Speakers

MacWorld: It's The Event, Not the Tradeshow


 MacWorld 2012

2nd Event – While CES has a much wider array of Apple-centric products/solutions than this year's Macworld/iWorld, the event was still an opportunity for the fans to see what all of the iTalk was about and to renew old acquaintances.

If you spent a few days in SinCity for Macworld I (CES) to see the star-studded array of Apple-centric hardware, software, semi-ware; it sorta' took your breath away.

Then you go to San Francisco to see Macworld II to see a lot of the same only with a dramatically smaller venue.

At Macworld I, there were thousands of booths and hundreds of thousands of people jamming in booths, standing in cab lines and hoping for a dinner reservation.

At Macworld II, there were hundreds of booths, thousands of people checking out stuff with credit cards in hand, hailing cabs, eating at charming out-of-the-way restaurants.

The biggest news at the event wasn't the stuff on the floor but:

  • Apple's blow-out results for the quarter in sales/profits
  • Apple's huge cache of money (nearly $100B) sitting in offshore accounts
  • Apple passing HP in PC sales
  • The assertions that Apple didn't care about the working conditions for employees at their suppliers (fortunately, Cook subsequently and vehemently said wasn't true)
Read more

iharmonix Q-i-sound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers Arrive in April 2012


 iharmonix Q-i-sound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers with laptop

Over 20,000 new products were announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making it impossible to cover each and every product the week of the show. One little gem we wished we would have experienced hands-on is the iharmonix Q-i-sound Bluetooth speakers by Qmadix. Not your typical boxy design, these ultra-portable wireless speakers deliver stereo sound for a better music listening experience and also feature microphones for hands-free calling.

Great for use with laptops, tablets, smartphones, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, the speakers – once paired with the device – can be separated from each other by up to 15 feet, and can be placed up to 33 feet away from the tablet or smartphone itself. Each speaker is equipped with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which charges in 3 ½ hours and lasts for up to eight hours of continuous playtime, 240 hours (10 days) on standby.

A handy zip-up carrying case makes traveling easy and keeps the iharmonix Q-i-sound speakers protected when you're on-the-go.Read more

iMainGo XP Portable Speakers for iPad Review


 iMainGo XP Portable Speakers

The iMainGo XP is a portable speaker system designed for the iPad family. It delivers big sound on the go, and sports a clever design. It's a breeze to setup, making this accessory a must-have if you want to enjoy multimedia while you're on the road. It's also not bad for a portable business presentation system.

Using Portable Sound Laboratory's sx149 digital music amplifier and four 38mm titanium-coned neodymium high-output speakers pumping out 10 total channel watts, the iMainGo XP's sound is a lot larger and vibrant than you think. It easy fills up a large room with quality sound, and any space in the house. It's also interesting to note that the sound actually has a "radius." In other words, it sounds like surround sound.

Star Rating:  four and a half stars
Cost: $94-$119
Where to Buy: Amazon, Portable Sound Labs

Read more

Meridian Unveils New M6 Loudspeaker at CES 2012


 Meridian M6

This week at CES, Meridian unveiled the new M6 loudspeaker. With its circular footprint and tapered column design, the M6 certainly grabs your attention. While this British-designed-and-built speaker has a striking look – all the way up to its halo-like blue ring of light that appears when powered on – anyone who is familiar with Meridian knows that it's what's inside this baby that really counts.

Featuring Meridian's Digital Signal Processing and active electronic technologies, the M6 is much more than just a 'speaker'. These technologies combine to create a loudspeaker that performs like a conventional speaker but with eight times the physical volume. Iinside the circular base of the speaker you'll find two amplifiers – one (100W) dedicated to the 85mm wide-range driver, and the other (150W) to the 140mm bass driver. There's also a tuned porting system that extends the loudspeaker's low-frequency performance even further. And, the low-frequency driver is mounted so that it plays downwards for solid bass reproduction. Read more

Sony Introduces the SS-AR2 Loudspeaker at CES


 Samsung blu-ray line

LAS VEGAS (CES BOOTH #14200), Jan. 10, 2012 – Building on its heritage as an innovator in home audio entertainment, Sony today debuted its SS-AR2 Loudspeaker, furthering the line established last year with the introduction of its award winning and critically acclaimed predecessor, the SS-AR1.

"Sony has been committed to high resolution music since its inception," noted Charles Speidel, vice president of Sony Electronics Home Audio Video business, "The R-series of loudspeakers are designed to recreate music as faithfully as possible, delivering an unparalleled listening experience for those devotees who truly care about music."

Signature sound starts with source materials

The key to the R-series’ superb sound reproduction is the precise control of the inevitable vibrations created by sound waves. Created through exhaustive processes testing countless samples and configurations, the AR1 and AR2 loudspeakers feature a final front cabinet baffle laminated to a thickness of 50 mm and 40 mm respectively from hand-selected maple cultivated from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, whose cold climate produces maple of a tight grain, contributing markedly to the R’s beautiful sound. The front baffle couples with Nordic birch, another cold climate wood with an extremely tight grain, to project the most ideal sound reverberation properties.Read more

GoldenEar Unveils Three New Loudspeakers at CES 2012


 GoldenEar Technology Triton Tree Tower

January marks GoldenEar Technology's first full year of product shipments and the company is starting 2012 out with a bang, introducing three new products at CES– their first soundbar, first main front stage architectural speaker and a second Triton Tower.

The new Triton Three Tower, a smaller version of the Triton Two, which has received numerous Speaker and Audio Product of the Year awards, is perfect for consumers wanting a more compact loudspeaker that delivers extraordinary sound quality.

Designed for both high-quality two-channel systems as well as in multi-channel home theater and music systems, the Triton Three Tower incorporates the built-in powered subwoofer technology first pioneered by GoldenEar principals Sandy Gross and Don Givogue. Inside you'll find an 800-watt digital/DSP controlled power amp driving an active front-mounted long-throw 5"x 9" quadratic subwoofer driver. This is coupled to two opposing, inertially balanced 6.75"x 8" quadratic planar infrasonic passive radiators which are located on the sides, near the floor, in order to take full advantage of boundary coupling. Also, just like the Triton Two, the Triton Three features 4.5" high-definition cast basket MVPP drivers, along with the same GoldenEar High Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeter.

As far as performance is concerned, the Triton Three delivers the same boxless three-dimensional imaging as the Two, and the deep, powerful subwoofer bass blends perfectly with the transparent midrange and smooth high frequencies, which put many more expensive speakers to shame. Read more

HARMAN's JBL Synthesis Unveils Ultrahigh-End S4700 Loudspeakers at CES 2012


 JBL Synthesis S4700

January 2012 — At CES 2012, HARMAN's JBL Synthesis announced the introduction of its S4700 loudspeaker, a three-way floorstanding model that combines a host of newly developed, professional-grade driver technologies with an elegant appearance that combines classic JBL design elements with distinctive contemporary styling.

The S4700 incorporates technologies directly derived from the world-renowned Project Everest DD66000 and Project K2 S9900 loudspeakers to deliver extraordinary fidelity and musical realism. It is ideal for use as the foundation of an ultimate-performance stereo music system or as an L,C,R loudspeaker in a JBL Synthesis® multichannel home theater installation.

"Our new S4700 continues the JBL heritage of delivering the essence of the musical performance with exceptional dynamic authority, along with a natural tonal balance and clarity and spatial definition that conveys every sonic nuance of the original recording," said Jim Garrett, Senior Manager, Marketing HARMAN Luxury Audio Group. "We designed the JBL S4700 to satisfy the most passionate audiophiles, music lovers and home cinema enthusiasts."Read more

HARMAN's Revel Debuts its Performa3 Loudspeakers at CES 2012


 Harman Revel Performa3 line

January 9, 2012 – HARMAN's Revel today announced the introduction of its Performa3 loudspeakers, a complete range of home theater and music loudspeakers that incorporates significant engineering enhancements to the original Performa Series to deliver extraordinary music and movie soundtrack reproduction.

Complementing their audiophile-caliber performance, Revel Performa3 loudspeakers are stunning in appearance, with a choice of high-gloss real wood and automotive-grade painted finishes.

The 10 models in the Performa3 line include the following:

  • F308 3-way floorstanding tower (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch midrange, three 8-inch woofers; SRP: $6,000/pr)
  • F208 3-way floorstanding tower (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch midrange, dual 8-inch woofers; SRP: 4,500/pr)
  • F206 3-way floorstanding tower (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch midrange, dual 6.5-inch woofers; SRP: 3,000/pr)
  • M106 2-way bookshelf monitor (1-inch tweeter, 6.5-inch woofer; SRP: $1,700/pr)
  • M105 2-way bookshelf monitor (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch woofer; SRP: $1,200/pr)
  • C208 3-way center channel (1-inch tweeter, 4-inch midrange, dual 8-inch woofers; SRP: $1,700/ea)
  • C205 2-way center channel (1-inch tweeter, dual 5.25-inch woofers; SRP: $1,000/ea)
  • S206 2-way surround speaker (dual 1-inch tweeters, dual 6.5-inch woofers; SRP: 1,800/pr)
  • B112 powered subwoofer (12-inch woofer, built-in 1000-watt amplifier; SRP: $2,500/ea)
  • B110 powered subwoofer (10-inch woofer, built-in 500-watt amplifier; SRP: $1,700/ea)
Read more

A New Way to Buy High-End Speakers


 Magnepan Mini Maggie System

by Steve Guttenberg

American speaker manufacturer Magnepan has just launched a program to reach potential customers who would like to test out their speakers, but don't live near enough to a store to hear them in person.

The program, "Maggie Dealer-Direct," relies on dealer expertise to advise customers, but Magnepan ships directly to the customer for a 30-day home trial (in the U.S. only). You might say Magnepan will be acting as the dealer's shipping department.

Some might wonder why Magnepan doesn't just eliminate the dealers and sell speakers factory direct, but they value the depth of knowledge dealers bring to the buying experience. High-end audio, when it's at its best, is all about getting the details right, and dealer know how can be a huge asset for helping customers achieve optimum sound quality. As a manufacturer Magnepan doesn't have the time to provide that level of customer service. Read more

Great Gifts Under $50


 Logitech Speaker for iPad

Time is ticking away…only a few days left to find the perfect holiday gift for your friends and family. Read on for our picks on some great gifts under $50…

Logitech Tablet Speaker for iPad
The Logitech Tablet Speaker gives your iPad (or other tablet) stereo sound quality no matter where you go. In addition to portability and convenience, this compact, clip-on, rechargeable speaker offers up to eight hours of battery life giving you enough juice to watch a full-length movie or jam out to several albums.

It securely attaches to your tablet via a rubberized clip and the 3.5 mm audio cable plugs into the headphone jack. It charges over USB too, so you never have to worry about replacing batteries.

Price: $29.99
Website: www.logitech.comRead more

Syndicate content