B&W's New 700 Signature Speakers

by The Audio Beat | June 24, 2020

owers & Wilkins launched the original 700-series speakers in 2017 using technologies first seen in the company's high-end 800 Diamond speakers. These included the Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top assembly, Continuum cone drivers and Aerofoil-profile bass drivers. As Signature products, the new 705 Signature floorstander ($6499.99 per pair) and 702 Signature minimonitor ($3999.99 per pair) have received further improvements, most notably to their crossovers, drivers and finish.

The 700 Signature crossover uses specially treated and upgraded bypass capacitors sourced from Mundorf, larger heatsinking and, in the case of the 702, an upgraded capacitor on the bass section.

In terms of the drivers, the 700 Signature models feature the Bowers & Wilkins Carbon Dome tweeter, which bridges the performance gap between the company's Aluminum Double Dome and Diamond Dome tweeters. The Carbon Dome tweeter boasts exceptional stiffness and resistance to distortion without undue mass and a first break-up point of 47kHz. As with all preceding Signature products, the 705 Signature and 702 Signature are Tweeter-On-Top designs featuring B&W's Solid Body Tweeter technology, which uses a housing milled from a solid mass of aluminum to provide a stiffer and less resonant structure. The 700 Signature speakers' Continuum woven composite cone midrange drivers were first seen in the 800 Series Diamond speakers and are based on the concept of optimized and controlled flexibility, which helps the cone avoid the abrupt transition from pistonic to break-up-mode behavior. Finally, a new implementation of the Aerofoil bass cone used for the 800 Series Diamond is featured on the 702 Signature. This uses a composite structure of inner and outer skins.

Keeping with established Signature practices, the 705 Signature and 702 Signature sport a new Datuk Gloss ebony-colored veneer with a distinctive grain, so each pair of speakers is unique, with no two models sharing the same grain pattern or figuring. Bowers & Wilkins applies nine coats of finish -- including primer, base coat and lacquer -- to create a deep, lustrous appearance.