Canton is pumping new life into its high-end Karat loudspeakers with the introduction of six new models. The new Canton Karat 795 DC, 790 DC, 770 DC, 755 DC, 730 DC and 720 replace, respectively, the previous Karat 711 DC, 709 DC, 707 DC, 705 DC, 703 DC and 702 models. Prices range from $2,400 per speaker for the top-of-the-line Karat 795 DC, to $600 each for the two-way Karat 720.

Canton has said its new Karat speakers “incorporate upgraded drivers and crossovers, subtly refined cabinet aesthetics, and new high-gloss finish options.” One example of the technology upgrade “is a refinement in the integration between the tweeter and midrange drivers accomplished through improvements in the aluminum diaphragm, soft rubber surround, and associated crossover circuits of the midrange drivers used throughout the line.”

Klipsch is taking what it calls an environmentally friendly approach to the development of its upcoming flagship Palladium P-39F floorstanding speaker. This speaker is currently due out this summer.

The Klipsch Palladium P-39F speaker will be using a style of zebrawood veneer, which is reportedly common in select luxury goods. Klipsch’s approach, however, will instead be a “Linia” veneer, described by the company as real wood source from trees which were part of a government sanctioned controlled harvest.

It should be noted that I don’t trust anything that smiles constantly. Especially when it looks like this. The thing looks like it’s wearing some kind of gruesome death mask meant to be ironic when it kills you.

But if, unlike me, you find these little terrors cute, this Happy Alien Mini-Speaker can attach to your iPod, MP3, or MP4 player. With a USB rechargeable Li-ion battery, you can extend or retract its neck to change the volume. The speaker also features a 3.5mm stereo audio connector and comes in orange or blue. Get one for $11.90.

We’ve seen our share of portable speakers and so far our favorite so far has to be the X-Mini Capsule speakers, mostly because they are compact and they went wireless recently. Close behind would probably be the Easter Egg Tumbler Speaker. This device, like the X-Mini, pops open to extend out the chamber a little bit and add some more bass into the pint-sized speaker (or about as much base as you can expect from something like this.) It also comes egg-shaped and heavy at one end so that it can’t be tipped over when being bumped around on your desk

Each comes as a single speaker with an audio cable for input and a USB cable that powers and charges in the internal battery. No word on exactly how much juice the speaker puts out but we’re guessing 1W, and it’s pretty hard to say on the battery life if you wanted to use this with your media player.

Sony’s SRSZX1 2.0 Speaker System is for the average desktop computer user that does not need or want huge-ass bass. It claims to have “an enriched sound range and fuller bass sound reproduction”. It’s best for casual use like PC gaming, audio and DVD playback etc. Design-wise it’s not Earth shattering, but it has a nice aluminum finish and comes with a compact wireless remote controller.

Some technological advances include Mobius Duct technology that ‘minimizes wind noise’, Turbo Shift technology for extended bass range and a Sigma-Type magnetic circuit for upgraded sound reproduction. Nothing on pricing yet, but I’m sure it won’t be very expensive.

Targus has introduced something new for the portable speaker market called the Speaker Book. Creating a good set of portable, battery-operated speakers seems to be quite a challenge, and although we’re not sure how it sounds quite yet this one at least looks like a pretty cool solution.

The Speaker Book, like the Targus SonicPak backpack, uses the super-thin NXT Balance Radiator speaker technology and pumps out the tunes from your portable player through a standard 3.5mm jack. Also it can be powered by either three AAA batteries or from a USB connection if you want to run it from something like your notebook computer.

If you are looking for some speakers that look totally different, check out these tubular Gais Lisire 2.1 aluminum speakers. The Gais Lisire Series 020 is a complete 2.1 channel sound system with aluminum cylindrical styling. The Lisire’s aluminum covered ported subwoofer tube is 12-inches wide and is accompanied by a pair of matching satellite speakers.

The sub is powered by a built-in 6-watt amp and the satellites output 2.5-watts per channel. Perfect for your PC or a small stereo. These are now coming to the states for $199.99.

JBL is out today with news that it is now shipping its line of ES Series loudspeakers. Multiple units are being made available with prices ranging between around $330 and $1,200 per pair.

The JBL ES Series loudspeakers include a wall-mount/bookshelf monitor (ES10); two bookshelf loudspeakers (ES20, ES30); two floorstanding speakers (ES80, ES90); a center channel speaker (ES25C); and two subwoofers (ES150P and ES250P). The company said all offer new styling with tapered enclosures and a front baffle that curves into the top surface.

If you love Mickey and want a pair of speakers to stick in your iRiver MP3 player, this might be for you. As you can see, he’s all ears as usual with his typical goofy grin. (What’s the deal with only having Mickey. What about Donald Duck? No one likes Donald?)

The stereo speaker measures 6.3 x 3.46 x 4.96 in, weighs about 21 oz, and connects to any music player using a 3,5mm stereo audio jack. Looks like it comes in silver only. You can get it from DealExtreme for $20.10.

I have to admit that we thought these little X-mini speakers from Singapore’s XM-I were pretty nifty to begin with, but now XM-I says the speakers are going wireless. The X-mini’s are small (around 52mm wide) speakers that can fit in your pocket and be used to pump out the sound to share from your PMP.

When you want to use the speakers, they will pop open accordion-style and product sound with a special bass chamber through a high-fidelity 2.4W speaker. Now, with a limited amount of power we really can’t imagine the X-mini will really be pumping a whole lot of sound, and a wireless version would probably have even less juice but they are still a pretty neat solution.

First off, sorry about the photo - that backside shot is the only one we could find. It belongs to the center speaker of a new series of speakers Monster announced today called the StreamLine 100. Prices vary between $300 and $600, depending upon which speaker component you need.

Monster designed the StreamLine 100 speakers to be integrated into a home theater. In this series you have a pair of towers, one center and a subwoofer. All offer interchangeable side panels with five color options, depending upon the colors lying around your room or your desire to be neurotic and change them every other day.

These MiniGod speakers look so freaking cool I want to worship them and I wouldn’t mind doing so from the top of a Pyramid, even if I had to toss decapitated heads down the steps all day to make it happy. But while awesome looking and clearly a real God, the fact that it only requires a 9V battery to operate suggests that the first sacrifice this God made was the sound.

I say who cares. I’ve found my new God. As long as I do his bidding and offer up a fresh 9V battery now and again, I think we’ll get along just fine. If it wants an actual blood sacrifice, well…Let’s just say there’s room for advancement here at the Brick. Hmmm…Who to start with…

Infinity Systems, a maker of loudspeakers and part of the Harman Consumer Group, announced today the delivery of its Infinity Classia Series loudspeakers to retail. These speakers come in varying sizes and range in price from around $350 to $900.

Infinity said models in the Classia Series include the C205 bookshelf loudspeaker, C336 floor standing speaker, CC225 wall-mountable center channel speaker and C255ES wall-mountable surround loudspeaker with selectable monopole/bipole/dipole/dual-speaker operation. All of these models incorporate the company’s CMMD drivers for reportedly “exceptional resolution and transient response.”

Here’s a line of speakers for all you tree-hugging nature lovers. The Fashionation company has a line of small cube and pyramid shaped 3.25-inch speakers that are made from recycled materials and they don’t even need batteries to run. Great sound, and they help save the environment. Another cool aspect is that the speakers fold flat for storage and portability.

Did I mention that they are inexpensive? At $14.95, these won’t ravage your wallet while helping the planet and they can be had in a wide range of color options as shown above. They look like a party ready to happen. Though I do wonder how long they would last. They don’t look very durable.

Leon Speakers is unveiling this week a new sound bar speaker it considers its most compact and powerful to date. It is called the Leon 414-LCR-X-A and pricing is said to be at around $2,500.

The Leon 414-LCR-X-A, like other sound bars, combines the left, center and right channels into one cabinet. This particular cabinet has a depth of 3-1/4 inches and houses dual four-inch woofers and a 1-inch hand treated, cloth dome tweeter. It also has a 60-Hz to 22-kHz frequency response and a power rating of 225 W per channel (300 W peak).