A three-way centre with its own midrange and a tweeter above the cabinet.
The HTM71 S3 divides dialogue, bass and treble among separate driver groups.
The single Bowers & Wilkins HTM71 S3 is the three-way centre speaker in the 700 S3 range. A 130 mm Continuum FST midrange sits between two Aerofoil woofers of the same diameter, while a 25 mm Carbon Dome occupies the Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing. This arrangement is its main difference from the HTM72 S3, a two-way design with twin Continuum bass/midrange cones.
Key features
- Three-way vented centre: 25 mm Carbon Dome in Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top
- 130 mm Continuum FST midrange and two 130 mm Aerofoil woofers
- Response 50 Hz-28 kHz (±3 dB); sensitivity 89 dB
- 8-ohm impedance (3.1-ohm minimum); recommended amplifier 30-200 W
- Cabinet 165 × 628 × 318 mm; 233 mm tall including tweeter; weight 17.45 kg
At the centre of the stage
The centre channel carries much of a soundtrack's dialogue and belongs in a defined position near the screen. Here the midrange works independently of the Aerofoil woofers, and the tweeter does not share the baffle with the other drivers. Flowport tunes the vented cabinet. Driver separation resembles the three-way 700 S3 towers, adapted to a horizontal centre enclosure.
Check the clearances
The cabinet alone is 165 mm high and 628 mm wide. The upper tweeter takes height to 233 mm; depth reaches 356 mm with grille and terminals, against 318 mm for the bare enclosure. It therefore needs more vertical clearance and width than the HTM72 S3. At 17.45 kg, shelf load and access to the rear also deserve attention in an integrated TV unit.
The ±3 dB response is 50 Hz-28 kHz and sensitivity 89 dB. Recommended amplification is 30-200 W into 8 ohms, but impedance can drop to 3.1 ohms. Where the space beneath the display cannot accommodate Tweeter-on-Top, the HTM72 S3 stands 165 mm high without a top module; the 600 Series HTM6 S3 uses a Titanium Dome tweeter and a two-way layout.
