B&W 705 S3

A 700 S3 standmount with a Solid Body tweeter above the cabinet.

The 705 S3 pairs a 165 mm bass/midrange cone with a separate tweeter housing.

The pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 speakers brings Tweeter-on-Top to a standmount format. Each combines a 25 mm Carbon Dome in its own housing with a 165 mm Continuum bass/midrange unit. That is the clearest distinction from the 706 S3, which uses a cone of the same size but puts its tweeter in the front baffle.

Key features

• Two-way vented design: 25 mm Carbon Dome in Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top and 165 mm Continuum driver
• Response 50 Hz-28 kHz (±3 dB); sensitivity 88 dB
• 8-ohm impedance (3.7-ohm minimum); recommended amplifier 30-120 W
• Cabinet 345 × 192 × 297 mm; 413 mm tall including tweeter
• Depth 337 mm with grille and terminals; weight 9.58 kg

Two ways, a different layout

The Continuum driver handles mids and bass, without the dedicated FST midrange of the 702 S3 and 703 S3 towers. Flowport tunes the vented cabinet. The separate tweeter increases height from 345 mm for the box alone to 413 mm overall; check clearance above the stand if placing the speaker below a shelf.

Stands and space

The cabinet is 297 mm deep, rising to 337 mm with grille and terminals. Dedicated stands are sold separately. Consider a stable surface and each speaker's 9.58 kg weight as well as listening height: a tweeter above the cabinet ends up at a different level from one installed in the front baffle.

The ±3 dB response is 50 Hz-28 kHz and sensitivity 88 dB. Recommended amplifier power is 30-120 W into 8 ohms, while impedance reaches a 3.7-ohm minimum. Against the 707 S3, the 705 S3 has a larger 165 mm rather than 130 mm Continuum unit and a taller body. In a 700 S3 cinema system, the HTM71 or HTM72 centre choice also depends on clearance below the screen. The separate upper housing also makes the top of this standmount visually and physically different from the 706 S3, even though both have a 192 mm-wide cabinet and the same recommended amplifier range.