Bowers and Wilkins 700 Series 3 Home Theater Speakers User Manual
- June 9, 2024
- Bowers and Wilkins
Table of Contents
Bowers and Wilkins 700 Series 3 Home Theater Speakers
Welcome and thank you for choosing Bowers & Wilkins. Our founder, John Bowers,
believed that imaginative design, innovative engineering and advanced
technology were keys that could unlock the enjoyment of audio in the home. His
belief is one that we continue to share and inspires every product we design.
This is a high performance product that rewards thoughtful installation, so we
suggest that you take some time to read this manual before you begin.
Carton Contents
The table above illustrates the component parts that are packed with the
product. In the unlikely event that anything is missing please contact the
retailer from whom you purchased the speakers.
The tweeter assembly on 702 S3, 703 S3, 705 S3 and HTM71 S3 loudspeakers is a
decoupled component that is mechanically isolated from the main part of the
cabinet. As such, it may appear to be loose when the product is first removed
from its packaging. This is not a fault: it is an inherent feature of the
design and ensures optimum performance from your speaker.
Environmental Information
This product complies with international directives, including but not limited to:
- the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment,
- the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals (REACH)
- the disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
Consult your local waste disposal authority for guidance on how properly to recycle or dispose of this product.
Positioning
Speaker Installation
702 S3 / 703 S3 / 704 S3
702 S3, 703 S3 and 704 S3 are intended to be floor mounted only. For proper
stability, always install the provided plinth, then ensure that the speakers
stand firmly on the floor using the spike or rubber feet supplied.
You may attach the plinth during the unpacking process, following the
illustrations above or the diagrams on the top flap of the carton.
Warning
The plinth MUST always be used, with the rubber or spike feet inserted into
the plinth. DO NOT insert rubber or spike feet directly into the cabinet.
Note: Rubber feet installation is nearly identical to spike feet installation.
The tommy bar and spanner are only included and used with the 702 S3 model
during spike / rubber feet installation.
Important Safety Notice Sharp spikes, do not touch.
The spike feet are designed to pierce carpet and rest on the floor surface.
Initially, screw the lock nuts onto the spikes just far enough to leave the
nuts floating just above the carpet when the spikes are resting on the floor
beneath. Then, screw the spikes fully into the threaded inserts in the plinth.
If the cabinet rocks when placed on the floor, unscrew the two spikes that do
not touch the floor until the cabinet rests firmly without rocking. Finally,
lock the nuts against the base by using the supplied spanner to gently tighten
the nut whilst using the supplied tommy bar to stop the spike foot rotating.
It may be more convenient to fit and adjust the spike feet after speaker
positioning has been optimised.
If there is no carpet and you wish to avoid scratching the floor surface, use
either a protective metal disc (a coin perhaps) between the spike and the
floor, or use the supplied rubber feet. Fit the rubber feet and level the
cabinet in the same manner as with the spike feet.
705 S3 / 706 S3 / 707 S3
The 705 S3, 706 S3 and 707 S3 are primarily designed to be mounted on a
dedicated floor stand (FS-700 S3), but may be placed on a shelf if preferred.
However, it should be noted that this offers less flexibility to optimise the
speaker’s performance. If shelf placement must be used, we recommend using the
foam plugs (supplied) to optimise port performance (see Section 4: Fine-
Tuning).
In both installation cases, the speakers’ tweeters should be approximately at
ear height at your usual listening position.
Note: If using a shelf, ensure that it is strong enough to properly support the weight and fit the four self-adhesive rubber feet to the underside of the speaker.
HTM71 S3 / HTM72 S3
If using a projection television with an acoustically transparent screen, position the speaker behind the centre of the screen. Otherwise, position it either directly below or above the screen using either a floor stand, furniture unit or wall shelf, ensuring the speaker is as close to ear height as possible. If the speaker is to be placed either on a shelf or in a rack shared with other AV equipment, fix the four self-adhesive rubber feet to the base of the speaker. They provide a degree of vibration isolation.
Speaker Positioning
In either stereo or home theatre installations, try to ensure that the
immediate surroundings of each speaker are similar in acoustic character. For
example, if one speaker is adjacent to bare walls while the other is adjacent
to soft furnishings and curtains, both the overall sound quality and the
stereo image are likely to be compromised.
Conventional Stereo Systems
To begin with, the speakers should be positioned between 1.5m and 3m apart at
two corners of an equilateral triangle completed by the listening area at the
third corner. The speakers should be placed at least 0.5m away from the back
and any side walls (as per the illustration above).
Home Theatre Systems
If the speakers are to be used for the front channels in a home theatre
system, they should be placed closer together than for 2-channel audio,
because the surround channels tend to widen the image. Positioning the
speakers within approximately 0.5m of the sides of the screen will also help
keep the sound image in scale with the visual image. As with conventional
stereo positioning, the speakers should ideally be at least 0.5m away from any
side walls.
Stray Magnetic Fields
The speaker drive units create stray magnetic fields that extend beyond the
boundaries of the cabinet. We recommend you keep magnetically sensitive
articles (CRT television and computer screens, computer discs, audio and video
tapes, swipe cards and the like) at least 0.5m from the speaker. LCD, OLED and
plasma screens are not affected by magnetic fields.
Connections
Important Safety Notice
All connections should be made with the audio equipment switched off. When
using audio equipment in normal operation, touching uninsulated speaker
terminals or wiring may result in an unpleasant sensation. The 700 S3 speaker
terminals accept a variety of cable terminations: 4mm banana plugs, 6mm and
8mm (1/4 in and 5/16 in) spades, or bare wires up to 4mm (5/32 in) diameter.
In certain countries, notably those in Europe, the use of 4mm banana plugs is considered a potential safety hazard, because they may be inserted into the holes of unshuttered mains supply sockets. In order to comply with European CENELEC safety regulations, the 4mm holes in the ends of the terminals are blocked by plastic pins. If you are using the products in any country where these conditions apply, you should ensure that any banana plugs cannot be used in an unsafe manner by children or other uninformed persons. The plastic pins can be removed if you wish to use banana plugs.
Bi-Wired Connection
Ask your dealer for advice when selecting speaker cable. Keep its total
impedance below the maximum recommended in the speaker specification and use a
low inductance cable to avoid attenuation of high frequencies.
There are two linked pairs of terminals on the back of the speaker. For
conventional connection (above left), the terminal links should remain in
place (as delivered) and just one pair of terminals connected to the
amplifier. For bi-wire connections
or bi-amplification (above right), the terminal links should be removed and
each pair of terminals connected to the amplifier or amplifiers independently.
Bi-wiring can improve the resolution of low-level detail.
Ensure that the positive terminals on the speaker (with red ring) are
connected to the positive output terminal on the amplifier and the negative
terminals on the speaker (with black ring) are always connected to the
negative output terminal on the amplifier. Incorrect connection will not
result in damage but will cause poor stereo imaging and loss of bass. Always
screw the terminal caps down fully to prevent rattles.
Fine-Tuning
Before fine-tuning, make sure that all the connections in the installation are
correct and secure.
Moving the speakers further from the walls will generally reduce the volume of
bass. Space behind the speakers will also help to create an aural impression
of depth. Conversely, moving the speakers closer to the walls will increase
the volume of bass.
If you want to reduce the volume of bass without moving the speakers further
from the wall, fit the foam plugs or, for less severe bass reduction, the foam
rings in the port tubes (above).
If the bass seems uneven with frequency this will most probably be due to
resonance modes in the listening room. Even small changes in the position of
the speakers or the listening position can have a profound effect on how these
resonances affect the sound. Try moving the listening position or locating the
speakers along a different wall. The presence and position of large pieces of
furniture can also influence resonance modes.
If no alternatives exist, you can adjust your loudspeakers’ low-frequency
performance using the supplied foam plugs. The plugs are a two-piece part,
allowing for a degree of fine-tuning using either the outer, larger-diameter
piece in isolation or the two parts together. Using solely the outer, larger-
diameter foam piece will deliver less bass attenuation than the complete plug
assembly.
If the central image lacks focus, try moving the speakers closer together or
angle them inward so that they point at a location just in front of the
listening position. If the sound is too bright, increasing the amount of soft
furnishing in the room (heavier curtains for example) may help balance the
sound. Conversely, reducing the amount of soft furnishing may help brighten a
dull sound.
For the most discerning listening, remove the grilles by gripping around their
edges and gently pulling them away from the cabinet.
Running In
The performance of the speaker will change subtly during the initial listening
period. If the speaker has been stored in a cold environment, the damping
compounds and suspension materials of the drive units will take some time to
recover their correct mechanical properties. The drive unit suspensions will
also loosen up during the first hours of use. The time taken for the speaker
to achieve its intended performance will vary depending on previous storage
conditions and how it is used. As a guide, allow up to
a week for the temperature effects to stabilise and 15 hours of average use
for the mechanical parts to attain their intended design characteristics.
Aftercare
The cabinet surfaces will usually only require dusting. We recommend you use a
soft microfibre cloth. If you wish to use an aerosol or other cleaner, apply
the cleaner onto the cloth, not directly onto the product, and test a small
area first, as some cleaning products may damage some of the surfaces. Avoid
products that are abrasive, or contain acid, alkali or anti-bacterial agents.
Do not use cleaning agents on the drive units. Avoid touching the drive units
as damage may result.
Whenever Bowers & Wilkins speakers are finished in real wood, the finest
veneers are selected and treated with an ultra-violet resistant lacquer to
minimise changes in colour over time. Nevertheless, like all natural
materials, the veneer will respond to its environment and a degree of colour
change is to be expected. Colour differences may be rectified by exposing all
the veneer surfaces equally and evenly to sunlight until the colour is
uniform. This process can take several days or even weeks, but may be
accelerated by careful use of an ultra-violet lamp. Wood veneered surfaces
should also be kept away from direct sources of heat such as radiators and
warm air vents in order to minimise the possibility of the wood veneer
cracking.
The tweeter housing has a textured finish that may collect superficial marks
when handled. It can be cleaned by wiping a soft microfibre cloth around the
housing, in line with the surface texture.
Bowers &Wilkins
B&W Group Ltd
Dale Road
Worthing West Sussex
BN11 2BH England
EU Importer:
Bowers & Wilkins
Beemdstraat 11
5653 MA Eindhoven
The Netherlands
Copyright© B&W Group Ltd. E&OE
References
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