Experience with B&W 703?

Wow! Two very different assessments. I have heard that the 703's sound very forward and harsh until properlly broken-in. I sure hope this is the case, as I have few options.
Thanks for the advice.

2chnlben

Thank you skyhawk. I agree with you about the need for a long break-in for speakers, especially the 703. I did think that the dealer's demos were very forward and somewhat harsh sounding. But, then I listened to my co-worker's 703's which he's had for more than seven months, with lots of hours on them, and I thought they sounded very good. So now I'm trying to remember what my co-workers really sounded like. I may have been somewhat infuenced by happy hour at his house, whereas, I was stone-sober at the dealer demo! Thus, my thread on the 703.

I always appreciate the opinion of others. I just hope I can trade the 703's down the road and not lose too much. I never see any 703's listed here. I don't know if that's because no one wants them or if the owners are happy with them and don't want to part with them!!?? I hope it's the later.

Thanks
Cheers
2chnlben

Well, I suppose I will chime in here for one last comment, and then let this thread die.
I now have the 703's in my 2 channel system. I did notice that they were too harsh and bright right out of the box, but this was to be expected; the Kevlar used for the mid-driver is a very rigid material that needs to "soften up".
Now with more than 400 hours on them, they sound very good; much "bigger" and fuller- sounding than any stand-mounts that I've heard. I like them, but I realize there are better speakers on the market. I do like the way they play very loud and remain in control; the bass is fast and tight and the mids are actually quite lovely. B&W utilize a metal dome that, like all metal domes, imparts a “metal” sound, which some may describe as bright. The best way to position B&W's is to toe them out, slightly away from the ears, as this tends to eliminate much of that "direct" contact with the tweeter (still "toed-in", but not as direct as with some speakers). They’re a good solid speaker, built by a company that is very serious about how its products stack up in the market place. They would try VERY hard not to release a product in this price-range that failed in comparison to products costing less than a third what they retail for...common sense. B&W has way too much competition to slack off and they have the R&D capabilities to design and build some pretty darn good stuff.
If I had the choices, I would probably have gone with a different manufacturer, but I was limited. All told, I am not unhappy with the 703's. They do sound better after a long break-in and utilization of lots of good clean power.

Thank to all

2chnlben