702S2 vs. 804D3
 

Has anyone made a serious comparison of these two similarly specced speakers?

I am particularly interested in the bass performance.

I was serious but not obsessive: https://www.stereophile.com/content/...s2-loudspeaker

I don't know how "serious" I could call it, but I did just last week compare them, side by side, at a big Best Buy Magnolia store.

Somehow, I just seemed to lean towards the 702S2, and this was the second time I compared them and felt that way. Yes, you can tell the superiority of the 804D3 tweeter, but it seems like it might be a bit too bright and tiring for long listening sessions. I tended to like the vocals better with the 702. For jazz or classical music, I like the 702. I guess if you wanted to belt out hip hop or loud and "in your face" hard rock, the 804 might have the edge.

As to the bass, it seemed to me that the 702 might have the edge, in terms of extension. Personally, I would not buy the 804D3 because it is just too small for me to be spending that much money. I would only go with the D3 series if I could get into the 803D3.

FWIW, I hold the opposite opinions on those two points but that was in my own home and not at BB/Mag.

Thanks Kal. I am asking for a friend who has the 702S2 and is thinking about a step up, but I think he would need to go to the 803D3 to make if worth while. I think he is finding the 702 a little lean sounding.

Agreed.

Another option is to team up the 705S2 with a decent sub-woofer or 2.

I've heard the 705S2's a couple of times now and rate them the best of the 700S2 series.

Excellent driver integration and a fantastic soundstage.
The only caveat is that tweeter, which is highly resolving but also a bit hot.

That "idiosyncratic behavior" that JA refers to in the Stereophile review stems from B&W's preference for simple first order filters. The mid and tweeter are actually out of phase at 2kHz and 6kHz (approx) which explains the response dips above and below the crossover frequency. The flattest response is achieved midway between the tweeter and mid axes, and best to toe the speakers out 20 degrees from the listening position. This applies to pretty much the entire 700 and 800 series too.

What do you guys think about pairing a 702S2 with a DB2D or DB3D sub?

I had 702 S2s arrive this week. I moved my 800 D3s out of the way and with the 702s in place powered off my MC303 / D1100 / C1100 combo.

I thought the soundstage was great, mids were clean, and immediate reduction in bass. Going from the dual 10”s to triple 6.5”s a sub could really be desired with 702s. The 800s probably spoiled me over the last year.

What was surprising to me is I had to turn up the C1100 to 30% instead of the norml 20% or so I listen to it at. Even though the 702s and 800s have the same 90 dB sensitivity rating, the output is less. Is simply the size difference between the two? The crossovers? New speakers not broken in? I let them play for a few hours while I ran some errands.

I’ll get more time with the 702s this week before the 800s get moved back and 702s get moved to surrounds.

I think either sub would be a great addition--the tuning app will make the pairing a breeze either way. Good luck!