Does anyone know of an available design that mimics a B+W 700 series

[Stymingersfink]

Hi all, I am a new member here and new to speaker building in general. I have been a furniture maker for a long time, but am just now getting into speaker building and design. I am getting ready to build a pair of Statement II's as my first project and I am really excited about it.
I have long been a fan of Bower & Wilkins and would like to make something similar. Can anyone point me in the direction of a design that resembles a 700 series speaker? I have been fortunate enough to listen to a few and I really like the way they sound and look. I don't think I have the knowledge yet to try to design one on my own, but want to take a crack at building a pair. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you to all of you for the wealth of information I am finding here, you make it much easier to enjoy this hobby in a way that doesn't make my head hurt too badly!!

[Renron]

Mr. Stinkyfingers,
Really?

Ok past that. Now, the reason you are not getting other replies is because the speakers you are planning to build will sound better than the 700 series.
If you are simply after a design mimic of the B&W, then shape the box Baffle the way you like it. There are much better DIY speaker designs for less than the B&W's retail price.
Perhaps if you were more specific in your design request you would get a better response. (Super Tweeter on top look, baffle sculpture look , ect.)
I'm sorry if this sounds critical, but your question is rather amorphic. (amorphous) I don't know which word is correct in this usage.

Ron

[BobEllis]

"Better" is in the ear of the beholder, but most here are after accurate reproduction, without added boom and sizzle. Boom and sizzle has its place, but to me it's on the dance floor. For my money, availability at Best Buy says middle of the road performer at best. I'll guess that you haven't spent enough time with any of the really accurate speakers to appreciate them. B&W's response jumps out at you the way a TV that is set brighter and with more contrast does. Grabs your attention, but you'll want something more accurate long term.

I've only heard the 802s, but they were being blasted and sounded like there was a blown driver and the dealer insisted I didn't know what I was talking about. Then again, why would I question a dealer who would demo a 2.5 ohm Dunlavy speaker with an OTL tube amp, insisting that it's power rating ensured that it had the current capability to drive the speaker? Again, the primary factor in the demo was how loud speakers could play.

I agree with Ron, there are a wide selection of designs here will easily best the B&Ws sound quality at lower cost. For the price of a single 703 you could build Statements and have all the dynamic range you'll every need at home. A pair of Ardents can be built for just a bit more than the cost of the 702s retail, if you don't consider the front end upgrades that you will do to get the best out of them.

Unfortunately, if you want to mimic the B&W tweeter pod, you'll be on your own for the design, as far as I know. Crossover design takes into account the baffle surrounding the tweeter. How much putting the tweeter in a pod changes the response is unknown. You may be happy with the result, but you could do better with a properly designed crossover. Landspeeder is working a project that may be suitable for the top end of an 800 series clone, but you'll still have a lot of crossover work to do.

As Ron suggested, give us more detail of your desires and maybe someone can help steer you the right way.

[agrippa]

I used to sell speakers so I can tell you that speakers that sound good in the store might not sound as good in your house a month later.
You should know that the statements2 are vastly superior to the 700s. However, you need more space.

[BobEllis]

I guess the OP got discouraged that his query didn’t receive a same day response and hasn’t been back. I guess we are wasting time trying to educate him.

[Renron]

I believe quite a few people with the desire to own great quality speakers, who don't want to spend the $$$ for a retail purchase, are intimidated by the amount of woodworking skills required to complete a quality pair of speakers. What they do NOT realize is, the value of increasing one's ability in a certain skill transfers to other parts of their lives. By challenging one's skillset(s) your abilities and self image improve, giving you more confidence in other aspects of daily life.
I know both Bob and Steve would back me up on this, Jon too.
Grey beard wisdom...(and you get to buy more tools too)
Ron

[5th element]

The trouble is that B&W tend to design their speakers to sound a certain way. The house sound varies across the series but generally speaking no DIYer would design a speaker to sound like this unless that was their goal. This isn't most people's goal.