Highly respected British audio brand KEF released an “LT” version of its stellar, versatile AirPlay-ready LSX II speaker line this week, keeping most key features but dropping the price by about $300 to $400.
That doesn’t make them budget speakers by any means, at $999, but nobody shops KEF for that.
Summer’s ending, but the new Soundcore Motion 300 and Motion 100 portable high-fidelity Bluetooth speakers can still give you stereo sound for outdoor activities this fall and winter, the company said Wednesday.
The $80 Motion 300, available October 9, is a 30-watt speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Certification and 13 hours of playtime. The similar $60 Motion 100, which lacks the 300’s SmartTune EQ, will ship in November, Soundcore said.
The new oval-shaped EpicBoom Bluetooth speaker joined Ultimate Ears’ lineup Monday, promising loud, bass-driven, 360-degree portable sound, the Logitech subsidiary said.
You can preorder the $349 boomer now for September 15 shipping.
Klipsch unveiled two new powered Bluetooth bookshelf speakers in its Reference series recently. The R-40PM and R-50PM speakers replace older “41” and “51” models, upgrading design, pumping up bass response and broadening connectivity with a phone preamp so you can easily connect a turntable, in addition to most other sound sources via USB and other line-in connections.
What you don’t need with these speakers is an amplifier, because they’re powered already.
★★★★★
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.
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.
★★★★☆
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.
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.
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.
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.
★★★★☆
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.
★★★★☆
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.
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.
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.
People who love hopping into their cars and going for an outdoor adventure know that few things compare to an open road and being in nature. Whether you’re taking a short hike or enjoying a long weekend camping, it’s important to have the right gear on hand to ensure you can fully relax and immerse yourself in your surroundings.
The HyperGear Quake Wireless Speaker with Built-in Power Bank is the perfect outdoor companion, and it serves two functions: It keeps your phone fully charged (just in case you need it). And it can stream your favorite playlists for fireside entertainment.
At WWDC 2017, Apple announced speaker support for the Home app, powered by an update to AirPlay. While introducing Airplay 2, they highlighted several speaker makers that would add support for the new protocol. Nearly a year later, iOS 11.4 finally launched with support for the updated wireless audio protocol.
As of today – 4 months after becoming available in iOS – speaker manufacturer Libratone has made good on their AirPlay 2 promise.
Sonos’ new voice-activated Sonos One smart speaker will work with Amazon’s Alexa assistant when it ships later this month, and will add support for Apple’s new AirPlay 2 streaming protocol next year.
The new smart speaker, which will ship Oct. 24, places an emphasis on high-end audio. With its $199 price point and promised compatibility with multiple platforms, it should put pressure on Apple’s upcoming HomePod, which costs nearly twice as much.
Wireless speakers tend to be cheap and nasty — or fantastic and expensive.
There are exceptions, though, and Moshi’s Spatia wireless AirPlay speaker is one of them.
At $399, the Spatia isn’t cheap by any means, but its sound and features rival systems costing much more.
And does it sound sweet. With five drivers, including a subwoofer, the Spatia serves up a rich, wide soundstage. Lots of speakers claim “room-filling sound,” but the Spatia truly fills the bill.
Libratone makes speakers so gorgeous they look like they belong in a museum more than in my home. The company’s latest wireless speaker is so damn cool I’m tempted to take it with me everywhere.
The new ONE Click speaker from Libratone’s new portable lineup packs more features than any wireless speaker I’ve ever used while coming in a form factor that is adaptable to so many different uses it’ll make your head spin.
Oh, my, is this a cute little speaker. It’s so adorable that I’ve waited through three software updates and spent more time charging the speaker to test than almost any other one I’ve ever reviewed.
Why? Because this thing is drop-dead adorable. The Sugr Cube looks like something straight out of Cupertino: I wouldn’t be surprised to find one sitting on an Apple retail store display table before long.
Sonos, maker of some the best wireless speaker systems in the world, revealed today that it will add support for Apple Music by the end of the year.
The says a public beta for Apple Music on Sonos will be made available December 15. Sonos’ integration with Apple Music will allow subscribers to access the For You, My Music, New and Radio features of the service. A general availability to all users is scheduled for an early 2016 launch.
The flagship speaker from Sonos has been revamped, redesigned and relaunched. The result is awesome.
The new Play:5 is a big, beefy speaker that sounds absolutely wonderful. It’s available in stores today, and although it’s not cheap, I’d recommend you go out and get one. Or two. Stereo is even better.
LAS VEGAS — With its wide base and gently sloping sides, the Archt one speaker looks a little like an egg pod from Alien or the business end of a bomb.
Its outer shell is sleek black plastic, with a flat ring around the top that gives it a space-age feel. If the killer looks aren’t enough to grab your attention, the speaker’s ground-thumping bass will.
“It gets really loud,” Archt CEO Evan Foo told Cult of Mac.
While the all-in-one wireless speaker is certainly loud — it was ballsy enough to cut through the background noise here at the International CES trade show — the goal is to deliver CD-quality sound, no matter the source of the audio.
The Blazar is yet another wireless speaker designed to play nice with your iDevices, and any other music-machines you might have laying around. This one distinguishes itself with a few neat features, including stereo pairing and NFC.
Nyne’s new NB-250 portable speaker is a modern update on the venerable boombox: portable and loud.
But it’s a lot smaller and more discreet than a boombox of old.
The Bluetooth speaker comes in a trendy, unobtrusive black shoulder bag for transporting to park, pool or a party. It not only looks good but sounds nice as well.