To Hans Wetzel,
I have recently purchased a pair of B&W 704 S2s and found your review helpful, because I have found dialing in the 704s difficult to avoid either a bright edge or overblown bass when too close to the front wall. Thank you. I wonder if you could provide some more details on the size of your test room and the final distance from the front wall and the toe-in angle you used: this would be helpful to compare my results.
I am in love with the midrange and level of detail, but getting the balance right is proving a challenge; nonetheless, these are impressive speakers. Did you have plinths on and did you biwire? Thank you for any advice.
Alan George
United Kingdom
Ah, someone else feels my pain. I, too, found myself very frustrated with setting up the 704 S2s. I did use the included plinths, but did not biwire the speakers, and I’m dubious that biwiring would rectify this issue. You should be able to find workable bass balance by pulling the speakers away from your front wall by 3-4” at a time, as well as experimenting with plugging the 704 S2s’ ports. My room’s dimensions and exact setup won’t help you there.
The “bright edge” you reference is a different kettle of fish. As you probably read in my review, I was unable to determine an optimal setup that allowed the B&W’s talented midrange to shine without sounding bright or etched on some material. Placing the speakers so they pointed straight ahead lost me too much in the stereo imaging department to be worthwhile, though perhaps you’ll have better luck. Ultimately, I did toe-out the speakers a few degrees more than I normally do with review samples, which “took the edge off,” so to speak, resulting in the 704s sounding better, if not ideal.
I bid you good luck, Alan. With the right listening material, Mercury in retrograde, and the winds blowing briskly from the southeast, I thought the 704 S2s sounded genuinely sensational much of the time. The rest of the time, I found myself chasing those ephemeral moments, praying I could recreate them. . . . Hans Wetzel
