Bowers & Wilkins 704 S3 Floorstanding Speaker — Review

Overview

The 704 S3 is the entry-level floorstander in Bowers & Wilkins’ third-generation 700 Series — a range that brings genuine trickle-down engineering from the flagship 800 Series Diamond speakers into a more attainable lineup. The Absolute Sound’s Alan Taffel summed it up well: a refined, robust build that delivers both acoustically and aesthetically, positioned as the accessible entry point into 700 Series technology.

Build & Design

At just over 3 feet tall, the 704 S3 is the slimmest floorstanding speaker Bowers & Wilkins makes — a genuine space-saver for smaller rooms without the usual acoustic compromise that implies. It’s a three-way design built around a decoupled Continuum cone FST midrange driver, enhanced with B&W’s Biomimetic Suspension — technology drawn directly from the 800 Series Diamond flagships. That suspension replaces the traditional fabric spider found behind most midrange cones with an open, web-like skeletal polymer structure, specifically engineered to reduce the unwanted air pressure and coloration a conventional spider can generate, meaningfully improving midrange transparency. The purpose-built Carbon Dome tweeter raises the breakup threshold to 47kHz — a significant improvement over the aluminum double-dome tweeters used in cheaper designs — for more precise imaging and detail. Twin Aerofoil Profile bass drivers use a variable-thickness cone design, adding rigidity exactly where it’s needed for deep, dynamic bass that stays clear and defined even at higher volumes. Unlike the 703 S3 and larger models in the range, the 704 S3 doesn’t use B&W’s signature externally mounted tweeter-on-top housing — its tweeter is built into the main cabinet instead, though it still benefits from a specially engineered tapered tube-loading system behind it.

Performance

Reviewers and dealers alike consistently praise the midrange as the 704 S3’s standout quality — one dealer review noted that a large portion of the musical spectrum lives in the midrange band, and the Continuum/Biomimetic combination produces detail and vocal presence good enough to create a genuine sense that a vocalist is performing right in front of the listener. The twin 5-inch bass drivers were specifically praised for their speed, and the more compact cabinet compared to larger 700 Series models was noted to give the 704 S3 a slight edge in stereo imaging precision.

One trade-off dealers are upfront about: because the 704 S3 doesn’t have the external tweeter-on-top housing found on the 705 S3 and 703 S3, it doesn’t sound quite as open at the very top end as those models — though the tradeoff comes with genuinely excellent midrange performance in return. At 88dB sensitivity, it’s also less efficient than some rivals, meaning it rewards being paired with an amplifier that has strong bass control rather than cutting corners on power. Consumer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive as well, with buyers directly comparing it against other speakers in showroom conditions and consistently preferring its balanced, detailed, and accurate sound reproduction across genres from classical to modern pop.

Features

The full driver lineup — 1-inch Carbon Dome tweeter, 5-inch Continuum cone midrange, and two 6.5-inch Aerofoil profile woofers — is built around a three-way passive bass-reflex design. Every three-way model in the 700 S3 range shares the same four core midrange technologies (Continuum cone, FST, Biomimetic Suspension, and midrange decoupling from the bass drivers), ensuring a consistent house sound across the lineup, and the 704 S3 pairs naturally with a matching 700 Series center channel for home theater applications.

Value

Priced at $4,000/pair, the 704 S3 sits below the tweeter-on-top 703 S3 ($6,000/pair) and 705 S3 ($3,400/pair standmount) in B&W’s own range, positioning it as a genuinely accessible way into flagship-derived Biomimetic Suspension technology. Reviewers and dealers broadly agree it represents excellent value within the 700 Series lineup, especially for anyone prioritizing midrange quality and a slim footprint over the last word in treble openness.

Verdict

Pros: Genuinely excellent midrange courtesy of flagship-derived Continuum cone and Biomimetic Suspension technology; slim, space-efficient cabinet without the usual acoustic compromise; fast, dynamic twin Aerofoil bass drivers; refined build and finish options; strong value within the 700 Series range.

Cons: Less open, airy top end compared to tweeter-on-top siblings like the 703 S3 and 705 S3; lower 88dB sensitivity means it rewards a genuinely capable amplifier rather than a modest one; as the range’s entry-level floorstander, it gives up some scale to the larger 700 Series models.

Bottom line: The 704 S3 is a smart, space-conscious entry point into Bowers & Wilkins’ acclaimed 700 Series, delivering genuinely flagship-derived midrange technology in a slim cabinet — a strong choice for anyone prioritizing midrange clarity and room-friendly proportions over outright top-end openness.