Bowers & Wilkins has entered the realm of the ever popular portable Bluetooth speaker category, and from the looks of their T7, they’ve hit a homer. The Bowers & Wilkins T7 is a stunning design piece that will add sophistication to any home or workplace, and at $349.99, it might cause a little case of sticker shock, but it will also deliver the richest base and the crispiest trebles you’ve ever heard, particularly in a portable. Add to that the no-distortion grade sound, thanks to digital signal processing (DSP), and we may have found the perfect portable speaker, delivering crazy sound at any volume, and the design is stunning.
Bowers & Wilkins T7 Build
The T7 is portable, obviously, and it incorporates the latest Bluetooth technology. The T7’s style looks very much like Bowers & Wilkins products, measures 4.5″ x 8.3″ x 2.1″, and weighs in at a feathery 2.1-pound. B&W gave it a black and gray color pallet, and the transparent honeycomb housing serves as a shock mount for vibration, as well as gives the illusion of a suspended speaker.
Both 2-inch, 50mm, 12-watt drivers and passive bass radiator are covered by a speaker grille on the front panel, and on the back panel resides a second bass radiator, which pushes sound out the back as well. Also on the back, there’s a connection for the included power adapter, a micro USB port and a 3.5mm Aux input. Along the rubberized side, you’ll find status LEDs lights to show what mode the speaker is in. Buttons across the top include volume, play/pause, and a Bluetooth pairing button.
T7 Performance
First the battery. It’s huge and it lasts, giving you at least 18-hours, and while there’s no speaker phone allowing you to field calls, it will notify you of a call. When this happens, your music will become softer, so you can answer calls from your smartphone.
Sound wise, the Bowers & Wilkins T7 has mad bass for a speaker this size. At higher volumes, the DSP kicks in to prevent the drivers from distorting, and the T7 can get very loud! Audio is also very crisp and rich, especially with the trebles and mids, and maintains a mix balance seemingly automatically, regardless of varying pitches. At the end of the day, the T7 delivers wonderfully balanced and deep sound.
You can also pair up to eight devices at once with the T7, which is a pretty nifty feature.
B&W T7 Bottom Line
The T7 offers you balanced sound and power unlike any other of its competitors. It offers clean audio, crisp highs and mids, and rich bass. And let’s not forget the sophisticated design. Apart from the fact the price will be out of reach for some, it’s a killer portable and it works lovely with the iPhone 6 and other late-gen smartphones, particularly with the T7’s control over MP3s and other file types.
