| Cult of Mac

Soundcore’s gorgeous new Bluetooth speaker brings spatial audio [Review] ★★★★★

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With good looks, excellent sound and waterproofing, the Soundcore X600 is a great portable Bluetooth speaker.★★★★★
With good looks, excellent sound and waterproofing, the Soundcore X600 is a great portable Bluetooth speaker.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Soundcore’s new Motion X600 Hi-Res Bluetooth Speaker is a keeper if you’re after a fantastic-looking portable speaker with convincing-enough spatial audio.

It starts shipping May 9, and if you pay just $1 for an early-bird coupon Monday — before the preorder promotion ends early Tuesday morning — you get the X600 for $149 instead of $199 at launch. That’s a fantastic value for anyone unsure they want to pony up twice as much for a second-gen HomePod.

If price is no object, this could be your next portable speaker

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It costs more than a grand, but it's designed to last a lifetime.
It costs more than a grand, but it's designed to last a lifetime.
Photo: Bang & Olufsen

Esteemed Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen unveiled its new portable Beosound A5 speaker Thursday. The pricey and powerful device’s design results from a collaboration with the Danish-Italian duo GamFratesi.

“Beosound A5 is our new high-end portable speaker which combines Bang & Olufsen’s long-standing approach to timeless design with our vision on sound for the future,” said VP of Product Marketing Michael Henriksson.

“We’re excited to collaborate with GamFratesi for the first time, to create two speaker designs that are rooted in a Scandinavian aesthetic with a distinct design signature on their own,” he added.

Edifier QD35 Bluetooth speaker: Bright lights, big sound [Review] ★★★★

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The Edifier QD35 is not an average-looking speaker.★★★★
The Edifier QD35 is not an average-looking speaker.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Whether it’s an RGB-plagued mouse or a stereo system that’s trying too hard, I tend to scoff at devices that light up in all the colors of the damned rainbow. But if they light up and also sound as good as Edifier’s QD35 Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker, I guess I’m sold. Let’s party.

Edifier recently sent me a unit to check out. You can read my thoughts below. In brief, the QD35 may not be everyone’s main stereo system, but it could be an ideal one-room speaker — whether that’s a kitchen, bedroom, rec room or man-cave/she-shack.

This high-res Bluetooth speaker puts on a light show and charges devices

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The new speaker sets the mood with lighting framed in a white or black cabinet.
The new speaker sets the mood with lighting framed in a white or black cabinet.
Photo: Edifier

Edifier’s new QD35 Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker boasts an unusual combination of features: high-resolution audio playback, pulsating lights and a digital clock.

Oh, and it also offers full-time gallium nitride-powered charging for other devices. So it appears to be a curious but useful — not to mention cool-looking — beast.

Rock on with Marshall’s rugged new flagship Bluetooth speaker

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The new Middleton carries some heft, but it's still portable.
The new Middleton carries some heft, but it's still portable.
Photo: Marshall

Legendary in rock’n’roll history for its Marshall stacks of amplifiers, the English company recently added a rugged Bluetooth speaker to the top of its growing lineup — the Middleton.

Like Marshall’s other portable wireless speakers — which all have proper English names, by the way — it looks like a guitar amp.

And this top-of-the-line number not only “goes to 11,” but it’s weatherproof and features multidirectional sound, too.

HomePod head-to-head: How Apple’s new smart speaker compares to original

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Is the new HomePod really that different from the 2018 HomePod? Yes and no.
Is the new HomePod really that different from the 2018 HomePod? Yes and no.
Photo: Apple

Now that the full-size HomePod is finally back, just how different is it from Apple’s original smart speaker? At a glance, you might not think the $299 speaker Apple unveiled Wednesday is that different at all, because the exterior design looks so similar. But compare the new HomePod’s features to the old model, and you’ll find significant changes.

It seems potentially much-improved as a smart home device, but whether it’s a better speaker is questionable.

Edifier AirPlay 2 smart speaker looks good and sounds better [Review] ★★★★☆

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This handsome speaker offers high-quality sound at an attractive price.★★★★☆
This handsome speaker offers high-quality sound at an attractive price.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

If you’re looking for quality audio at an affordable price, you can certainly do much worse than Edifier products. The Chinese company consistently comes across with great value, and that’s the case with the Edifier MS50A powered wireless smart speaker.

The company sent me one of the handsome, wood-paneled speakers to test out. Though it’s not the smartest smart speaker on the block, it looks and sounds great for the price. I’ll get into more detail below.

Soundcore Motion Boom Plus speaker sports sound as big as all outdoors [Review] ★★★★☆

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Those bits on the end press in and out, as if moved by waves of bass. But they only seemed to move when actually pushed.★★★★☆
Those bits on the end press in and out, as if moved by waves of bass. But they only seemed to move when actually pushed.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

The Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is a powerful, portable outdoor speaker you might want to nab before summer’s over. The boombox-style Bluetooth speaker brings the brawn — 80 watts of power — along with a bit more heft than some competitors.

When you factor in the excellent sound quality, some sporty features and the relatively low price of $179.99, it’s a worthy choice for outdoor use. Some folks might even use it indoors, but many never would because of its black plastic design. It might look at home in a college dorm, but probably not in most living rooms.

Beats Pill+ portable speaker won’t stay dead

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A second special edition since Apple discontinued the Beats Pill+ speaker looks to be imminent.
A second special edition since Apple discontinued the Beats Pill+ speaker looks to be imminent.
Photo: Apple/Beats

Apple killed the Beats Pill+ portable speaker in January, and yet it lives on. In March it saw a special-edition release through a partnernship with Stüssy. And now it rises from the dead once again.

This time, a collaboration with Devin Book and Book Projects will result in a customized Beats Pill+ exterior design that takes its cues from the Sonoran Desert.

Bangin’ new speaker lets you take the party with you, light show included

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Transmart's new portable speaker packs 60W of power and four drivers. Plus a light show.
Transmart's new portable speaker packs 60W of power and four drivers. Plus a light show.
Photo: Tronsmart

Not every Bluetooth speaker on the market packs 60W of power, but the new Tronsmart Bang Outdoor Party Speaker does. And it brings a beat-driven light show to the party, too. The company rolled it out on Tuesday, emphasizing that the four-driver speaker is “loud and powerful.”

“The Bang delivers an audio feast with an impactful stereo sound thanks to its two tweeters and two woofers,” the company said.