Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Floorstanding Speaker - Each

The Middle 700 Series Tower, With a Third Bass Driver and a New Port

The Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 is a three-way floorstanding speaker with the Tweeter-on-Top configuration, a Continuum FST midrange, and three 6.5-inch Aerofoil Profile bass cones. It is sold each, so a stereo pair is two.

The extra bass driver comes with a new downward-firing port and a larger cabinet to match. It is 7.6 inches wide and 44.8 inches tall with the tweeter housing and plinth, at 73.8 pounds. Sensitivity is 90 dB into a nominal 8 ohms, and B&W recommends 30 to 300 watts of amplifier power.

Everything above the bass is shared with the smaller 700 Series towers. The same 1-inch Carbon Dome tweeter sits in its Tweeter-on-Top pod, and the same decoupled Continuum midrange handles the middle. What changes is how much low end the cabinet can move.

Where the Third Bass Driver Earns Its Keep

A New Port for a Third Cone

Three Aerofoil Profile bass cones, rather than two, need somewhere for the extra air to go. B&W's answer on the 702 S3 is a new downward-firing port, aimed at the floor rather than out the back of the cabinet. It pairs with the same profiled bass cones used through the rest of the S3 generation.

Above the bass, the layout follows the rest of the 700 Series tower lineup. A decoupled Carbon Dome tweeter sits on top of the cabinet, and a 6-inch Continuum FST midrange sits in its own pod, isolated from the bass drivers below it.

The Numbers, and What They Ask of Your Amplifier

B&W quotes a frequency range of 28 Hz to 33 kHz, and a response of 46 Hz to 28 kHz within 3 dB. Nominal impedance is 8 ohms with a 3.1-ohm minimum. Recommended power climbs to 300 watts, reflecting the larger cabinet. Keep total speaker cable impedance under 0.1 ohms.

The plinth is not optional: B&W says it must always be fitted, with the supplied spikes for carpet or rubber feet for a hard floor. Because the port fires downward, plan for a plinth and floor that can handle it without the sound becoming boomy.

What Reviewers Are Saying

John Pickford, StereoNet, March 6, 2023, awarded the 702 S3 an Applause Award, writing that the S3 update "take[s] this model into a new league" with performance close to B&W's flagship 800 Series Diamond at a much lower price.

Jason Kennedy, hi-fi+, February 13, 2024, wrote that the 702 S3 "makes life very difficult for other loudspeaker manufacturers." It "delivers extremely high definition with very low coloration at a price that few can begin to compete with."

Who Is This Floorstanding Speaker Best For?

• You want more bass than B&W's smaller 700 Series towers without stepping up to the 700 Series Signature — a third Aerofoil cone and a purpose-built downward port add low-end weight in the same footprint family
• Midrange clarity is what you listen for — the same decoupled, pod-mounted Continuum midrange used through the 700 Series
• Your amplifier can drive a demanding load — 90 dB sensitivity and a 30 to 300 watt window mean the 702 S3 rewards a genuinely capable amplifier
• You may bi-wire or bi-amplify later — two linked pairs of terminals on each cabinet let you start with one cable and split the links whenever you are ready
• You want cinema-depth bass from the towers alone — the 702 S3 is rated to 28 Hz, which covers music and most movies comfortably. For the deepest home-theater effects, add one of our subwoofers and let the towers do what they do best

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Fit the plinth and feet first, and give the downward-firing port clearance above the floor. Then stand the pair 5 to 10 feet apart and at least 20 inches from the back and side walls. Each cabinet has two linked pairs of binding posts for banana plugs, spades or bare wire. For a normal hookup leave the links in and connect one pair to your amplifier, red to red and black to black.

Remove the links to bi-wire or bi-amplify. Either way, screw the caps down fully so nothing rattles. Give the drivers about 15 hours of play before you judge the bass.

Two cables, two speakers, and you are listening.

Pairs Well With

What finishes the system around a pair of 702 S3:

• Integrated amplifiers — 30 to 300 watts into 8 ohms is the window B&W gives
• Stereo amplifiers — a separate power amp if you plan to bi-amplify, or if your integrated amplifier can't reach 300 watts
• Speaker cables — low inductance, under 0.1 ohms total, in matched lengths
• Speaker isolation feet — an alternative to spikes on a wood or tile floor

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the price for one speaker or a pair?

One. The 702 S3 is sold each, so order two for a stereo pair, or one to match an existing speaker.

What comes in the box?

The speaker, its plinth and fixing hardware, spike feet and rubber feet, and a grille.

What amplifier do I need?

B&W recommends 30 to 300 watts into 8 ohms. Sensitivity is 90 dB and the impedance dips to 3.1 ohms, so choose an amplifier that stays composed into a 4-ohm load and can supply real current.

Can I bi-wire or bi-amplify?

Yes. Remove the links between the two pairs of terminals and run a separate cable, or a separate amplifier channel, to each pair.

Why does the port fire downward instead of out the back?

It is a design change from the outgoing model. B&W paired the 702 S3's third bass driver with a downward-firing port aimed at the floor rather than the wall behind it, which changes how close to a rear wall the speaker can sit.

How far from the wall should it stand?

Start at 20 inches or more from the back and side walls. The port fires downward rather than backward, but the cabinet still benefits from breathing room on all sides.

See It in Action

Sound Sommelier plays the 702 S3 in a direct 4K recording so you can hear the tower in a real room:

HIghFIdelity Stereo pairs the 702 S3 with a Rotel integrated amplifier to show the tower driven by real equipment:

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