New 703' coming what to look for

[Mitchell]

I just purchase a pair of 703's, with a rotel 200 watt per channe amp, a seperate preamp and tuner.
They should be arriving next week. I went with an extra large amp as it seemed to help out the bass during the demos I did. Does this make sense?
I am worried that they will sound too top heavy and bright and I have heard people say that B&W 7 series can cause ear fatigue.
I thought they sounded great at the dealer with the more powerful amp but a little anemic with smaller less expensive amps.
Also what kind of break in period should I expect?
Any input on these subjects would be appreciaated.
Thanks

[Azeke]

Okay, I'll give this a shot.

First of all congratulations on your new purchases, you look like you have done your research.

Break-in theories vary, as a rule the first two weeks are the most critical. I played my equipment, running it the first 48 hours continously (make sure you are around of course) @ approximately 75db. My personal experiences are speakers usually take around 200-300 hrs., and amps around 100 hrs., This should provide you a frame of reference.

Cabling is also important, depending on who you speak to contact Lex at CatCables (the sponsor of this forum), I'm sure he would be more than happy to advise you. This may help you address the brightness issue.

Hope this helps,

Azeke

[Aussie Geoff]

Mitchell,

Congratulations - I know you will enjoy.

Make sure you have good bi-wire speaker wire for the 703s - they need it and your Rotel RB-1080 has two sets of speaker binding posts specially to support it...

Re amplifier power 200ZW isn't too much for the 703s - it is "just enough" Your description of sounding comparatively anemic on lesser amplificaiton is absolutely valid. They need current following amplifiers that can follow there impedence and phase angle swings through the bass and mid bass regions... They don't sound bad on lesser amplifiers - untill you compare them to more powerful ones and then you think "wow see what I was missing"!

Remember to experiment carefull with your stereo speaker pkacement - in from the corner walls and in a little from the back wall if you can. Personall I like the 703s with the foam port plugs out (cleaner bass) and use possitioning to get the sound right...

You will have a great stereo system,

I hope this helps!

Geoff

[Mitchell]

Jeff and Azeke,
Thanks for the response. I cant tell you how nerve racking this can be. Its alot of money for me and there seems to never be an absolute correct answer. Amazing to read professional reviews and personal reviews with completely opposite opinions about B&W speakers. While the vast majority are very positive, some actually say they couldnt take the brightness or lack of base and traded them in. Anyway this forum has been a big help as I have been monitoring it and getting ideas on what to look for at the audio dealer. I brought music that needed serious base to a demo and decided that the 704's were not for me and that the 703's were anemic without a big amp. I originally started with a 100 watt receiver and was amazed at the difference at normal listening levels that larger amps made on the sound. I would have thought it was a salesman pitch.
Thanks for the input
Mitchell

[sikoniko]

From what I have heard, a lot of people don't let the 700 series speakers break in before they trade them in, and that harshness goes away after break-in.

[aaron]

A lot of the negative feedback is from audio snobs that just cant accept the fact that a massive producer of speakers can make such an incredibly sounding product. They can't deal with it; believing that small, low production companies are the only ones that can make a beautifully sounding speaker.

What they forget is the fact that B&W's "largeness" contributes to the most heavily funded research and development in the business - bar none!

[hired goon]

From what I have heard, a lot of people don't let the 700 series speakers break in before they trade them in, and that harshness goes away after break-in.

I was auditioning 703 vs 705 yesterday, using Musical Fidelity gear. The 703 was smooth, with nice bass and spot-on imaging, but the 705 was slightly harsh, lacking good imaging, and the bass was noticably missing. The 705s have been in the store for ages, and were "broken in", but that slight harshness was still evident.

In fact, I replaced the 705s with 602 s3 and thought the 602s were much better overall.

-- Geoff

[Aussie Geoff]

Hired Goon,

Your comments perfectly illustrate a very important point - sound preferences are personal, especially when it comes to speakers...

Thanks for taking the time to share. People need to listen before deciding what is right for them.. Even manufactuers such as B&W, while having a "family sound" have quite significant variatiosn both within a range of speakers (e.g. 600 or 700 series) and between those ranges. There are others that love the sound of the 705 more than the 704 or 703... and see it as being the pick of the 700 series... I'm glad you took the time to listen and I would agree that the 703 is a very nice speaker to nearly everyones ears!

Geoff

[MICHAEL STRO]

703's in my house right now

I too have a set of 703 i'm auditioning.just got them from the dealer on loan today.they sound very nice.will do comparison test tues night. :T

[MICHAEL STRO]

Wow Wow Wow Wow

The 703,s are fantastic i'm going to order a pair friday.

[Mitchell]

703

Michael,
What are you replacing with the 703's and what amps doyou run?

[nyny]

Mitchell>>> I am from NYC as well and I am curious where you purchased your 703s and what kind of deal you got for them since I am thinking about upgrading my fronts to the 703s as well. Thanks for your help!

[will1066]

Michael, are you in NYC, as well? I'm curious of which dealer allowed you a home demo.

[MICHAEL STRO]

Ordered The 703's Today

mitchell I'm in buffalo ny, I've been dealing with the speaker shop for 18 years for all of my high end stuff. they were very good about letting me take some stuff home.my original speakers were paradigm studio 60's v2 ,I brought home the studio 60's v3,they were much better than the v2, then I brought home the B&W 703'S and they just blew everything else away.I run 10 channels total in a 7.2 setup. (2) ROTEL 1075 amps and the front three speakers are true biamped.so 6 channels are going thru the left right and center.the other 4 channels are for the surrounds and the rears.

[Mitchell]

Hi,
I bought my system from Stereo Exchange. I bought a whole system and he took 10% off list. Its a 2 channel system no HT. I liked a guy alot from Innovative audio also. They didnt have as much 2 channel gear as Stereo Exchange though . I just got it and hooked it up last night. AWESOME!
I was prepared for some brightness/harshness and resigned to hoping it would dissipate after break in. There was none at all.
Heres what I found:
Classic Rock and Roll - shows the limitations of source material. My Led Zep CD's vary according to the quality of the recording. Some sound very average some sound great. Beatles Let it be sounds average. Well recorded Rock such as Who Emminence Front sound incredible with amazing clarity and base and instruments I had never heard before - really amazing. Same with performers like Nancy Griffith. Its like having her in my living room.
Jazz - sounds great no negatives except on exceptionaly bad recordings.
I listened to Miles Davis Sketches of Spain and it was awesome. Same with some Chet Baker and Thelonious Monk. Horns sounded natural and raspy great texture.
Classical was superb - Sophie Mutter, Beethovens Violin Concerto was like being there.
I cant wait to hear what they sound like after a break in interval.
I have not spent any time on positioning .
Thanks for all the input.
Mitchell

[nyny]

Mitchell>> I also got my gears from SE. I also talked to and liked the staff and owner of Innovation Audio (evry knowledgeable and professional), but ultimately decided to get my stuff from SE becuase it's a lot closer to my apartment...plus, SE staff are friendly and knowledgeable as well.

BTW, thanks for the quick review...I can't wait till I move into a larger apartment so that I can add a dedicated stereo setup.

[EAmin]

I LOVE my 703s!!!

I put my HT in last Sunday with an HTM7 center and 7NTs as rears. All are powered by a Rotel RMB 1095 and 1098 Processor. Although it is still breaking in, it sounds incredible. I cannot stress how important the speaker placement is as Aussie Geoff has mentioned. We moved my speakers away from the walls and it made a HUGE difference in sound. Originally, they were against the walls in our family room.

Enjoy the new system.

[Mitchell]

Aussie geoof suggested using good bi-wire cable. The dealer sold me monster cable that has 2 terminals on the amp side and 4 on the speaker side.
How is the signal split?
Is this considered bi-wire?
Mitchell

[Aussie Geoff]

Mitchell,

Yes this is considered bi-wire - 2 to 4 cables are what most people use if their amplifier doesn't have two sets of speaker terminals (what amp to you have?)

The signal is split right at the beginning each of the two banana plugs is connected to a joiner and two wires which then run (often bound together externally by an insulating cover) to the speaker where they are separated and the 4 banana plugs are connected. I know it sounds strange, but this is almost as good as the two speaker terminals on the amp, since inside the amp there would have been a copper bar or wire joining each pair of terminals anyhow and this just moves the separation from an inch inside the amplifer to an inch outside it...

Don't forget to remove the connecting wires from between the speaker terminals (as per the diagram in the B&W 703 manual) or you will short the amplifier...

PS - Some people swear by Monster Cables (some at them) - my view (and I used to have a lot or Monster Cable) is that they are OK to good (depending on model) however you can get way better value for the money:
1) What model are they? (e.g. Z2 Biwire are reasonable quality?)
2) Did your dealer stock any other brands? or did he give you a great deal on them?
That aside bi-wired Monsters will be better than single-wired monster cables - so enjoy!

Geoff

[Mitchell]

Geoff
Hi am using a Rotel 1080. He did not give me a choice of cables.
I must admit I was floored with the expenses of cables and did not realize that they were an integral part of the system.
I remember when I was buying my last system 15 years ago and I just got some heavy duty double stranded wire that the dealer threw in.
Obviously, Monster is heavily marketed and I wish I had known about some of the alternatives before hand. I gave so much thought to the speakers and the amp i really didnt even focus on the cables.
On another note, the bass on the 703's seems uneven meaning good on some recordings and "anemic on others" do you think this will improve after break-in? it only seems to be an issue on rock CD's not at all on classical or jazz. The bass is very articulated however and I can usually follow along with the bass lines. How much does speaker positioning effect the bass? and if necessary could I hook up a subwoofer to my system? Where would it hook up if I were to?
Thanks for all the great input everybody, this forum makes the whole process much more interesting and fun.
Mitchell

[Aussie Geoff]

Mitchell,

Hi am using a Rotel 1080. He did not give me a choice of cables.
I must admit I was floored with the expenses of cables and did not realize that they were an integral part of the system. ... I gave so much thought to the speakers and the amp i really didn’t even focus on the cables.

What model Monsters Bi-wires are they and what did the dealer charge? See this THREAD - I also don't think much of the Monster M1.4s however their Z2 bi-wires are reasonable and have a good reputation...

Most monster bi-wire cables come in pre-made runs and can be returned - or were these specially made for you? If they were pre-wired from the M series (e.g. M1.4), I personally would be looking at returning them and buying two separate cable runs (4 plugs at each end) of another brand.

On another note, the bass on the 703's seems uneven meaning good on some recordings and "anemics on others" do you think this will improve after break-in? it only seems to be an issue on rock CD's not at all on classical or jazz. The bass is very articulated however and I can usually follow along with the bass lines. How much does speaker positioning effect the bass? and if necessary could I hook up a subwoofer to my system? Where would it hook up if I were to?

Speaker positioning will almost certainly help this. The Anaemic effect you mention us usually a combination of room node cancellation of the bass and the speakers own frequency response. How far are they away from the walls and corners? Try moving them a a foot or two further away from the walls. If this makes a big difference you may find that even moving 6 inches from where you started will help.

Toeing the speakers in to point at your listenning position is a good move - helps imaging and (sometimes) can change the mid bass colouratons people get. There are also some cases (not many) where the right combination for good bass is to plug the front port on the 703s and have them closer to the wall...

Geoff

[MICHAEL STRO]

Now The Wait

man I can't wait for these 703's to get here.