Is purchasing B&W 702 S2’s a bad idea?

[jtothea]

Hi. I’m considering purchasing B&W 702 S2 speakers. I heard them at Best Buy recently, then again at a local shop. I kept coming back to them over others. Then, while researching them on this forum, I saw a post from someone about having wasted money on them prior to knowing the importance of measurements. That surprised me. Is that a known thing? I’d love to know more so I don’t waste money. Isn’t hearing them all you need (versus measuring)?

I appreciate any advise you can give!
-Justin

 

[AudiOhm]

If you like the sound, why worry about what anyone else thinks.
The only thing that matters is what you like...

If the above is not true, we would all have the same systems...

Ohms

 

[restorer-john]

Personally, I'd take Bowers and Wilkins over many other brands. They sound fabulous in general. They retain an excellent resale value and aren't too overpriced in the first place. Spare parts down the track usually aren't a problem with B&W, unlike some 'ASR Approved' brands touted on this forum.

And buy what you like.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

Hi, I will echo what the other posters said… if you like them and they sound good to you then go for it. Admittedly I have never heard any B&W speakers but there are some that’s swear by them. Don’t tell anybody but I listen to a 20+ year old pair of Wilson Audio Witt II speakers everyday lol. You’ll definitely hear a lot of negative things about that brand on this forum, and online in general. But I like them, and it sounds like you keep going back to the ones you like.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

I’ll add one thing, and something that people forget to do when they audition speakers. That’s listen to them for as long as you can before you buy them at lower to medium levels. Because 95% of the time that’s how we listen to them, and some speakers IMO are fatigueing, and some are just easy to listen to all day long.

 

[617]

The science says that other speakers will sound better to more people in more rooms. But to you, in your room?

Buying them would not be, like, a mistake. Resale value is probably good, they're nice looking, they're popular. If you decide you don't like them you could get rid of them easily.

What I would do is see if you can demo them at home, listening to your music at the levels you like to listen to. I'd also listen to some other stuff as well. JBL, Revel, KEF, maybe some professional monitors like Genelec or even some other audiophilish brands like Paradigm. I'd also look at speakers from Ascend acoustics. Maybe see if you can listen to some panel speakers like magnepan or something. There's a ton of variety in speaker design, no need to get married to the first one that you like.

 

[dshreter]

I’m gonna go out on a limb and flat out say don’t buy them. There are better value better performing speakers. Get one of those, integrate in a system with EQ/room correction capabilities, and then adjust the EQ to YOUR taste.

You can’t fix a bad speaker. You can adjust a good speaker to your liking.

I don’t think the B&W is bad, but it’s not recommendable either.

 

[jtothea]

If you like the sound, why worry about what anyone else thinks.
The only thing that matters is what you like...

If the above is not true, we would all have the same systems...

Ohms

That’s kind of what I’m implying, but I also haven’t heard the speakers at all levels, with all genres I may listen to, and under multiple potential future conditions (like different rooms or with different amps). I didn’t ask what you think - I asked about potential measurement factors I may not be considering.

 

[tmtomh]

Hi. I’m considering purchasing B&W 702 S2 speakers. I heard them at Best Buy recently, then again at a local shop. I kept coming back to them over others. Then, while researching them on this forum, I saw a post from someone about having wasted money on them prior to knowing the importance of measurements. That surprised me. Is that a known thing? I’d love to know more so I don’t waste money. Isn’t hearing them all you need (versus measuring)?

I appreciate any advise you can give!
-Justin

My current speakers are first-generation B&W 705s from about 2003-2004, stand-mount versions of the ancestors of those 702s you heard. I got them used for about 45% of the original retail price, and I love them - BUT I love them equalized. Years ago I used a pretty simple method to set them up - an SPL meter and a graphic equalizer - but damn if my simple measurements didn't produce a significant EQ cut exactly in the lower to mid treble region where B&W has its notorious bump that makes them so impressive in the showroom and gives an initial impression of "detail." So be aware that once you get them home and start listening for extended periods, you might find they're not quite as awesome as they were at Best Buy and your local shop.

On the plus side, they are fantastic when it comes to pinpoint imaging, and they go lower in the bass than they have any right to do. They are good enough for me that they have become the last passive speaker I will ever buy. I will stick with them unless or until I get rid of them, my amps, and my EQ in favor of a pair of Genelec 8351s or 8361s.

 

[FeddyLost]

I’d love to know more so I don’t waste money. Isn’t hearing them all you need (versus measuring)?

I'd say that such passive speakers with recommended price is not my cup of tea

Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Expensive, demanding load, ragged mid-high responce.
But easy to resale if something will go wrong.

 

[thewas]

My current speakers are first-generation B&W 705s from about 2003-2004, stand-mount versions of the ancestors of those 702s you heard. I got them used for about 45% of the original retail price, and I love them - BUT I love them equalized.

It should be added though that your old 705s come from a time where the B&Ws had smoother directivity so they can be better equalised than their later offerings.

 

[tuga]

Hi. I’m considering purchasing B&W 702 S2 speakers. I heard them at Best Buy recently, then again at a local shop. I kept coming back to them over others. Then, while researching them on this forum, I saw a post from someone about having wasted money on them prior to knowing the importance of measurements. That surprised me. Is that a known thing? I’d love to know more so I don’t waste money. Isn’t hearing them all you need (versus measuring)?

I appreciate any advise you can give!
-Justin

If you like how they sound, go for it.
Your speaker should provide listening pleasure to you, not other forum members.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

If you like how they sound, go for it.
Your speaker should provide listening pleasure to you, not other forum members.

Exactly

 

[JSmith]

Isn’t hearing them all you need (versus measuring)?

Not unless they're in your specific room, IMO... unless you can arrange a home demo?

Some measurements here;

Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers tend to have somewhat idiosyncratic measured behavior, and the 702 S2 is no exception.

B&W 702 S2 loudspeaker Lab Report

Lab Report Look at the responses we’ve measured from B&W’s latest 800 series models [HFN Dec ’15, Mar ’16, Oct ’16 and Sept ’17] and you’ll see that not only are they quite uneven, but they also differ quite markedly from model to model. It’s no surprise, then, to find that the flagship of the...

www.hifinews.com

The 607 S2's didn't fare well here, although are only small bookshelves so not really comparable to larger floorstanders... maybe the below comment is what you saw;

Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 Anniversary Edition Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the B&W 607 S2 Anniversary Edition. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $700 through their various dealers. The 607 S2 comes in different color. My same was in black: Disappointing to see no attempt at directivity control with a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Not surprised one bit. All measurements published out there about B&W speakers (600s and 700s) always showed terrible performance.

This is just confirming what we already knew.

JSmith

 

[Koeitje]

If you like how they sound buy them. I find the treble harsch and the mid-range muddy, but I don't have to listen to them. Because B&W puts zero effort in directivity control a home demo might be the best option.

 

[Peluvius]

If you are anything like me I want the best I can get for the money. Best to me is accurate. I know everyone says “get them if you like them” but really it’s the music you like, it shouldn’t be the sound of your equipment. I don’t know what your budget is however there are options I would personally consider along with the B&W.

 

[Marc v E]

I would resist the temptation and at the very least listen to some speakers that measure better in the same price range. This doesn't look very good to me (but then again, after you tried all other options, if you really like them who am I to judge):

Considering your questen on hearing vs measuring: I would always use both and start with measurements. Ears are easily wowed or fooled. You probably need eq and measurements show if this can be done easily (early reflections are the same as direct sound) or not. This is not so easy to hear.

Then if you start with a good measuring speaker listen to them and eq where necessary.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

@jtothea you asked

Edit;

Not that you’re not getting some good feedback because you are, but good advice is to hear them in your room and make sure they have a good return policy.

I struggled setting mine up properly, and it wasn’t until I read what the manufacturer said about setting them up did I get it right. At 230 lbs. apiece just towing them in or out was a struggle.

If you get them in your home read what the manufacturer says about the setup, tame a couple of the reflection points, and then give it a listen. If you’re brave pull out your laptop and measure.

 

[tuga]

Unless one is specifically looking for a speaker which accurately reproduces the recorded signal, measurements are only useful if one is able correlate measured performance with one’s preference.

So the best option in my view is to test the speakers at home in their intended location with one’s favourite music.

As others have mentioned, some aspects of measured performance indicate if a speaker can be tuned to taste or whether it shows major flaws in performance or how difficult it is to drive.
But some people actually enjoy such flaws and many, perhaps most, are not using any kind of EQ.

A good starting point would be to visit a dealer and compare the BnWs to a few alternatives.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

At the end you buy what you like and you enjoy it... That is the polite answer. You may like it for a while, then it may start sounding wrong to you. More and more... then.. its resale value being high , you sell it but lose a bit off it.
The sad truth is that , there is a scientific reality to what we, most humans, like. We all tend to "like" certain traits and a good portion of those, have been identified and studied... It is still not an exact endeavor, but there are parameters that define what we are, most likely to ... like... And many B&W do not display or present these characteristics. A lot of the B&W don't. Now there are many questions that such comments will elicit, among these: Why are they so popular? I don't have an answer. Others may. I can safely advance that the general public falls for many things, some of these extraordinarily wrong in hindsight.

My personal and non P.C. response to your query:

Don't. There are objectively better speakers at the price. At much lesser prices too,


Peace