News

Bowers & Wilkins Announces New XT Series (12/8/2009)

Improved sound and a new model light up Bowers & Wilkins stylish XT Series. Bowers & Wilkins XT Series is back with a new floorstanding speaker, improved sound performance across the range and a new choice of finishes.

Crafted from aluminium and offering an attractive blend of audio excellence and contemporary styling, the new XTs are ideal for the discerning listener’s music or Home Theatre system.

The XT Series has long been one of Bowers & Wilkins most popular ranges, blending breathtaking audio prowess with a look that manages to be both modern and timelessly stylish. A radical overhaul of this three-model range has led to significantly improved acoustics, a new model and a stunning new finish.

The new XT Series is lovingly crafted from aluminium, which has many of the properties Bowers & Wilkins looks for in a material: it is lightweight, yet incredibly strong and stiff. The stunningly curved cabinets not only look fantastic, but also add to this solidity, setting up the perfect platform for drive units to be housed.

The major addition to the XT Series is a new three-way floorstanding speaker, the XT8. This sleek column is designed to act as either a highly polished stereo pair or the front left and right speakers of a Home Theatre system.

Slim it may be, but the XT8 contains many of Bowers & Wilkins’ signature technologies. These include an aluminium-dome Nautilus™ Tapering Tube tweeter, which is mounted outside the main cabinet to eliminate time smearing. It also utilises a woven Kevlar® driver for midrange, and using developments derived from Bowers & Wilkins high-end products it includes FST™ (Fixed Suspension Transducer) technology, which helps to enhance definition. There’s plenty of bass on offer from such a slender speaker, too, thanks to the deployment of two five-inch paper/Kevlar® bass drivers. The new XT2 is a two-way standmount speaker, equally at home as a compact stereo system or as the effect speakers in a full Home Theatre system. It benefits from the sonic advances discovered during the development of the XT8 and also uses an aluminium dome Naultilus™ Tapering Tube tweeter and a Kevlar® drive unit, although this time it produces both midrange and bass. The XT2 is supplied with wall brackets, but can also be placed on its dedicated stand, the FS-XT.

For Home Theatre enthusiasts the XTC is the ideal final element of the XT Series. A matching centre speaker, this two-way model uses an aluminium dome Nautilus™ Tapering Tube tweeter and two Kevlar® midrange/bass drivers to achieve stunning all-round integration. While there’s no dedicated XT Series subwoofer, Bowers & Wilkins’ multi-award winning PV1 offers an sonic and visual match that will complement the XT Series perfectly.

The XT Series may have been designed with audio properties in mind, but there’s no doubt it’s amazing to look at as well. And while the outgoing XT Series was only available in black, there’s now a stunning natural aluminium finish available. But remember: all this style is there for a reason, not simply to look good.

Bower’s & Wilkins new XT Series is available from approved stockists now, and is priced as follows:

XT8 £2300 per pair
XT2 £799 per pair
XTC £599 PV1 £929.79

www.bowers-wilkins.com