That review of the 702s is an absolute useless and misleading pile of garbage, as are most reviews that don’t bother to make direct comparisons to another competitive model.
Inasmuch as the 702 Signature may close the large gap between the base 702 and the 804 (probably why B&W felt it necessary to produce the Signature in the first place) it’s definitely worth a look. However, at that price point you’re looking at some formidable competitors. One example would be the largely unheralded Joseph Audio Profile that, in my opinion, is superior to the 804 D3 at $2000 less (yes I’ve heard them both in the same system). It’s as detailed as the 804 but sounds more tonally natural, has superior imaging and soundstage abilities, and sounds like a bigger speaker. Other excellent alternatives would be the Vandersteen Treo as well as models from ProAc, Usher, etc. That’s just my take, but the point is at the higher price point of the 702 Signature I think you should look around at some other options rather than just automatically moving up the same model line. Frankly, you could try the LSA-20 Statements ($3300 here on A’gon) on a 30-day home trial and I’m pretty confident those will blow away your 702s on every level (you can read reviews) and possibly save you 3 grand in the process. I don’t mean to be harsh here, just trying to relate some thoughts from my direct experience with the models in question and hope it helps a little. Best of luck.
The highly resolving carbon dome tweeter of the Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 reveals additional details in music and movies that few other speakers at its price point can. Indeed, it delivers most of what its big brother the B&W 804 D3 can, and at half the price.That statement is complete hogwash! Having worked for Magnolia for a short time I got to compare the 804 D3 directly with the 702 S2 extensively using the same equipment and recordings, and NOBODY at our store thought the 702s were anywhere near as good as the 804s — not even close. Relative to the 804s the 702 sounds congested, distorted, and veiled. This is what happens when reviewers are too lazy or are unable to directly compare a review sample with something else (certainly makes the review process quicker and easier though). They instead rely on some faint memory or jump to some well-worn phrase to try to put the sound in perspective, and it’s usually wrong and completely misleading just as it was in this crap review.
Inasmuch as the 702 Signature may close the large gap between the base 702 and the 804 (probably why B&W felt it necessary to produce the Signature in the first place) it’s definitely worth a look. However, at that price point you’re looking at some formidable competitors. One example would be the largely unheralded Joseph Audio Profile that, in my opinion, is superior to the 804 D3 at $2000 less (yes I’ve heard them both in the same system). It’s as detailed as the 804 but sounds more tonally natural, has superior imaging and soundstage abilities, and sounds like a bigger speaker. Other excellent alternatives would be the Vandersteen Treo as well as models from ProAc, Usher, etc. That’s just my take, but the point is at the higher price point of the 702 Signature I think you should look around at some other options rather than just automatically moving up the same model line. Frankly, you could try the LSA-20 Statements ($3300 here on A’gon) on a 30-day home trial and I’m pretty confident those will blow away your 702s on every level (you can read reviews) and possibly save you 3 grand in the process. I don’t mean to be harsh here, just trying to relate some thoughts from my direct experience with the models in question and hope it helps a little. Best of luck.