If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
The Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 is a good choice for those who are looking for an above-average speaker system for their home or office. The 1″ decoupled carbon dome tweeter and 5″ Continuum cone woofer/midrange driver provide accurate and detailed higher frequencies, as well as a nice clear and distinct sound to vocals and instrumentation. The Flowport helps to reduce turbulence and distortion, and the speaker supports up to 100W of amplified power.
The 707 S3 is best suited for those who want a speaker system for small to medium-sized rooms, as the soundstage is a bit too closed in for larger spaces. It also has plenty of ways to connect it to other audio equipment, such as dual connections and optional floor stands. However, it may not be the best choice for those who are looking for a speaker system for a large space, or for those who want a more expansive soundstage.
Overall, I think the Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 is a good choice for those who are looking for an above-average speaker system for their home or office. It has accurate and detailed higher frequencies, a nice clear and distinct sound, and plenty of ways to connect it to other audio equipment. However, it may not be the best choice for those who are looking for a speaker system for a large space, or for those who want a more expansive soundstage.
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Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Bowers & Wilkins 707 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.