B&W liberates its speakers

Bowers & Wilkins announce their new wireless Home Theater in a Box.

Iain McDonald

Iain McDonald is a guest CES blogger who comes to us from Birmingham, England. A self-confessed geek, Iain's life has revolved around technology since he received his first PalmPilot at ten years old. Also a music lover, Iain is a third-year university student studying Sound Engineering, and he's never far from his iPod. And yes, he is an Apple Fanboy.

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Iain McDonald

Jan. 8, 2008 2:39 p.m. PT

Yet another nail has been placed on the coffin of the poor old wire, and this time it's British speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins wielding the hammer. B&W have been showing off their wireless Home Theater in a Box solution, The Liberty. The system can handle up to eight separate channels, allowing a full 5.1 setup in one room with a two-channel system in another. Four speakers will be available when the system launches at the end of 2008: the floor standing XTW8, the bookshelf XTW2, the XTW Center and the PVW1 Sub. The system looks amazing. The speakers are based around B&W's existing XT series of speakers and use the company's Kevlar Drive technology. The main unit is made of the same brushed aluminum as the speakers and features a large touch screen for control as well as DVD upscaling to 1080p. Pricing has yet to be announced, but don't expect it to be cheap.