Tower Speaker Reviews

B&W XT Series Speaker System and PV1 Subwoofer At A Glance & Ratings

At A Glance: B&W XT Series Speaker System and PV1 Subwoofer

Subwoofer: PV1
Connections: Speaker-level in; mono line-level in and out
Enclosure Type: Sealed
Woofer (size in inches, type): 8, aluminum-coated mica cone (2)
Power Rating (watts): 500
Crossover Bypass: No
Available Finishes: Sliver/Gray, Black/Gray; White/Chrome
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 13.2 x 11.4 x 13.7
Weight (pounds): 45
Price: $1,500

Speaker: XT4, XTC, XT2
Tweeter (size in inches, type): 1, aluminum dome, 1, aluminum dome, 1, aluminum dome
Midrange (size in inches, type): 5, woven Kevlar
Woofer (size in inches, type): 5, paper/Kevlar (2), 5, woven Kevlar (2), 5, woven Kevlar
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8, 8, 8
Recommended Amp Power: 50–150 watts, 30–150 watts, 30–100 watts
Available Finishes: Natural Aluminum or Black, black grille
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 44.8 x 6 x 7.9, 6 x 20.2 x 7.9, 12.3 x 6 x 7.9
Weight (pounds): 49, 17.6, 11
Price: $2,500/pair, $800, $1,000/pair

Ratings: B&W XT Series Speaker system and PV1 Subwoofer

Build Quality: 94
• Heavyweight, extruded-aluminum cabinets
• World-class driver technology

Value: 90
• Trickle-down engineering from B&W's ultrahigh-end designs benefits the XT Series
• Stands not included

Features: 93
• The XT Series' curved cabinets reduce internal standing waves
• This subwoofer's bass won't rattle your downstairs neighbors' nerves

Performance: 92
• The XT Series' highly transparent sound will delight audiophiles
• The PV1 is one of the most musical subs I've heard in a long time

Ergonomics: 85
• The XT4 tower speaker's dainty footprint may render it a bit tipsy on some floors
• The PV1's awkwardly placed connectors might be problematic with burly cables

Overall Rating: 91
Think of B&W's undeniably handsome XT speakers as scaled-down versions of their flagship Nautilus models. The XT's sleek styling is matched by its transparent sound.

General information

XT4 Tower Speaker, $2,500/pair; XTC Center-Channel Speaker, $800; XT2 Bookshelf Speaker, $1,000/pair; PV1 Subwoofer, $1,500

B&W Loudspeakers
(978) 664-2870
www.bwspeakers.com

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