702 S2, all of those differences favored the 804 D3. For twice the price you get greater resolution. When I played the pipe-organ collection Pipes Rhode Island (CD, Riago 101), the two B&W models were equally full and extended, but the 804 D3 was more defined and tonal at the very bottom end, where the 702 S2 was less defined and a bit amorphous. The 804 D3s' midrange reproduction resulted in deeper soundstages (eg, with La Folia). Although I could hear this only in direct comparisons, the 702 S2s' soundstages weren't nearly as deep as the 804 D3s'. If there was any difference in the treble, it was that the 804 D3 was more forgiving in its delivery of sibilance than the 702 S2. And though the 702 S2 sounded great at high levels, the 804 D3 could be pushed even louder without straining.
But to keep this in perspective: Playing side by side, the two B&Ws sounded very similar. I had to concentrate hard on the sound, to the point that I was no longer listening to the music. These truly incremental differences are what you get for twice the price, along with a superior cabinet and finer finish.
And with the 802 D3, those differences in sound quality and price greatly expand—it and the 702 S2 are very different speakers with very different sounds. Nonetheless, the comparison didn't make the 702 S2 seem inferior so much as more . . . modest. But I doubt anyone shopping for the 702 S2 would even consider the 802 D3, which, at $22,000/pair, is almost five times its price.
Conclusions
If Bowers & Wilkins's intent was to take all that they'd learned and invested in the 800 D3 series and apply it, as efficiently as possible, to the design of the 700 S2 models, they've succeeded. The 702 S2 is a reasonably priced, full-range, three-way floorstander capable of satisfying the needs of demanding listeners. In comparisons with its costlier cousins in the 800 series, the familial sonic resemblances exceed the differences—which makes the 702 S2 an excellent value. The Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 is the best evidence I've heard of a successful trickle-down philosophy.
That was easily demonstrated by some old favorites: Gerald Finzi's song "Come Away, Death," sung by mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland with pianist Sergei Osadchuk, in a free stereo 24-bit/192kHz PCM download (SACD/CD, 2L 2L-064-SACD)—or any track on Ry Cooder's Jazz (CD, Reprise 27355-2). Michael McDonald's voice in "I Heard It through the Grapevine," from his Motown (SACD/CD, Motown 038 652-2), also had good detail and specificity, but with a slight sacrifice in warmth. Of course, I don't know what McDonald's voice actually sounds like—these comments are based only on what I've previously heard from this and other of his recordings through different systems. The slight diminution of warmth was inconsequential, and the pounding bass beat had as much weight and impact as ever.
What about the really big stuff—orchestra and chorus, mebbe a pipe organ? I chose something that had it all—Mahler's Symphony 2, "Resurrection," in an underappreciated performance by Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (SACD/CD, Delos SA 3237)—and found out that the 702 S2s liked to be played loud. Throughout this masterpiece, but especially in the long final movement, the sound was glorious, the experience overwhelming. The bass was full and firm, and the orchestra balanced across the soundstage. The solo singers were a bit closer, almost in the plane of the speaker baffles, but the chorus was spread wide and extended to the back of the hall, and I could hear nearly every voice, All of the recorded dynamics were delivered, including the foundational organ-pedal notes at the end.
ComparisonsAfter I'd lived with and listened almost exclusively to the B&W 702 S2s for nearly three months, it was time to compare them with other speakers. I set up the B&W 804 D3s side by side with the 702 S2s and was surprised by the family resemblance: siblings of nearly the same size, but one with greater sartorial style, Playing some of the same recordings mentioned above and a few others, I heard a sonic resemblance, too, though that wasn't surprising. A quick scan of the two models' specs revealed only small differences, but other than the fact that, at $9000/pair, it costs twice as much as the 702 S2, all of those differences favored the 804 D3. For twice the price you get greater resolution. When I played the pipe-organ collection Pipes Rhode Island (CD, Riago 101), the two B&W models were equally full and extended, but the 804 D3 was more defined and tonal at the very bottom end, where the 702 S2 was less defined and a bit amorphous. The 804 D3s' midrange reproduction resulted in deeper soundstages (eg, with La Folia). Although I could hear this only in direct comparisons, the 702 S2s' soundstages weren't nearly as deep as the 804 D3s'. If there was any difference in the treble, it was that the 804 D3 was more forgiving in its delivery of sibilance than the 702 S2. And though the 702 S2 sounded great at high levels, the 804 D3 could be pushed even louder without straining.
ConclusionsIf Bowers & Wilkins's intent was to take all that they'd learned and invested in the 800 D3 series and apply it, as efficiently as possible, to the design of the 700 S2 models, they've succeeded. The 702 S2 is a reasonably priced, full-range, three-way floorstander capable of satisfying the needs of demanding listeners. In comparisons with its costlier cousins in the 800 series, the familial sonic resemblances exceed the differences—which makes the 702 S2 an excellent value. The Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 is the best evidence I've heard of a successful trickle-down philosophy.
