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Boston Acoustics' ultrasmall SoundWare XS speakers star in minimalist 2.1 system

Boston Acoustics' minimalist 2.1 system will feature the incredibly small SoundWare XS speakers and integrated amplification.

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Matthew_Moskovciak.jpg
Matthew Moskovciak Senior Associate Editor / Reviews - Home theater
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Matthew Moskovciak
Boston Acoustics' SoundWare XS Digital Cinema Surround Sound Speaker system
Boston Acoustics' SoundWare XS Digital Cinema Surround Sound Speaker system Boston Acoustics

LAS VEGAS--Boston Acoustics' SoundWare XS 5.1 system is about as small as you can make a 5.1 speaker system. Unless of course you ditched three of the speakers and the need for a separate AV receiver.

That's the thinking behind the new SoundWare XS Digital Cinema Surround Sound Speaker system, which features just two tiny SoundWare XS speakers, a compact subwoofer, and built-in amplification. It comes with a credit card-style remote and brackets for wall-mounting the front speakers.

The 100-watt system features both optical and analog inputs, as well as Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to stream music wirelessly straight from a smartphone. To get around the lack of rear speakers, the system includes Boston's proprietary Digitally Optimized Virtual Surround processing. Virtual surround generally falls well short of the actual surround-sound experience, but it often at least opens up the sound stage so that it feels a little bigger than plain old stereo.

The Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS Digital Cinema Surround Sound Speaker system will be available in January with a list price of $500. That's a lot of money to ask for a lifestyle system, especially with budget sound bars available for a few hundred dollars less.