Thank you for this video. The sound demo definitely shows the sound signature of B&W. Very good clarity. The CSS sound warm and punchy, very complete sound. I like the vinyl wrap you did, and they sound very good, the bass is amazing.

Really appreciate your work for these speakers demo, especially some that uses the same song. It really gives me an idea of the tonality difference between these speakers. Thanks for the great work!

How does this video not have more views?! Great review and comparison!

This is the best comparison video I've seen! You really explain each speaker very well. Thank you very much.

I appreciate this channel for its engaging content that explores nuanced differences, followed by showcasing well-recorded tests. The video are of exceptional quality, making the viewing experience truly enjoyable.

You described the differences very well. It's very close. Thanks for comparing these excellent speakers.

The vocal seemed more recessed on the CSS, more forward on the B&W. I was surprised how comparable they are. Great demo!

Great comparison. Thanks for doing this. The CSS has more air in the midrange and instruments sound more seperatly, more live. The 706 sounds in the beginning more comfortable but after a while it sounds boring and polite. I am more attracted by the character of the CSS.

Great video as always, curious how the GR Research Encore would compare

Just finished and hooked up my Parts Express Tri Trix TL floorstanders to my bedroom TV/receiver. Thought I would need a sub with those little 5" woofers, but the TL design makes an amazing amount of bass. DIY is the way to go!

Great comparison. Keep up the wonderful work.

Love this channel. Hard to believe a kit and do this.

Hey! Great comparison! Bring more of these! Both good speakers, the CSS may have better bass but the overall presentation and specially the tweeter is better in the B&W!

A great review and it clearly shows why you have to listen and not just look at response graphs. Both speakers measurements track within a couple or three DB of each other all across their ranges save for the lower frequency extension of the CSS and the very high frequency bump in the BW. Neither of which is enough to show the significant difference in the way these two speakers sound. Test tones and music are very different animals. Use your ears folks. Buy what you like and enjoy because what someone else likes is irrelevant.

I like the simplicity of your setups... It makes it relatable and affordable to most of us

As always, applause for the movie .. Nice comparison ..

good comparison, It's the 706's for me, more control and better balanced

as a finally we are listening on youtube. i feel female vocal very realistic with B&W. Thanks for all videos

I wish creative sound solutions would offer a beryllium dome tweeter option 👍

Great video. What i notice is the 706 much like my own speakers have the boxed in sound with some diffraction from the design. The CSS speakers disappear better and the playback in this video sounds more like the source material.

thank you for your review.

Thank you sir!

Both excellent B happy with either like the idea of building my own but in this test thought overall the B&W more airy more space between the instruments I preferred But not by much ..

Both are very nice

For this system setup, BW sounds effortless, more mid bass detail, overall separation is easy to define the music but for long term listening is fatiguing.. CSS for casual listening, need to improve midbass definition. Will enjoy for long term listening.

CSS strong, accurate lows + B&W clear, articulate highs = ideal speaker.

I build speakers from scratch and I use my 706s as reference speakers as a guide. Then I tweak my speakers for my personal touch. And to match my Audiolab 6000A amp and my room. And my made speakers flog my 706s (after making the tweaks). I think it's a few factors why. Mine are point source sound and have unique acoustic features (like a partially open mounted driver for a dipole effect, and several other radical ideas). And maybe cos the 706s are a bad match for my amp and a bad match for my room. And the fact that rooms make a difference inspired me to get reference speakers...to get an idea of how a speaker basically should sound. Even though I'm not impressed with the sound of the 706s, they obviously helped me a lot with designing speakers cos my made speakers sound eons better since I got the 706s. A game changer! 2:44 The dip at 6khz on the 706s is a bit worse than the CSS and (and the gradual downward sweep of the whole curve) must be why the voice sound on the 706s is so "boxed in" (in my room). It made me think how could whoever designed the voicing of the 706s conclude on that sound? (Afer comparing them with my made speakers.) Your 706s sound better through my made speakers than my 706s on direct feed! Brass sounds are wooden compared to my speaker brass sounds (that have that metalic sparkle). Piano sound goes "blong blong" on the 706s and on mine it's "gling gling". And female voice with that "croak" in the voice sound on mine, also smokes the 706s. Soundstage and illusion that it's live music in the room on mine, also obliterates the 706s. Several people have heard the difference and they all agree. 13:18 You can hear the difference between point source and regular 2-ways with PIANO! Try it yourself with regular 2-ways and the LS 50s on piano (and the difference is obvious). Also try Big Band sound. An 8" REL and a pair of LS 50s would be a good system. The maker of the CSSs tested the LS 50s on KZfaq and they are pretty flat but are small and need the sub for larger rooms.

I think why you thought the 706 was more “airy” was because of the boosted treble. The 1TDX was more linear and actually better.

Definately the B & W speakers. They sound really good.

706 has more punchier bass and more clarity ...really appreciate your hard work

I'd make these kind of tests a little more interesting. You name the speakers during the test, we can read which one we are hearing at the given moment. Name them A and B and reveal the ID only at the end of the video. So the listening people could test themself as well, are they really unbiased ? Now they just say "BW 706 or maybe DIY 1TDX" but I think they are probably/maybe biased. They could be.

I love the warmer sound of the 1 tdx. I find b w speakers to fatiguing over long listening.

thanks for soundclips. i have the GR Research X-LS with the all upgrade and no rez and love the sound, but bass is a bit thin, so i build the x-sls, the floor model and wow the bass i so good. just orderd the css criton 1td kit with standard crossover because i love standmount speakers, so i am lokking forward to hear both of them. if i like the css i will upgrade the crossover.

BW 706 ❤️

Most surprising thing to me is how similar they actually sound. The bass is stronger on the CSS, a bit too much in my opinion to sound natural, muddies the whole sound somewhat. Otherwise the differences are subtle, with the B&W being more refined. I never would have thought of using orange vinyl wrap but it looks sharp, big improvement from the all grey you started with and the two tone makes it pop. Nice choice and great job for a first try.

Hi Tharbamar, I've got the 706, powered by a Denon PMA-2500NE, now looking to upgrade the 706s.

Hallo ,. Can you compare how crossovers of both speakers are build?

great follow up review! As an owner of the 2TD-X with standard crossover I would like your opinion on the superior vs. standard as I may want to upgrade. I had the superior crossover in my original, non "X", model and decided to go with the standard when I upgraded to the "X". I now wonder if I should spend the aggional for the superior. Thanks for you reviews, I have always enjoyed them. I have built your speaker cables and found them to be excellent value.

Are they suitable for a 15m2 room? How close can you get them to the wall?

Based on your recordings, the B&W's sound better to me. I less 'muffled' on the top end. When I switch to the same section of music, it is like a I poked my head out from under a blanket.

The sound of 1TDX is very good, which is one of the best DIY speakers I have heard so far. In contrast, 1TDX is more rich and personalized, and B&W is purer, which is more suitable for the preferences of the public.

It sounds to me just as if the CSS speakers are way bigger, but that you just enter the next room in which they're in...they sound a bit more hefty but also a bit more recessed and hollow... Although I think on the long run you will be a bit less tired listening to the CSS speakers, I like the B&W signature just a bit more. As if you peel of another layer of protective coating to unravel the last bit of detail...like that.

I can make those tweeters sound brighter better dispersion at love frequency as well, sound more like a metal tweeter but without the sibilance and is reversible if you're interested did it 25 years ago on seas soft dome tweeters and scanspeak works very well. anything up from about 12 k up can vary the frequency also too much! And as well you would be better off if you put some blu tack beading as a gasket for the drivers, about 6 mm for the woofer about 4 mm for the tweeter compress it about half its width 3 mm for that woofer 2-3mm for the tweeter. As well as that two sheets either side of blue tack vertically stacked roll on with a wallpaper roller keep away from the sides and top and bottom start about an 2.5" below the woofer vocal coil hard to say with that size probably up to the tweeter magnet have the sheet slightly forward off centre than backwards, then quite hard with the paper roller clean the particular board first with some isopropyl on a rag this will help with vertical distortion in the cabinet eliminating cut it down.

1a tem som mais equilibrado,gostoso de ouvir e a 2a mais voz,destaca o agudo. gostei mais da 1a

The B&W sounds dry to me, good to me and the bass sounds different, dispite the curves looks almost identical. I prefer the B&W, but over them I prefer my ELAC BS243.3.

if this model CSS Criton 1TDX was finished completely in some factory and then if the only way it is to bay from dealer, the price will be somewhere between 2.999 to 3499$, or if you like this way do it yourself, let's take account that you want very good finish, this CSS Criton 1TDX will cost you around 1799 to 1990$, if you are looking for more bass ok otherwise it's not good idea.

I like the B&W

For 1TDX I am compliment for price / performance ratio. It is good and should recommend to others. But not your class D amps. Another good cheap alternative is GR XLS encore,

I'm thinking CSS with the less expensive x-over is really the bargain. This is a very welcome review.

What are the speaker stands under the CSS Criton's?

How much is the shipping fee for the 1tdx to your place?

Para mi, las Bowers están más presentes en la voz, sin haber gran diferencia en medios y graves.

I will vote for 1tdx. I would not resist listening to B&W for long, they are made for demoing capabilities.

My 1tdx are on the way.

So? Isn't it worth buying the sonus faber for $15,000 if I can have the same sound for $1,500? Thanks for your answer.

Each speakers have each own strength. But I still prefer the 706, more clarity and instruments separation. The CSS kit is not bad though, just too rolled off for my liking.

Close but 706 wins. I would save up for the 706

B&W 706 S2 a little better. Is there a big difference in price?

I have never heard a better speaker than the 706 S2 for $2000.

B and W models in the S series have exaggerated top end according to Stereophile measaurements . Not better I think

Or save some money and get some quad s2's for 600 and spend the rest on a better amp? Those diy speakers are sweet though 🤔

BW hands down winner here. CSS sound a little overbright , and lacking some low end. BW smoother warmer and goes deeper low freq. that’s that I’m am not a fan of BW speakers , but I have to give it to BW

The 1TDX’s sound freaking amazing. Just seem pricey for a DIY kit. But I’m no expert in the DIY area so I have no experience to base that on. What are other good DIY speakers to look into that are worth considering?

The B&W sounds a bit flimsy in the top end no gusta what you really get with a lot of tweeters. might tweak will sort that out it will sound like a proper symbol from a drum kit in your room

Not much difference in price considering that the DIY is a magnitude of order cheaper. I was expecting to compete with 4K speakers. Considering this is it better to buy a good finished speaker than to do a DIY? For the fun of building maybe, but for many I wonder? As for myself, I want the kit that cost 1000 dollars and competes with a 5K speaker. Now I would bet a dollar that the crossover parts inside the B&W are not as good as the DIY. So I wonder if the driver quality and stiff cabinet have more to do about the sound than foil copper inductor and and silver caps. Any thoughts?

B&W 706 S2

I am curious how the CSS speaker would compare to the wharfedale lintons?

You need to level match, otherwise the louder one will always sound better.

B&W's have clearer sound but too expensive for me. The CSS lack separation. How would the Klipsch RP 600M compare to the CSS ? Thanks !

Id rather buy the two 😆

You should swap tweeters for fun

ya escuche la canción original y escucho mucha reverb de la habitación le falta bajos

No comparison, the CSS sounds more natural and lifelike. It has the correct timbre.

The 706s through my made speakers sound better than my 706s.

what is the ideal placement of the 1tdx in the room? how much space should i give it from the walls

The CSS is warmer, less details. The 706 has tighter bass, more upper mid details, and much more top end. The CSS seems a good deal if you don't value your time...unless part of the appreciation is building them yourself (I get that).

1200usd is a lot for a mini monitor kit. 1200usd not including your work put into building , what for some could be 1000usd worth of their time, so these kits should be totally better in every way . 600usd kit should be better than 2000usd build speaker for it to be a good deal. Try Dannys 500usd GR research kit vs these 706s2....

How does the CSS Criton compare against the Wharfedale EVO 4.2?

706 S2 appear to be a better speaker. More lively.

B&W 👍🏻

Just goes to show you that a DIY speaker has pros and cons just like any other speaker.

next, GR-Research kit. Then comparison

How does it compare to evo 4.2?

What is it you keep looking at off screen?

The B&W sounds better to my ears.

Hello. Is focal aria 906 a better speaker please ?

Wow, ok - didn't like the sound of the demo on either speaker, but the 706 S2 hands down won this round. The voice sounded muddy and indistinct on the Critons. The 706 were clear, and much more dynamic in the right places.

Tharbamar, looks like you like the sound of the B&W sound(from previous reviews), but do you know that the sound is "Coloured"(applies to 607 S2 and & 705 diamond) and not neutral cos I read the reviews from two independent sources. The fact is the freq. response curve has a deep dip around the x-over and rising hump at the high freq. tweeter. If you are interested in the details let me know and I will put the references here. CSS wins. Thanks for the comparison.

It would had benn Cool if B&W Had used A better crossover in the first pla,ce in spite of that there still Good just nothing really special? I used to own The 686s which actually went a bit deeper,.. Wish I had sent them to G.R. Research ?

B&W is better, high-end sound.👍👍👍👍👍

CSS Criton 1TDX лучше по СЧ и НЧ Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2 лучше по ВЧ

706 they are definitely better

706 S2 better clearly

Looking at the response curves I would say you’re measuring the room as much as the speakers. They shouldn’t mirror each other that much.

706 is more detailed. Clarity + sound separation is important. It is not all about the bass.

Would u assemble for a fee on the css?

Out this demo, the DIYs are far better - by all means 🤷🏻‍♂🤷🏻‍♂

B$W sorry typo it should be B&W 706 s2 are the better speakers

b&w great

I am willing to guarantee if you take them apart the css is way better quality.. especially the crossover parts, these big name companies use cheap components, iron core inductors, electrolytic caps and sandcast resistors, not to mention the cheap pvc type internal wiring