Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) has introduced its XT 8 mid-sized tower speaker at CES 2009 in Las Vegas.

It uses proprietary FST (fixed-suspension transducer) technology for its mid-frequency accuracy. It also has a B&W Nautilus tweeter “pod” on the top, a metal-dome high-frequency driver that helps prevent acoustic diffraction.

The XT 8 features twin 5-inch woofers and uses paper/Kevlar composite with bottom-octave extension of 34Hz.

Available finishes: satin brushed aluminum or gloss black aluminum exteriors with black grilles.

B&W’s XT 8 will ship in Q1. MSRP: $3,500 per pair

Panorama Sound Bar

Panorama houses nine drive units in an aluminum casing, five of which are used in the active center speaker: two bass woofers, two midrange drivers and one aluminum dome tweeter with B&W’s Nautilus Tube Loaded technology.

The other four drive units each are located in their own enclosure. All drive units are powered by six class D amplifiers to provide a total output of 175W.

Panorama uses Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and is designed to accompany flat-panel TVs 37-inches or bigger. It can be placed on its own feet or attached to the wall with the included bracket for wall-mounted screens.

Panorama comes in black and will be available in the Spring. MSRP: $2,200

CCM816 In-ceiling Speaker

The new CCM816 in-ceiling speaker uses technology from the company’s flagship 800 series and complements the CCM818 and CCM817.

It’s a two-way speaker with a woven Kevlar driver for the bass and midrange. The CCM816 comes in blue and features:

• A 6.5-inch driver
• A 1-inch tube-loaded aluminum tweeter
• Two drivers set at a 28-degree angle to focus the sound on the optimum listening position

B&W will ship the CCM816 in February. MSRP: $600 each