Boston Acoustics says the ultra-compact satellite speakers comprising its new SoundWare XS 5.1 Surround Speaker System are the smallest loudspeakers the firm has ever produced. Each one presents a square face measuring a tad under 4 inches; but, like previously released SoundWare systems, the cabinet is a polyhedron that allows angled placement in a variety of ways.

The driver complement includes a 2.5" (65mm) cone and a 0.5" dome (13mm) tweeter. A compact, separate active woofer with an 8" driver powered by a 100-Watt amplifier completes the package.

Besides the polyhedron shape, an articulating mounting bracket affords placement flexibility, allowing the satellites to be installed in corners, in the middle of a wall, where the wall meets the ceiling, and so on. The two included brackets mount the speaker just 1 cm from any flat surface or flush in a corner, and when mounted flush on a wall, the speaker can be aimed downwards or sideways to provide ideal positioning.

The SoundWare XS 5.1 system is expected to be available in late July 2009 in both black and white at C$599 suggested retail price. For those wanting a coloured finish, all SoundWare speakers feature "Paint-Ready" cabinet surfaces.

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