B&W 703 $6000 Per Pair
Made In China
Efficiency
B&W 703 Specs Claimed Vs Tests by British HiFi News (3/23 issue)
B&W specs efficiency of 90 dB- It tested at 89, so pretty close.
Impedance
B&W specs impedance of 8 ohms- Nope, not even close.
The 703’s Impedance tests – 2.9 ohms at 111Hz
It is under 6 ohms 70-1.2k
The EPDR is 1.1 ohms at 86Hz
{Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance- takes the impedance and phase data,
then derives the actual impedance an amplifier will see.}
This isn’t very close to 8, which tells us this speaker needs a much more significant amp than what you’d infer from the manufacturer’s claims.
For comparison, Bryston’s Middle Ts run ABOVE 4 ohms throughout their
entire audio band. Even though the Middles are 1dB less efficient, they’re
actually much easier to drive due to the impedance fingerprint.
Frequency Response
B&W claims bass Frequency Response of -3dB at 46 Hz.
Tests show they are -6dB at 55 Hz.
For comparison, Bryston’s Middle Ts are -3dB at 22 Hz.
The Middles go waaaaay deep.
Specs
Specs aren’t everything.
They don’t tell you how a speaker sounds in terms of roses and jasmine.
But specs ARE meaningful when it comes to efficiency, impedance
finger print and frequency response.
Tests reveal a “hugely extended” High Frequency response on 703s as well.
Drive Elements
Tweeter:
B&W calls its tweeter a decoupled carbon dome.
It is, in fact, an aluminum diaphragm coated with carbon.
Bryston uses pure Titanium.
Midrange:
B&W calls its midrange driver Continuum.
It is a woven material similar to Kevlar.
Bryston uses Anodized Aluminum which is a
contiguous material and more linear.
Woofers:
B&W calls its woofer Aerofoil.
The driver has paper “skins” with Styrofoam in between.
Bryston uses Anodized Aluminum, not one material
glued to another- for more taut performance.