Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series S2 Loudspeakers

1. Unpacking

Carton Contents

Check in the carton for:

• 2 Foam plugs
• 8 Self-adhesive rubber supporting feet

Environmental Information

This product complies with international directives, including but not limited to:

1. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment,
2. The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH),
3. The disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

Consult your local waste disposal authority for guidance on how properly to recycle or dispose of this product.

Speaker Installation

The speaker is primarily designed to be mounted on a dedicated floor stand (FS-700 S2), but may be placed on a shelf if preferred. However, it should be noted that this offers less flexibility to optimise the speaker's performance. If shelf placement must be used, we recommend using the foam bung inserts (supplied) to optimise port performance (see Section 4: Fine-Tuning).

In both installation cases, the speakers' tweeters should be approximately at ear height at your usual listening position.

Note: If using a shelf, ensure that it is strong enough to properly support the weight and fit the 4 rubber supporting feet to the underside of the speaker.

2. Positioning

Speaker Positioning

Adjustment of speaker position following initial installation will probably further improve the sound quality and is usually worthwhile.

In either stereo or home theatre installations, try to ensure that the immediate surroundings of each speaker are similar in acoustic character. For example, if one speaker is adjacent to bare walls while the other is adjacent to soft furnishings and curtains, both the overall sound quality and the stereo image are likely to be compromised.

Conventional Stereo Systems

To begin with, the speakers should be positioned between 1.5m and 3m apart at two corners of an equilateral triangle completed by the listening area at the third corner. The speakers should be approximately 0.5m away from the back wall, and at least 0.5m away from any side walls.

Home Theatre Systems

If the speakers are to be used for the front channels in a home theatre system, they should be placed closer together than for 2-channel audio, because the surround channels tend to widen the image. Positioning the speakers within approximately 0.5m of the sides of the screen will also help keep the sound image in scale with the visual image. As with conventional stereo positioning, the speakers should ideally be at least 0.5m away from any side walls. If you would prefer to place your speaker against the back wall and this location results in over emphasised bass, see the Fine Tuning section of this manual for information on using the foam plugs.

Stray magnetic fields

The speaker drive units create stray magnetic fields that extend beyond the boundaries of the cabinet. We recommend you keep magnetically sensitive articles (CRT television and computer screens, computer discs, audio and video tapes, swipe cards and the like) at least 0.5m from the speaker. LCD, OLED and plasma screens are not affected by magnetic fields.

3. Connections

All connections should be made with the audio equipment switched off.

There are 2 linked pairs of terminals on the back of the speaker. For conventional connection (above left), the terminal links should remain in place (as delivered) and just one pair of terminals connected to the amplifier. For bi-wire connections or bi-amplification (above right), the terminal links should be removed and each pair of terminals connected to the amplifier or amplifiers independently. Bi-wiring can improve the resolution of low-level detail.

Ensure that the positive terminals on the speaker (marked + and coloured red) are connected to the positive output terminal on the amplifier and the negative terminals on the speaker (marked – and coloured black) are connected to the negative output terminal on the amplifier. Incorrect connection can result in poor imaging and loss of bass.

Ask your dealer for advice when selecting speaker cable.

4. Fine Tuning

Before fine tuning, make sure that all the connections in the installation are correct and secure.

Moving the speakers further from the walls will generally reduce the volume of bass. Space behind the speakers will also help to create an aural impression of depth. Conversely, moving the speakers closer to the walls will increase the volume of bass. If you want to reduce the volume of bass without moving the speakers further from the wall, fit the foam plugs or, for less severe bass reduction, the foam rings in the port tubes (above).

If the bass seems uneven with frequency this will most probably be a consequence of the acoustic properties of your listening room. Even small changes in the position of the speakers or listening position can have a significant effect on sonic performance, especially at low frequencies. Try moving your listening position or locating your speakers along a different wall if possible.

If no alternatives exist, you can adjust your loudspeakers' low-frequency performance using the supplied foam bungs. The bungs are a two-piece part, allowing for a degree of fine-tuning using either the outer, larger-diameter piece in isolation or the two parts together. Using solely the outer, larger-diameter foam bung will deliver less bass attenuation than the complete bung assembly.

If using floor stands to support the speakers, ensure that they rest firmly on the floor. Use carpet piercing spikes if appropriate and adjust them to take up any unevenness. If you are using our FS-700 S2 stands, we recommend mass-loading them to deliver the best combination of stability and performance. We recommend filling each stand to its maximum available volume using an appropriate material such as kiln-dried sand.

5. Running In

The performance of the speaker will change subtly during the initial listening period. If the speaker has been stored in a cold environment, the damping compounds and suspension materials of the drive units will take some time to recover their correct mechanical properties. The drive unit suspensions will also loosen up during the first hours of use. The time taken for the speaker to achieve its intended performance will vary depending on previous storage conditions and how it is used. As a guide, allow up to a week for the temperature effects to stabilise and 15 hours of average use for the mechanical parts to attain their intended design characteristics.

6. Aftercare

The cabinet surfaces will usually only require dusting. If you wish to use an aerosol or other cleaner, apply the cleaner onto the cloth, not directly onto the product and test a small area first, as some cleaning products may damage some of the surfaces. Avoid products that are abrasive, or contain acid, alkali or antibacterial agents. Marks on the paint surface may be removed with a dilute perfume-free soap solution. Remove any remaining streak marks by spraying with a proprietary glass cleaner and lightly wiping dry with a microfibre cloth. Do not use cleaning agents on the drive units and avoid touching them as damage may result.

Real wood veneers are treated with an ultra-violet resistant lacquer to minimise changes in colour over time. Nevertheless, like all natural materials, a degree of colour change is to be expected. Colour differences may be rectified by exposing all the veneer surfaces equally and evenly to sunlight until the colour is uniform. This process can take a long time, but may be accelerated by careful use of an ultra-violet lamp. Keep the speakers away from direct sources of heat such as radiators and warm air vents in order to minimise the possibility of the wood veneer cracking.