B&W 704 Floor standing speakers

B&W 704 have unusual form: the back wall higher and narrower the front one, and the upper one is smoothly curved and serves as the base of free-standing metallic tweeter, borrowed from top models of Nautilus series. At first glance this model differs from the larger B&W 703 only by a number of woofers and bass-reflexes. However, such constructive solution implies 2.5-way scheme too. Small Flowport on the back panel serves the upper section with 165-mm Kevlar midbass. The pipe of bigger diameter, but with similar flare, being put down on the front panel, works with low-frequency driver, which differs by two-layered diffuser (Kevlar plus paper).

Listening. I could recommend B&W 704 as exemplary (in its price category, of course), if not one circumstance. When grand piano or acoustic guitar is played, slight distortions like bounce appear. Even if this is a feature of those exemplars that we got for testing, the manufacturer should monitor the quality of its products more carefully. As for the rest, you can't find fault in the sound of B&W 704. The tweeter will bust any myth about the fact that metallic domes sound hard. Not at all! Discants are clear and natural. The middle is barely colored by caustic "Kevlar" side-tones, but incredibly detailed. Woofer doesn't give the feeling of fundamentality, but transfers the color of sound of bass instruments with filigree accuracy. The sound stage can't also leave you cold - it is deep, scaled and localized with photographic sharpness.