Bowers and Wilkins 705 and 702 speakers upgraded to Signature status

British audio specialists Bowers & Wilkins has announced the introduction of the 702 and 705 Signature loudspeakers.

It’s not often that B&W bestows Signature status on its loudspeakers, but with the standmount 705 Signature (£2699) and floorstanding 702 Signature (£4499), it has done just that.

Like previous Signature models, the 705 and 702 Signature have received a number of upgrades including a lavish cabinet finish and improved acoustic performance.

The Signature 702

The new 705 Signature is a two-way standmount packing a 165mm Continuum Dome mid/bass driver, and 25mm Carbon Dome tweeter in Solid Body tweeter-on-top configuration. The 702 Signature floorstander is a three-way speaker, with 3 x 165mm Aerofoil Profile bass drivers, a 150mm decoupled Continuum FST unit as well as a 25mm Carbon Dome tweeter.

Both gain a new Datuk Gloss ebony-coloured veneer, with materials supplied from sustainable sources (Italian wood company Alpi). No two models will be the same – each has different grain pattern – and on top of the work carried out by Alpi, B&W has applied nine coats of finish for a lustrous look.

Both Signature speakers feature bright metal trim rings around the mid/bass and midrange cones, as well as bright, silver-finished tweeter grilles. Attached to the back of each model is a plate with the words Signature etched in.

But what about the internals? Improvements made include upgraded crossover designs and larger heat sinks. B&W claims these improvements increase the resolution, openness and spatial retrieval the speakers can offer.

Both models feature B&W’s Carbon Dome tweeter technology. The Carbon Dome is made up of two sections: the front portion consists of a 30-micron aluminium dome stiffened by a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) carbon coating. The second features a 300-micron carbon ring, which has been bonded to the inner face of the speaker’s structure. The result is a stiffness and resistance to distortion.

Thanks to a dedicated midrange FST drive unit, any remaining resonance has been dampened for a cleaner midrange presentation.According B&W, decoupling the speaker has led to a significant improvement in terms of the spaciousness of the sound. Bass on the 702 Signature is said to have been beefed up, with a new implementation of the 800 Series Diamond Aerofoil cone.

Both the 702 and 705 Signature are available to purchase this month (June), priced at £4499 and £2699 respectively.

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