Archive for Speakers

Ferrari-inspired Art.Engine revs up big sound

Posted in Speakers by Nino Marchetti on November 14th, 2007

Art.EngineFerrari-inspired. Wireless. $20,000. These descriptors all refer to the new high end Art.Engine “executive” audio system introduced today by design studio David Wiener Ventures. This limited edition offering is available in a quantity of 1,000 only.

The Art.Engine is actually licensed by Ferrari for what we think is marketing purposes. It stands 47 inches tall and 6 inches deep. It combines twin-speaker arrays, wireless signal input, and digital electronics in a tower design. Each of its two channels, according to its maker, hosts eight three-inch DWV carbon-fiber, high-performance low-to-midrange woofers, and one 1.1-inch ScanSpeak soft-dome tweeter with a Neodymium motor.

Boosted offers artist-inspired tin can speakers

Posted in Boosted, Speakers by Nino Marchetti on November 12th, 2007

Boosted Tin Can Speaker Set Vol. 1Boosted, a lifestyle brand which collaborates with artists to design gear, unveiled some new artistic-inspired speakers today. The Boosted Tin Can Speaker Set Vol. 1 is the brainchild of street artists MINT & SERF “representing the East Coast” and MAINFRAME “representing the West Coast.”

The Boosted Tin Can Speaker Set Vol. 1 is inspired by two tin cans and a string. It’s described as “fully functional speakers compatible with all types of music devices” which are battery powered. It is available in a limited quantity of only 400.

Apple Design USB Speakers

Posted in Speakers, USB by Reuben Drake on November 8th, 2007

Apple SpeakersMaybe this company just likes making speakers shaped like fruit or maybe they’re taking a more welcome route of latching onto the Apple popularity as apposed to throwing the letter “i” in front of their product name, but either way these speakers look kinda’ cool.

When put together the two channel, 1W speakers are held in place by magnets and they are in fact shaped like an Apple and have no affiliation to Apple the company. The speakers are powered by a USB connection from your computer and connect sound through a standard 3.5mm audio jack from your computer or just about any mp3 player. They come on colors of red or green and measure, well, about the size of an apple at 112×104x56mm each. The Apple Design speaker set runs about 25 Euros, (~$36 USD) on Ebay.de.

Turn any surface into a speaker with IceKube

Posted in Speakers by Conner Flynn on November 6th, 2007

Turn any surface into a speaker with IceKube

When is a speaker not a speaker? When that speaker is the IceKube from Icetech. You see, the IceKube speaker itself is not a speaker. It will turn any flat surface that you put it on into a speaker, through vibration. Just put it on a table, computer desk, anywhere.

And it is small enough that you can carry it around. When you suddenly get the urge to listen to some music, just set it down and get to vibrating that surface. It will turn any surface into an acoustic speaker system. As is the case with many of the objects that we report on, this will impress your friends and members of the opposite sex.

R2-D2 speakers make your computer geek-chic

Posted in Speakers, Star Wars by Conner Flynn on October 19th, 2007

Star Wars speakers from TaitoI know, I know. The world doesn’t need yet another R2-D2 product right? Wrong. I’m not sure why, but these Star Wars speakers from Taito make the geek in me very happy. Though, I’m not sure why they felt the need to put the speakers just under the head, making it look like R2 is decapitated. Even so, this will go well with the rest of your Star Wars themed life. You know, the bedsheets, posters, action figure dioramas, lunch boxes and that shirt you’re wearing.

They stand 4.72″ tall. You get one in blue and one in red, though the color combo seems like an odd choice. You won’t even sense that much of a disturbance in the force, paying $40 for this droid pair. Let’s face it, this won’t get you many dates, but you’ll have geek bragging rights among your friends. And if they make a C3P0 version, R2 won’t be lonely for long.

$140K nets you sleek, tall, limited MUON speakers

Posted in KEF, Speakers by Nino Marchetti on October 19th, 2007

KEF MUONHave a $140,000 in coins under your sofa lying around you need to spend? Are you a big audiophile? If so the money and audio paths can converge with the massive new and pricey KEF MUON loudspeakers unveiled here in the United States this week.

The KEF MUON, as you can see from the photo, are quite tall at nearly seven feet. Only 100 have been made. Each pair is designed from super-formed aluminum, creating what is described as “a careful convergence between Ross Lovegrove’s design aesthetics and the physics of sound.” A four-way speaker system is mounted to the front, offering what we have to imagine is a kick ass sound. There’s also two additional bass drivers on the back of the speakers.

Salagar gives Symphony 210 speakers unique look

Posted in Salagar Sonics, Speakers by Nino Marchetti on October 16th, 2007

SALAGAR Symphony S210Here are some new fresh looking, high end speakers from niche speaker manufacturer SALAGAR Sonics. The SALAGAR Symphony S210 is priced at around $8,000 per pair.

The SALAGAR Symphony S210 speakers are available in five different woods and eight standard automotive grade paint finishes. They are self-amplified and feature a rounded cabinet shape which SALAGAR says “facilitates an even distribution of cabinet stress, realized by creating a curved walled, airtight vessel, to reduce dramatically cabinet coloration for high quality sound production across all audible frequencies.”

Canton reveals two-way monitor flagship speakers

Posted in Canton, Speakers by Nino Marchetti on October 11th, 2007

Canton Vento Reference 9 DCCanton is a German loudspeaker manufacturer out with a new two-way compact loudspeaker from its flagship line. The Canton Vento Reference 9 DC is available now for a spendy $4,000 a pair.

The Canton Vento Reference 9 DC speakers certainly look cool with its curves and either silver or black hand-rubbed piano lacquer finishes. The two-way design of these speakers are formed from six layers of acoustically inert fiberboard and house a one-inch dome tweeter made from an alloy of aluminum and manganese as well as a seven-inch aluminum cone woofer.

Sony Ericsson MBS-100 Bluetooth Speaker

Posted in Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson, Speakers by Reuben Drake on October 11th, 2007

Sony Ericsson MBS-100 Bluetooth speakerSony Ericsson is touting this portable speaker stating it “looks as good as it sounds”, which makes us worry a little bit about the “sound” part. The 100mm sphere can connect wirelessly from your mobile phone through the A2DP Bluetooth stereo audio profile allowing you to stream music saved on your phone directly to the speaker and share your sounds without wires.

The 1.5 watt speaker in the MBS-100 is powered by a rechargeable battery that gives it up to 5 hours of playback with as many hours of charge time, or 50 hours of standby. It also comes packaged with a charger and a carrying bag so people don’t think you have some rotting fruit you’re carrying around. The specs say it comes in a single color of black but the press kit photos seem to have a touch of brown to them.

Add color to your music with Planets speakers

Posted in Home Theater, Speakers by Conner Flynn on October 10th, 2007

Planets Speakers

It’s about time speaker makers started adding a little color and design to their products. These German engineered speakers from Urban Fidelity(Sounds like an insurance firm, I know) come in some nice neon colors. Those orbs at the top are not just for show either. Yes, they look ultra cool, but the spheres actually create an omni-directional spread of sound.

They are designed to bring 360-degrees of sound to your home theater and in general make you look really cool to your friends.

Portable Zune sound system

Posted in Altec Lansing, Speakers by Chetz on October 8th, 2007

Altec Lansing inMotion iM414 sound system for the ZuneNow that a second Zune player is right around the corner we can feel the love for Altec Lansing’s newly announced inMotion iM414. Designed specifically for your Zune not only will the twin bass-enhanced neodymium speakers lovingly cradle your Zune and belt out the tunes on it but it will also charge your player up for the next time you need to head out. A secondary input jack is included so you can connect up a TV, DVD or whatever else you want and a built-in FM radio lets you listen to your local favorite station. If you want to take the inMotion with you it can carry a charge good for 24 hours of music (it can also take batteries.) A remote control is included so you don’t need to exert yourself when you want to skip over the next song. Altec Lansing has the inMotion listed for $99.95 but doesn’t tell us when it will be available.

iPod waterproof music in a tube

Posted in Speakers, Waterproof, iPod Accessories by Reuben Drake on October 4th, 2007

Music Tube waterproof iPod speaker dockThis iPod speaker dock from Taiwan’s Nova has a transparent, waterproof covering that looks like a tube of some sort of lotion or gel, complete with a whole in the end where it would hang on display at the store. The idea is to provide a waterproof speaker system for your iPod that lets you bring it into the shower. It also looks like you might even be able to control the iPod through the case but in reality to us it looks like just a cheap way to try to make a waterproof dock.

Freedom Driver uses your table as a speaker

Posted in Speakers by Nino Marchetti on September 28th, 2007

freedom-driver.jpgA company by the name of Freedom Driver Technology announced this week some devices which will let you play sound through from virtually any flat dense surface such as a table or wall. These three devices - the Mini Can B15, Mini Box B20 and BT Stereo FREE-D B25 - should be available by the end of November.

The Freedom Driver devices use “sound wave transference” to drive sound into and out of the flat surface of nearly any flat-dense material in a 360-degree radius. They have a a “proprietary vibrating core” which changes electrical energy into mechanical energy. They are designed to transfer audio from portable devices like laptops and MP3 players, with the FREE-D B25 being capable of getting audio via Bluetooth.

cy-fi wireless iPod bike speakers

Posted in Exercise Gadgets, Outdoors, Speakers, iPod Accessories by Reuben Drake on September 26th, 2007

cy-fi iPod dock and speakers for your bikeWhile we’re pretty sure we’ve seen bicycle speakers before, including ones for the iPod, cy-fi is a new product designed to dock your iPod and the first we’ve seen to provide wireless speakers mounted on your bike to “ride louder” according to the company.

The idea comes from bike riders who wear headphones to listen to music and are unable to adequately hear traffic around them. The cy-fi system lets them bring their music along in a compact package without the ambient sound restrictions by most headphones.

Lego my iPod

Posted in Dock, Speakers, iPod Accessories by Chetz on September 24th, 2007

Lego shaped iPod dock with speakersYou want strange, we’ve got strange. Check this iPod dock out that is being offered by a Korean company called 10×10. For a low price (how does about $16 sound to you?) you can import a docking station for your iPod player that looks like a Lego brick.

Whether 10×10 got the license to manufacture an Apple accessory that uses another company’s trademark is up for grabs but if you still have fond recollections of your childhood toys and need a more colorful dock for your ‘pod, now you can stop your search. Measuring 6 cm x 1.5 cm x 2.5 cm, the dock comes in red, yellow and blue and features two speakers built right in. Just don’t get it lost amongst your real Lego bricks.





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