The 702 S3 floor-standers are part of the new Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series speakers.

Classic British speaker brand Bowers & Wilkins has just announced the launch of its all-new 700 Series bristling with some of the high-end technologies used in the company’s flagship 800 Series Diamond, the same speakers used in many of the world’s most famous recording studios. The new 700 Series has been designed to bring that studio sound into the home.

The all-new 700 Series continues with the concept of trickle-down technology that was initially used in the brand’s flagship range. The launch is the result of three years of R&D and nearly every element of the new range has been transformed. Everything from the cabinet design, construction and finish to key acoustic and mechanical improvements has been upgraded.

The 700 Series is the company’s most comprehensive range comprising eight models, including three floor-standers, three stand-mounts, and two dedicated center channels for a home theater setup.

The new 700 Series of speakers from Bowers & Wilkins include four models with Tweeter on Top, first ... [+] seen in the flagship 800 Series Diamond.

In a first for the 700 Series, the new range has slimmer cabinets with a curved front baffle and drive units mounted in external ‘pods’, echoing the look and technology of the 800 Series Diamond range. Bowers & Wilkins says that the new design reduces the impact of the loudspeaker baffle on sound quality by lessening the ‘cabinet diffraction’ effect. As a result, the company claims the new range leaves the listener to concentrate on the music rather than the sound of the loudspeaker cabinet.

The new cabinets are slimmer and available in a new Mocha finish, a highly grained wood that suits the revised proportions well and joins the traditional Gloss Black and Satin White finishes. A fourth Rosenut finish will also be available in Asian and Pacific markets.

Bowers & Wilkins now offers its Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top technology in four of the new models in the 700 Series. The 702 S3 and 703 S3 floor-standing loudspeakers, the 705 S3 stand-mount model and the HTM71 S3 center channel loudspeaker all have a Tweeter-on-Top.

The Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 stand-mount speakers are available in for finishes including the new ... [+] Mocha.

The Tweeter-on-Top design has been re-engineered. The new enclosure is machined from a single block of aluminum and has also been lengthened to reduce distortion and ensure a cleaner presentation. In addition, this longer form has an improved two-point decoupling to isolate the assembly from the loudspeaker cabinet, creating a more open soundstage.

Bowers & Wilkins has introduced Biomimetic Suspension in all three-way loudspeakers in the new range. First revealed last year in the 800 Series Diamond range, the design replaces the conventional fabric spider found in the suspension of almost all loudspeakers. The Biomimetic Suspension reduces unwanted noise from the output of the spider as the midrange cone operates.

The bass driver uses the latest generation of the Bowers & Wilkins Aerofoil Profile bass cone technology, based around a composite ‘sandwich’ of materials with a variable profile to deliver cleaner bass with lower distortion.

The 704 S3 is the floor-standing model in the new range that has a baffle-mounted tweeter rather ... [+] than the Tweeter on Top form.

The new 700 Series range has upgraded speaker terminals inspired by the 800 Series Diamond, with more substantial contact connections and a layout that makes it easier to use spade-terminated speaker cables. In addition, the speaker terminals lead to upgraded crossovers that use Mundorf capacitors, enhanced with multiple bypass capacitors and better heatsinking for a cleaner performance.

All models in the range have updated and larger diameter Flowports for more substantial output, producing a bigger and more expansive sound. In the 702 S3 floor-stander, that approach is taken one stage further with the re-orientation of the port to fire downwards. Bower & Wilkins says the result is a substantial and powerful loudspeaker that is easier to locate in any home.

All the floor-standing models in the new range have upgraded spikes that anchor them to the floor. On 704 S3 and 703 S3, stainless steel M6 spikes are included with the integrated plinths. On the 702 S3, heavy-duty M10 spikes are provided. Even the stand-mount models have had mechanical upgrades with the FS-700 S3 floor-stand, which has been upgraded to match the slimmer, curved profile of the new cabinet design and with stiffer M6 spikes.

Pricing & Availability: The new Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series range will be available from September 21st. Prices per pair are: Floor-stander Tweeter on Top 702 S3 ($7,000), Floor-stander Tweeter on Top 703 S3 ($6,000), Floor-stander 704 S3 ($4,000), Stand-mount Tweeter on Top 705 Standmount S3 ($3,400), Standmount 706 S3 ($2,200), Bookshelf/Stand-mount 707 S3 ($1,800), Center-channel Tweeter on Top HTM71 S3 ($2,500), Center-channel HTM72 S3 ($1,500), Stands FS-700 S3 ($800).

More info: www.bowerswilkins.com

The new 700 Series from Bowers & Wilkins can form a full-on home theater setup.