I now had a few days to play around with the Formation Duo, in direct comparison with the Wireless II's.
I start with some minuses and go to the good stuff later in a separate message, there are quite a few.
Please also note, so far I have not used the Formation Audio, the optional Hub to connect more sources. I will cover this separately. The below is simply streaming through the app. I do not use Roon.
1. Volume control steps are too big (unless I've missed a trick but there is not much to play with in the simple app). At lower volume there is not enough scope for adjustment. They should double the available steps, at least!
2. There is no off 'switch'. B&W simply say there is no need to ever turn them off. - They do go automatically in to standby after no signal is received after a while but as odd as this may seem, I like an 'off button', even if it's only in the app. Little things matter and add to user enjoyment.
3. The whole of the Class D amplifier section, the base of the speaker, gets rather warm approaching hot. Far more so than the Kef's with their dedicated heat sinks. This may or may not bode well for the longevity of electronic components within. Heat is usually the enemy so we'll see. I am surprised though considering the topology. I will buy a suitable thermometer this week to get accurate readings but for now I will leave it at I never had a hifi component that was running hotter. One possible explanation is that the base section of the speaker also includes the 5 or so antennaes and router to form the Duo's own Mesh network.
4. The app/s. Currently there are 2 and they are neither as comprehensive or intuitive as KEF's. They work and that is all I can praise them for. -
There is no Room Correction or any other niceties for that matter such as an option to determine cut off-frequencies for subwoofer integration. Perhaps this option only appears when connecting a sub? - I hope so as this really is a must in a product like this! - Literally the only things you can adjust are Volume, bass & treble. Volume in-App adjustment, apart from not being fine enough can seem clumsy on occasions. With the KEF's you get a remote, here you don't. Everything is app controlled and B&W has work to do. - For nearly 4 grand I expect more ... including Room Correction.
There was an update a few months ago which added ... Alexa. That was it. - Although B&W say they are continuing to improve the app, it all seems that they stopped doing where it matters a year ago. Not good enough, especially for a product that relies entirely on its app.
5. Packaging. I am all for environmental friendliness but B&W have gone a little too far. - I know £4k is small change in the high end but if CA Audio can do better with £400 products I want something a little nicer when spending 10 times this. Its a carton box with a couple of Styrofoam panels and the speakers wrapped in some white protective thin foam like bag. - The manual and product info is the size of a post card and only marginally thicker. There are a couple of weedy, ultra thin feeling figure of 8 power leads with UK connections and a further 2 for Europe. - Yes, it all does the job but something a little nicer would make the unpacking experience ... nicer.
6. Non removable grilles. Fair enough, they look superb and no doubt the speaker was designed with them in place but apparently the same Continuum drivers were used as in the 800 series (with cast baskets and big magnet systems) so I occasionally would like to see what I've paid for, even only from the front. I also think black anodised grilles would have looked smarter with the black version, likewise white for the ... .
Not a good start perhaps but there is better to come. I will pass my findings on to B&W.
I also find it odd none of the above or at least some are mentioned in 'professional' reviews. Draw your own conclusions as to why ...