The Bowers & Wilkins 705 and 702 Signature are now available in a beautiful Midnight Blue Metallic finish.
Needless to say, the new color does nothing to detract from the Bowers & Wilkins 705 and 702 Signature. The speakers feature the same industry-leading combination of exceptional driver unit design and carefully upgraded crossover components. The new Midnight Blue Metallic speakers are thus identical to the existing, still available, 700 Series Signature models in Datuk Gloss finish.
Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top
The 702 and 705 Signature feature the latest Bowers & Wilkins technologies, including a decoupled Continuum cone midrange driver unit on the 702 Signature, complemented by Aerofoil profile woofers. Both the 702 and 705 Signature also feature the Carbon Dome tweeter, housed in Bowers & Wilkins’ iconic Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top assembly.
Improved capacitors
Like the existing Signature models, both speakers in Midnight Blue Metallic paint are equipped with specially treated and improved bypass capacitors from Mundorf, for greater heat dissipation. In case of the 702, you’ll also find an improved LF capacitor in the low frequency section of the crossover. Combined with the advantages both models have as a result of their Tweeter-on-Top configuration, these upgrades, according to the manufacturer, “improve the already remarkable resolution, openness and spatial reproduction. As a result, the speakers have an even more polished, refined and immersive sound’.
Inspired by the Nautilus
‘The new 702 and 705 Signature are inspired by the Midnight Metallic Blue paint of the iconic Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus. The speakers are finished with seven coats of metallic lacquer for a rich, glossy finish. To further accentuate the finish quality of each model, both Signature speakers feature glossy metal trim rings around the cones for mid and bass. In addition, they feature glossy, silver-finished tweeter grilles. Finally, both models have a Signature identity plate on the rear panel, making each speaker a unique work of art,’ the manufacturer reports.
Carbon Dome Tweeter
Both 700 Series Signature models feature Bowers & Wilkins Carbon Dome tweeter technology. ‘The two-piece Carbon Dome is designed to bridge the gap between the Aluminum Double Dome used in the 600 Series and the Diamond Dome used in the 800 Series Diamond. The front part is a 30 micron aluminum dome stiffened by a Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating of carbon. The second part is a 300 micron carbon ring profiled to match the shape of the main dome. This was then glued to the inside of the structure. ‘The result is exceptional rigidity with resistance to deformation, no excessive mass and a highest frequency of 47 kHz,’ the manufacturer reveals.
Massive Tweeters
Like previous Signature products, the 705 Signature and 702 Signature are Tweeter-On-Top designs with Solid Body Tweeter technology. This design is – B&W reports – “fully derived from the approach used in the 800 Series Diamond and has the same performance benefits. As with the other 700 Series loudspeakers, instead of a hollow body made of zinc, the same shape is milled from a solid block of aluminum in the new Signature models. This gives the speaker a solid and less resonant structure. Weighing in at over 1 kg, it stands exceptionally strong on the base and benefits from the same decoupling mechanism and acoustically transparent grille design as the 800 Series Diamond. This design also allows the mass of the tweeter housing to be used as a heat sink for the dome’.
Continuum cone
Continuum cone midrange drivers were first used in the 800 Series Diamond. B&W said, ‘The design of the Continuum cone is based on the concept of optimized and controlled flexibility. This helps the cone to avoid the abrupt transition from pistonic to breakup behavior, which drastically affects the openness and neutrality of a conventional driver unit. Continuum is a woven composite that produces a highly controlled break-up, for a more transparent and detailed midrange’.
Midrange Chassis
The 702 Signature is equipped with a special FST midrange driver with an FEA-optimized aluminum chassis. The chassis has a very rigid shape which is decoupled from the cabinet and has been improved with the addition of a tuned mass damper at the front. This, according to B&W, dampens any residual resonance in the structure, resulting in purer midrange reproduction.
Midrange decoupling
The midrange decoupling system simplifies the design used in the 800 Series Diamond for a significant improvement in midrange spaciousness across the board. Finally, there is the new version of the Aerofoil cone used in the 800 Series Diamond. You will also find this in the 702 Signature, with a composite structure inside and out filled with a lightweight EPS core. The result is improved bass.
702 Signature
- Available mid-December 2021
- 3-way open system
- Tweeter-on-Top
- 3 x 165mm Aerofoil Profile bass cones
- 1 x 150mm Continuum cone FST midrange driver, decoupled
- 1 x 25mm Carbon Dome tweeter in Massive Tweeter-on-Top
- Price: €6,000
705 Signature
- Available mid December 2021
- Standmount speaker
- 2-way open system
- Tweeter-on-Top
- 1 x 165mm Continuum cone for bass/midrange
- 1 x 25mm Carbon Dome tweeter in Massive Tweeter-on-Top
- Price: €3.400