johnny p

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Local Hi-Fi Shop

Summary:
I have recently gotten the 705s, and the matching stands from B&W. The stands are very nice, but I'm not sure they warrant the $400 price tag, but the fact that you can secure the speakers to the stands with the supplied hardware was a key selling point. The speakers still need broken in, but I now find myself searching the DVD collection for audio-heavy movies, and for the first time in a long time I'm purchasing new CDs. These speakers have given me a new appreciation for audio.

I have the 705's matched with the HTM7 center, and I am using the new 686's as surrounds. My subwoofer is a Cerwin Vega Model -150 15" downward firing beast, and it will be replaced with a powerful 10" sub, but I haven't decided what one that will be. The 705's offer a lot of nice punchy bass for stand mounted speakers.

Strengths:
Very crisp, but not to the point where I would say it's too bright.

The Rosenut finish is amazing. They certainly gain a lot of attention.

Weaknesses:
none that I've found yet.

For the price you are upgrading the sound marginally over the new 600 series.

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Price Paid:  $1350.00 from Spearit Audio

Summary:
O.K. so this review will be a little biased. I've been a longtime B&W fan. I started with a pair of 201's way back in the early '90's and then moved up to the 601 s3's a couple of years ago. And just last month I took the plunge and bought a pair of 705's. I was in Boston during their anual "No tax" weekend...you do the math.

Now, having said that, I do have a fairly good ear and am rather picky about what is hooked up in my apartment. When I got these babies home and hooked up to my NAD reciever and CD player (Bi-wired of course) my mind basically started oozing out of my ears. I couldn't believe what I was able to hear. Granted they are a little shy on deep rumbling bass but since I mainly listen to jazz, classical and Putumayo discs, I don't need the earth rattling bass that say a home theatre user would, in any case if I do ever hook them up to my home theatre system, there'll be a sub as well.

On to my impressions of these speakers. At first they were indeed a little prominent in the higher frequencies but nothing that would make me like these any less. At first. But now after having driven them for a good two weeks, they've settled in and the drivers have come to life. I have the soundtrack to "The Beatles LOVE." and holy cow! I have never heard the Fab Four in all their glory and this album does just that. There are things on that album that I didn't know ever existed. There are nuances in every instrument and with these speakers, I could even go so far as saying that that you can finally really feel the personality of the vairous instruments. In fact these speakers are so acurate that I have condemed many of my CD's to my Ipod. (older U2 and the less well recorded jazz cd's) I put in "War" and had to eject it within 8 seconds.

I have seen a bunch of less than raving reviews of this cabinet and I can agree that in some instances these speakers would be lacking but for my purposes and the use they are seeing in my apartment, they are absolutely the greatest things I have ever heard. Of course having made my own custom speaker stands helps too. The tweeters are at exactly the right height for my ears while sitting on the sofa. Dead level. Solid hardwood helps too.

Strengths:
Sound!
Aesthetics. They certainly are a very pretty cabinet to look at, the butterfly laminations are second to none in terms of quality and beauty (Nordic design for you.)

Weaknesses:
For home theatre, deep bass response is lacking

Otherwise, I haven't found any yet.

Similar Products Used:
If you can say they are similar, B&W 601 s3
KEF although I don't remember which (it was at an audio shop)

michelescov

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.07 of 5, 27.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1750.00 from Fidelus

Summary:
I purchased these speakers for my room, I also have the N805. The sound after they have been broken in is amazing. The treble is crisp, letting you hear ne sounds in your old songs with high level of detail. The voices and midrange is very clear, female voices (maria carey, nelly furtado, etc) are awesome in these speakers. The bass is good for speakers of this type, if you like HT you will have to use a subwoofer, but for music in stero mode, they are perfect. The image is great, you can hear the music behind the speakers, and the scenario is also well defined, with air between the instruments, if the music is well recorded. Distortion in the 705 doesn´t exists, or if it does, it ouldb be at very high volume levels. They play louder than the N805. The definition of the N805 is better than in the 705, but the 705 gets very close. The treble in the 705 is sweet, more than in the 705 and also plays some things that the N805 don´t, I think there as an improvement there. The midrange is better in the N805, but that one in the 705 is also good, I think here the crossover of better quality of the N805 makes the difference. I like more the bass of the 705, they go more deep and loud compared to the N805, but in the 805 the bass is tighter. Altogether the 705 is an excellent speaker, with a very musical sound, great construction (the N805 has a better construction, that may contribute in the neutral sound of them, beautiful shape and excellent price for what you get. At this price I think they are one of the best bookshelf speakers. The only one I have hear that I prefe is the dynaudio audience 52 special. if you want a better speaker you´ll have to spend like $500 bucks more to buy something like a N805 a contour, a krell.

Strengths:
Big scenario, excellent detail, crisp treble, clear midrange, musical speakers, no distortion, separation between instruments, aesthetics, price.

Weaknesses:
Bass, but it is a bookshelf! You need good recorded music, 'cause it plays all the errors in bad records. You have to pair them with good electronics.

Similar Products Used:
B&W N805, DM 602 s3, CM2, Dynaudio audience 52, contour line, definitive technology Bp6, klipsch, Jbl, Totem.

Mike A

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.50 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1500.00

Summary:
For those who are shopping for a small but high quality set of speakers, I would definitely recommend putting the B&W 705's high up on the list. Having upgraded from another set of B&W speakers (603 s3 floorstanders-decent speakers in their own right), I have been nothing short of amazed at the incredible amount of sound that the 705's produce, not to mention the width and quality of the soundstage. The quality of the veneer cabinet construction is second to none-not even the slightest of joinery mismatches or blemishes even at close visual inspection (kudos to the Danish cabinet builders who produce these fine wooden speaker enclosures). Judging from the sound, it would seem that B&W has matched the quality of the electronic components with that of the cabinets: from the "golf-ball" flow port to their signature bullet-centered Kevlar woofer/midrange and the externally-mounted tweeter (a derivation from the B&W Nautilus 800 series). Upon getting these speakers home, I set them up about 18 inches from the rear and side walls (room placement is not super-critical with these speakers, but it is best to place them some distance from any walls and large furniture). The sound at first was predictably a bit restricted and "closed-in", but after about 20 hours or so at moderate volumes they "opened up" to produce some of the cleanest and most precise sounds I have heard from any speaker in its class. After 100 hours of listening, they have improved subtly even from there (in fact I would recommend playing them for at least that amount of time before forming a final opinion on their sound). The result: while I have long been an active listener (someone who sits or stands in front of the stereo and listens closely to the music, as opposed to simply playing it for background "sound"), these speakers have converted me into even MORE of an active listener. The high frequencies have a silky quality and balance beautifully into the rest of the sound, and the lows are nice and crisp with NO boominess (being small speakers, there are some limitations on the extremely low frequencies, but if that is an issue consider the purchase of a subwoofer). Of note is the accuracy of the midrange frequencies, particularly with vocals and smooth-sounding instrumentation such as pianos, violins and jazz guitars. In short, with high quality recordings I have found these speakers to be revealing to a point where I am hearing new sounds in long-familiar music (one can easily pick out, for example, the acoustic guitarwork in "Roundabout" by Yes, not to mention the previously hard-to-discern percussion in some Steely Dan music). On the flip side, poorly recorded or executed music tends to sound AWFUL through these speakers (such as music on old cassette tapes, out-of-tune vocals or instrumentation, bad job by the producer, etc. etc. Due to the revealing nature of these speakers, my musical preference has actually changed somewhat, as prior to purchasing them I was not aware of just HOW awful-sounding some of those bad recordings were... While the 705's are classified under the category of "bookshelf" speakers, I tend to think of them instead as "stand-mounted speakers, & included a pair of these along with the speaker purchase (for optimum sound, B&W recommends mounting the 705's on designated stands rather than on bookshelves, tabletops, or other such common household furniture surfaces). I also have my speakers bi-wired with good quality speaker cable (the need for high-quality speaker cable is no doubt a hotly debated topic among some, but I for one believe the added sound quality one gets is worth the expenditure). Last but not least in the list of recommendations, I run these speakers with a quality preamplifier and amplifier system (not just any run-of-the-mill amplification will suffice for these speakers; they need high quality equipment capable of producing a decent amount of wattage when called for). Bottom line: this is one audio purchace I have not regretted in the least. I look forward to many hours of fine musical enjoyment!

Strengths:
The clarity of sound, quality of construction, SOUNDSTAGE!

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Too many to mention...

kilwox

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1900.00 from Local retailer

Summary:
AFter having upgraded to the 705's from a pair of 603 S3's, I was absolutely amazed at how wide the sound stage apeared to be. This is the first time that I have heard weaknesses in recordings that this very truthful and unforgiving speaker reveals. I bought them in the rosenut finish, and these speakers are absolutely gorgeous. I prefer to listen with the grills on, but they are equally as beautiful with no grills. If you're considering bookshelf speakers in thsi price range, definately give the 705's a listen. You won't be sorry you did.

Strengths:
Wide sound stage very revealing

Weaknesses:
You need to own good recordings or your music won't sound as good as you might be used to

Similar Products Used:
B&W 600 range