Good budget 5.1 speaker systems are rarer than an honest politician, but Boston have a real winner on their hands in the form of the excellent new SoundWare XS. The eagle-eyed among you will already have spotted their recent 'walk on water' review in What Hi-Fi, in which the XS's were given the maximum 5 star rating, and described as being "XS in size, but XL in performance". Seldom have such small speakers received such big praise and we have to concur with the reviewer's conclusion that "for such a miniature speaker, they do a staggering job of filling the room"

There are even better 5.1 speaker systems out there, but the truth of the matter is that they cost hundreds of pounds more, which leaves the Bostons as outright winners in the budget category. If that wasn't enough, the SoundWares also come in two stunning finishes (Black or White) complete with two different sets of brackets - one for flush wall fixing, and one for corner room placement. Whichever way you look at it, these new Boston speakers are top of their class - put them with one of the latest generation Onkyo or Denon amps and you have an absolutely unbeatable combination, offering outstanding value for money.