B&W 704 s2 vs 603

Hi All, did anyone manage to compare 704 s2 with the B&W 603?

 

Wow, the 704 S2 now goes for $3000? Got mine new last year for $2,250. Very happy with them.

Sorry, haven't heard the 603. I see that it retails for $1000 less than the 704 S2.

 

Thanks for your input.

I didn't manage to listen to the 704 s2, only 603, 707s2, 705 s2, 703 s2 is available in the showroom.

For 700 series, I like the sound of 703 s2 and 705 s2. For budget wise I can only go for 705 s2 and 704 s2.

Maybe u can share, why did you go for 704 s2 instead of 705 s2 + sub?

 

I had previously only owned bookshelf speakers and really wanted to get floorstanders. I first tried the 683 S2, which sounded good in the store, but when I got them home, I found I didn't like the sound when I got them home. I returned them and then went to a dealer who had the 700 series. I sat with a salesman for almost 3 hours over two days, listening to as much music as I could through the 704 S2, experimenting with volume, seat position and speaker position, mostly focusing on trying to approximate the position I would have them at home. They sounded a lot better than the 683 S2s, more refined, more balanced and with plenty of sound to fill the room we were in, which was definitely bigger than mine. He mentioned that I could get the 705 S2s for the same price, but again, I was not interested in bookshelf speakers, or adding a subwoofer, if that would be required. I thought (and still think) the 704 S2s have plenty of bass, detailed but not harsh treble and super clear, realistic midrange.

 

The 700 series is a significant improvement over the 600 and CM series. In fact, it's the first "affordable" B&W series I could imagine myself living with.

Yeah, rooms have a huge impact on the sound. A while back I moved my main rig into a bedroom and tried living with it there for a few months. It just doesn't compare to what can be achieved in my large living room, therefore my girlfriend's crafting area got booted to the bedroom - gotta have priorities in life .

 

I planning to get Rotel RB-1582 MII 200W power amplifier. I am not too sure did I over kill for 704 s2 my living room size is just 2.8m (width) x 3.0m (length).

 

I'm a big fan of the 704 S2, but the current 603 is an incredible value that also sounds great and seems to be underappreciated. My opinion is that you can't go wrong but that you should figure out a way to A/B them... ideally with your eyes closed, listening to just a single speaker (mono), and someone else switching back/forth (keeping track of your preferences and also not saying anything to influence you).

 

The problem here is I didn't get the opportunity to listen to 704 s2. The showroom doesn't have a demo unit. But the have 703 s2. I like 703 s2 very much but the price is abit off budget and I need to consider the small room that I have (big speaker not suitable for small room?). The sales rep. told me that 704 s2 sounds similar to 703 s2.

On the other hand, the new 603 sound good but it's just not as lively/ expressful as 707, 705 and 703.

 

Clark - the only thing I can really say is to try as many speakers as you can and look for a "Gestalt" moment out of speakers you can afford. I also generally advise to go one budget level higher than the level you're looking at - even if it means putting off a purchase for 6 months etc. Speakers should be a long term investment and you don't want to buy a speaker you "sorta like" because you can afford it - always thinking "if only I waited" and got a speaker you really love.

And as you noted - you liked the higher priced model - but it is important to realize that you may like a B&W best out of 5 $3,000 speakers you try but you may find that at $1800 price level you may like the B&W last.

It's important to shop a little bit like shopping for cars - any given car can be terrific but not necessarily the whole company line-up. My dealer in Canada noted that he preferred B&W for Floorstanders but preferred Paradigm for standmounts.

Indeed, I actually preferred the cheaper series of B&W to the more expensive series back in the 1990s and back when they had the CDM 1NT and 2NT - the 2NT which was 2/3 the price actually sounded better - for music. It didn't have the tweeter on top so the 2NT sounded more coherent (Cohesive) and had a seemingly easier dynamic ease. The CDM 1NT sounded polite and uninvolving and the tweeter gave itself away.

I would definitely try and listen to as many speakers in your price range - don't get too hung up on the various hype. Back in the day I was going to buy B&W 805s because of the staggering reviews and the fact that I liked the sound. I wound up doing a shootout with Paradigm's top of the line standmount and two other speakers that were total no-names (and both pretty ugly ducklings) - the Two ugly ducklings - one I had never heard of ended up scoring 1-2 with B&W and Paradigm were quite far behind. I was shocked.

Good luck - for me speaker shopping is the most fun. I don't get to do it much because I found ones I really loved and kept them for 13 years and then sold them and moved to a bigger version of the same thing.

 

I'm curious what (or if ) you've decided.

 

I haven't decided yet. I need to travel to another country to test it out 704 s2. Unfortunately, not so soon. In terms of room size 2.8m x 3m, acoustically do u think 704 s2 is more suitable compare to 703 s2?

 

Absolutely! If anything, the 704 S2 is already too much speaker for a room that size.