Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 Surround Speaker System Review

Center Channel

Whether listening at low or high volume levels, I found that the center speaker delivered clear sound, but on some vocals there was a slight lack of depth. However, this is with regards mostly to some music vocal performances. Movie dialog was distinct and natural, considering the compact size of the speaker.

Main/Surround Speakers

For movies and other video programming, the satellite speakers assigned to the left, right, and surround channels delivered great sound that was clear and distinct.

With Dolby and DTS-related movie soundtracks, the satellite speakers did a great job reproducing detail and provided good depth and direction. Good examples of this are provided by the "Echo Game" scene in House of the Flying Daggers the "Blue Room" scene in Hero, and the first "Battle Scene" from Master and Commander.

On music-based material, the system faired better that I was expecting and did well on the harmonies in Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, the instrumental detail on Dave Matthews/Blue Man Group's Sing Along, and the orchestral sound field in Joshua Bell's performance of the The West Side Story Suite.

On the other hand, I found that the satellite speakers are somewhat subdued with piano and other acoustical musical instruments. An example of this is the Norah Jones album, Come Away With Me.

Despite its compact size, the subwoofer had adequate power output for the system.

I found the subwoofer to be a very good match for the rest of the speakers. On soundtracks with LFE effects, such as Master and Commander, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and U571, the subwoofer showed some drop-off of very low frequencies, especially when compared to the low frequency response of Klipsch Synergy Sub10.

In addition, for music, the subwoofer was lackluster in reproducing the the famous sliding bass riff on Heart's Magic Man, which is an example of extreme low frequency bass not typical in most music performances. Where the Klispch Sub10 continued downward in bass response, the XS subwoofer sort of flattened out, leaving out the lowest bass frequencies present in the recording.

On the other hand, despite the above examples, based on its design and power output, the SoundWare XS subwoofer provided a satisfying experience in many cases, without being overbearing.

What I Liked

1. Great sounding compact speaker system. Despite the extremely small size of the satellite speakers, they can fill an average size room (in this case a 13x15 foot space) with satistfying sound.

2. Easy to set up and use. Since both the satellite speakers and subwoofer are small, they are easy to place and connect to your home theater receiver.

3. Variety of speaker mounting options. The satellite speakers can be placed on a shelf, mounted on a wall, or mounted in a corner space. Since the subwoofer employs a down firing design, you don't have to place it in the open.

4. Speaker mounting hardware provided. All the needed hardware for mounting the speakers on a wall or in corner wall space are provided.

5. Very affordable. At a suggested price of $499, the combination of price and performance make this system a good value.

What I Didn't Like

1. Vocals on some CD recordings sounded a little restrained from the center channel speaker. Vocals on some CD recordings lacked as much impact as I would have preferred.

2. I would have preferred less low frequency drop off from the subwoofer. However, for its size and power output, the subwoofer provided a good match for the rest of the system.

3. Line audio input only on subwoofer, no standard high level speaker connections.

Final Take

I found that the the Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 Surround Speaker System delivered clear sound across a wide range of frequencies and well-balanced surround sound image.

The center channel sounded better that I expected it would, especially since the speaker design is so much smaller than any center channel speaker I have used. On the other hand, the diminutive size of the speaker used for the center channel did seem to contribute to a lessening of strong impact on some vocals and dialog. A modification of the design for the center channel such as employing two mid-range/woofers and one tweeter, might add more depth. The size of the speaker would not be significantly larger than the satellites, but provide a better presence for dialog and vocals.

However, that being said, with a little tweaking on a receiver, the center channel performance can be brought more "forward".

The rest of the satellite speakers, which were used as both left and right mains and surrounds, also performed their job well. Although very compact, they held their own in reproducing both front and surround, and balanced well with the powered subwoofer.

I found the powered subwoofer to be a good match for the rest of the speakers. Despite its compact size, and lack of effective bass response in the extreme low frequencies. In real world listening, the subwoofer provided an adequate bass experience and offers a good sounding low frequency transition from the mid-range and high-frequency response of the satellite speakers.

Although I would, by no means, consider this an audiophile speaker system, Boston Acoustics has delivered an affordable, good quality, surround sound speaker system for a more mainstream user who may also be concerned about size and affordability. The Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 is a nice, modest, home theater speaker system for the budget conscious, a great second system for the bedroom or home office, or a practical system for a conference room in a either a business or educational-type setting.

I give the Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 Surround Speaker System a solid 4 out of 5 Star Rating.

For full details on setting up the system, you can also download the User Manual.

For a further look at the Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 Surround Speaker System, Check out my supplementary Photo Gallery.