If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
This review has covered the sound quality, connectivity, and most and least ideal user profiles of the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers. In my opinion, the sound quality is good, though it could be better. The highs are quite open and detailed, and the mids are well-defined. Additionally, the speaker comes with dual connections to allow for a bi-wired setup and the Flowport technology to create a more natural sound.
The most ideal user profile for this speaker would be someone who listens more to music and has some knowledge of audio or the willingness to learn. On the other hand, this speaker may not be the best option for those who solely want a more “boomy” sound and are not willing to take the time to learn more.
Overall, the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers provide good sound quality and a range of features to suit both music and home theater applications. Those who have an understanding of audio and the willingness to learn more about audio-related technologies may benefit from this speaker the most.
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Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Review: Sound quality
Let me tell you something right off the bat.
The sound quality performance you'll end up getting from a speaker will always depend on your room acoustics - particularly room dimensions and speaker positions.
The impact of the combination of these two is actually so strong that in most cases, it doesn't even make sense to utter a single word on sound quality without speaking of them.
This is also why it's not unusual to see completely different reviews of the same speaker.
In one case the speaker might be placed in a sweet spot inside the room and hence the user might be satisfied. In other cases the same speaker might be ill placed and hence user might even have returned it.
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The point most people miss here is that it mostly isn't even about the engineering behind the speaker itself. It's about where you place the speaker inside which room.
So, in order to solve this problem, I've partnered with Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD Andrea Cicero from AC Acustica and created Soundton - a simple, 2D, browser accessible online speaker placement calculator.
With Soundton, now there's a way to figure the sound quality of most speakers before you buy them.
Read more about its working principles at soundton.com.
The end colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) acoustics.