speaker

There are a lot of dubious claims in the world of consumer electronics. Some of my favorites are "DVD-quality video" and "CD-quality sound" (for digital media that is often anything but) and the always classic "installs in just minutes." But one of the biggest truth-benders in recent years has been "wireless speakers." As resident blogger Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg recently pointed out, many so-called wireless speaker systems actually introduce more wires into the equation. That's exactly why Griffin Technology's new Evolve Wireless Sound System looks so promising: The $300 iPod speaker system includes two speakers that look to be completely and totally free of cables.

How'd Griffin do it?… Read more

Sure, we like R2-D2 as much as the next geeks, but only up to a point. A projector that runs $2,500 seems a bit excessive, for instance, and even the $350 Webcam is steep in our book. At the same time, we can do better than just a lame Mimobot.

The perfect compromise may be a pair of R2-D2 computer speakers like the cheeky duo shown in the photos here from Japan's Taito. But did they have to come up with a design that forces their decapitation to reveal the speakers? (We couldn't help but think of … Read more

A story for your grandchildren: In ancient times, there were these things called armoires--once used for clothing, they evolved into big and bulky cabinets where people hid their big and bulky TVs. But now that plasma, LCD and even OLED sets (the ultimate anorexic model) have completed the television set's swan-like transition, it's understandable if their proud owners no longer want to keep their TVs under wraps.

For these unabashed exhibitionists there's a new Sharp home theater system, a self-contained credenza with built-in speakers, subwoofers and amplifier outfitted with Dolby technology throughout, according to Tech Digest. Sound … Read more

If speaker systems can be designed to fit in with the bathroom decor, then surely a set for the dining room table is eminently reasonable. The "Supper Sound System" delivers on the promise of its name, blending in seamlessly next to the salt and pepper shakers in ceramic cases molded to look like bottles, tumblers and other dinnerware. Technabob notes that the base station even resembles a serving dish.

The system, made by Japan-based Taguchi Craft, is apparently taking the opposite approach from other home stereo designers in believing that sound equipment should be seen as well as … Read more

Wires and wired connections are for old people, the mentally challenged and the Amish--all the cool people are using wireless stuff. Wireless technology is the connectivity of choice in today's prisons since, unlike Ethernet, it's virtually impossible to kill yourself using Wi-Fi.

OK, fine, wires are actually better than wireless for most things until 802.11n and WiMax (or similar) become mainstream. But Bluetooth has a high adoption rate and Gear4 is exploiting this ubiquity to the max. Its most recent Bluetooth speaker system, the Blackbox, is a rectangular, touch-controlled, 24W, glossy black speaker system.

Along with having … Read more

Wrap this speaker in crinkled gold foil and you might be able to fool people into thinking it was an oversized Ferraro Rocher. But according to Sony Ericsson, the MBS-100 is its first portable speaker that's able to stream music wirelessly from a phone via Bluetooth stereo. A fully charged internal battery delivers up to five hours of music playback. However, you're out of luck if you need them for the holiday season--they'll be available only in the first quarter of 2008 in selected Asia-Pacific markets.

(Source: Crave Asia)

For all the innovative, unusual and creepy designs we've seen in loudspeakers--not to mention expensive--it's surprising how boring many high-end systems can look. It's reminiscent of the PC industry, which lived in a beige and gray world until Apple came along with the first iMac.

Urban Fidelity is one company that's apparently learned that lesson and has responded by selling a line of "Duevel Planets" speakers online for "hip music lovers, not tweaky audiophiles." Not only do they come in neon colors, according to Audio Junkies, but the German-made loudspeakers are … Read more

It's easy to forget sometimes that some media players are actually made by companies other than Apple. And some might say that Microsoft and the Zune have had something to do with that perception.

But proving that the player is in fact a reality, other companies are making accessories to piggyback on the marketing of Zune's 2.0 version released last week. Altec Lansing, for example, just announced the "inMotion iM414," the Zune version of iPod speaker systems from the same line.

The system has yet to hit the market, but Best Buy has it listed for $100 … Read more

Speaker impedance is a confusing subject and based on the letters we get here at CNET (see below), I thought I should try shed a little light on the subject. This letter sums up the typical quandary:

"I have a bit of a dilemma that I hope you can help me solve. I have an entry level Yamaha HTIB system that I purchased a few years back and I would like to upgrade it with better speakers. I've done a lot of research and found that owning a 6 ohm receiver limits the selection of brands that I … Read more