Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Bookshelf Speakers

Flagship 700 Series technology in a compact bookshelf speaker.

The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 is the flagship bookshelf speaker in the 700 Series, combining technologies derived from the 800 Series Diamond with a compact two-way design. Its Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top, 1-inch Carbon Dome tweeter, 6.5-inch Continuum Cone bass/midrange driver, and Flowport bass system deliver exceptional clarity, imaging, and musical detail.

For listeners who want true high-end performance without a large floorstanding speaker, the 705 S3 offers an impressive combination of scale, refinement, and precise stereo imaging.

Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top

The defining feature of the 705 S3 is its separate Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top enclosure.

Inspired by Bowers & Wilkins' 800 Series Diamond, the elongated tweeter housing is milled from a solid block of aluminum and mechanically decoupled from the main cabinet.

Separating the tweeter from the enclosure reduces interference from the bass/midrange driver and provides a carefully controlled acoustic environment for high frequencies. The extended tube-loading system behind the tweeter also absorbs unwanted rear energy from the diaphragm.

The result is exceptionally focused imaging, spacious soundstaging, and clean high-frequency reproduction.

Carbon Dome Tweeter

The 705 S3 uses Bowers & Wilkins' 1-inch Decoupled Carbon Dome tweeter.

Developed for the 700 Series, its composite construction raises the first breakup frequency to 47kHz, well beyond the audible range.

Moving unwanted diaphragm behavior farther outside the listening band allows the tweeter to reproduce fine detail with greater clarity and less coloration.

6.5-Inch Continuum Cone

A 6.5-inch Continuum Cone bass/midrange driver handles everything below the tweeter.

Originally developed for the 800 Series Diamond, Continuum was engineered to provide a controlled transition from pistonic movement to cone breakup rather than the abrupt behavior associated with many conventional diaphragm materials.

This contributes to the natural, open midrange that is central to the 705 S3's performance, particularly with vocals and acoustic instruments.

Curved Baffle and Driver Pod

The 705 S3 cabinet incorporates a curved front baffle and raised driver pod surrounding the Continuum Cone.

Reducing the amount of flat cabinet surface around the driver helps minimize diffraction as sound leaves the enclosure.

Together with the separate Tweeter-on-Top architecture, this contributes to the precise spatial presentation and sharply defined stereo image that distinguish the 705 S3 from conventional bookshelf speakers.

Flowport Bass Technology

Bowers & Wilkins' Flowport bass-reflex system extends the performance of the 6.5-inch Continuum Cone into the lower frequencies.

The port uses a dimpled surface engineered to reduce turbulence as air moves through the enclosure, helping maintain cleaner bass at higher output levels.

The 705 S3 reaches a specified 50Hz–28kHz ±3dB, with an overall frequency range extending from 45Hz to 33kHz.

For systems requiring greater low-frequency extension and impact, the 705 S3 can also be paired with a high-performance subwoofer while retaining the imaging advantages of a compact bookshelf speaker.

A Bookshelf Speaker Built for Serious Systems

Despite its compact dimensions, the 705 S3 should be treated as a high-performance loudspeaker.

Its 88dB sensitivity, 8-ohm nominal impedance, and 3.7-ohm minimum impedance make quality amplification important. Bowers & Wilkins recommends 30–120 watts per channel into 8 ohms.

Although commonly categorized as a bookshelf speaker, the 705 S3 will deliver its best performance on dedicated speaker stands with careful positioning in the room. Proper placement allows its Tweeter-on-Top architecture and Continuum Cone driver to produce the soundstage depth, imaging, and tonal balance the design is capable of delivering.

Technical Specifications

Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 at The Grid HiFi

The Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 brings genuine high-end loudspeaker technology to a compact bookshelf design. Its Carbon Dome Tweeter-on-Top, Continuum Cone driver, sophisticated cabinet construction, and Flowport bass system make it an exceptional choice for premium two-channel listening in spaces where a floorstanding speaker isn't required.

The Grid HiFi can help match the 705 S3 with the right amplification, source components, speaker stands, subwoofer, cabling, and room placement to build a complete high-performance music system.

Visit The Grid HiFi in Houston or call (713) 218-8120 for availability and system recommendations.