WOW! These are so neutral. A tad bass shy, but what is there is very musical. No complaints, and without the heavy bass of my former speakers, my neighbors are happier, too.

AVForums Home Hi-Fi Hub > Hi-Fi Speakers > Reviews > Hop To What is the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2? Specifications Design How was the 705 S2 tested?

Outstanding sonic performance; Beautifully made; Handsome appearance

Fairly demanding of partnering equipment; Stand is a little expensive

When you make as many loudspeakers as Bowers & Wilkins do it must occasionally get difficult thinking up new range names. Before the 700 series there was the CM or compact monitor series that sat between the 600 and 800...

These are big, bold and beautiful standmounters that aim to thrill on every listen, but there are rivals around that combine similar excitement levels with greater subtlety and flexibility of reproduction.Owning a pair of B&W 705 S2s is like having a sports car on your drive: peerless in the right...

Beautifully made; Authoritative; weighty and deep; Lots of detail; An exciting listen

Excitement comes at the expense of subtlety and musical flexibility

The 705 S2 is an excellent addition to the Bowers & Wilkins range and has many of the qualities of the 805 D3. It is excellent on vocals and detail, and with careful placement, has excellent bass. Imaging qualities are first rate and the sound is much larger than the appearance would suggest.

+ Small footprint speakers with a big sonic heart coupled with ample bass performance; will please many who crave a lively, detailed and rhythmic sound; very good soundstage and imaging; great disappearing act

– Looks small and many may overlook it, especially at its price level; for some, the bass may be too much, especially if the speakers are not placed sufficiently away from the rear wall

After a few months of constant listening, I want to say "Bowers & Wilkins new 705s2's kick major ass," but that would be so un-British.

The digital front end is built around a C.A.P.S. Lagoon server with Red Wine outboard battery power supply. I have never owned a CD player or transport. I run JRiver playback software and the computer is operated headless via Splashtop on my iPad. Music is stored on a Synology DS1512+.