B&W XT4 review

Style speakers without compromise, competing with the very best at this price level Tested at £1700.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

These are style speakers without compromise, competing with the very best at this price level

Pros

  • +

    Slick looks

  • +

    excellent build

  • +

    great at high volumes

  • +

    powerful bass

  • +

    refinement

Cons

  • -

    Lose a little magic at lower volume settings

  • -

    lack midrange finesse

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

B&W's XT4s blur boundaries. Yes, they're style-orientated speakers – how can anything so elegant and smart be called otherwise? But, unlike most speakers chasing the style market, these floorstanders sound great. It's truly a case of having your cake and guzzling it down…

Clever design deserves plenty of credit. The XT4's slim cabinet is made from a curved aluminium extrusion. The shape and material add rigidity and strength compared with wooden alternatives. Its curved profile also helps to minimise internal standing waves, helping these floorstanders to produce a crisp, clear sound.

However, clarity doesn't top the bill of talents. That's of a high order, but it's the deep, powerful bass that will get your attention first. These B&Ws are a proper three-way design, benefiting from a dedicated bass driver that has been optimised to deliver the low stuff with authority.

Kevlar cone
That driver, a single 13cm paper/Kevlar cone, doesn't thrill on paper, but in action it not only shows surgical precision in tracking fast-moving basslines, but also the might to shift large quantities of air when the music demands.

And the good news doesn't end there: pleasing detail resolution, a smooth tonal balance and a great deal of refinement add to the list of plus points and make these speakers ideal for use with everything from Tchaikovsky's Op.31 Marche Slave to the Arctic Monkeys' latest CD.

They're not even overly fussy about positioning, either. Out from a rear wall, firing straight ahead works just fine.

High volume lover
The XT4s love high volumes, and deliver the sound with impressive composure. There's a trade-off, though, and that's a loss of sonic sparkle at lower levels. Other shortcomings include a smoothing of midrange nuances – so the likes of Nina Simone's Feeling Good aren't as dramatic as they could be.

That said, we still rate these speakers very highly. They have a blend of talents hard to find anywhere else and so positively demand a place on any shortlist.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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