With the rise of on-wall and in-wall speaker sales, traditional loudspeakers, mainly floor-standing models, had to do something to try and steal back a bit of market share in today"s lifestyle-oriented world. While most notable manufacturers simply painted their speakers silver or offered an extra, more exotic wood finish, Bowers & Wilkins introduced a whole new speaker line, the XT series. Now, Bowers & Wilkins has never been criticized for making an ugly speaker, far from it. In fact, I would argue their speakers have been more lifestyle-friendly over the years than those of most other manufacturers. That being said, the XT series, specifically the XT4 reviewed here, represents a fresh look at an old tradition, Bowers &÷ Wilkins style.