speakers

When we've pleaded repeatedly for the development of better portable speakers, this is hardly what we had in mind. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

But we're compelled to cite the latest assault by the evil Hello Kitty Empire in the form of these iPod speakers seen on Shiny Shiny. It's apparently an attempt by Sanrio to conquer the non-driving MP3 crowd.

So why are we obligated to mention them at all? It's a public service announcement, in hopes of aiding The Resistance.

When I use my computer, I typically find myself listening to music and podcasts, or maybe even watch some videos. And while my six-year old Altec Lansing speakers do a pretty nice job of reproducing sound, the Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System does it far better than any other computer surround sound system I've used.

Design

The Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System is well-equipped and quite attractive. It comes with four speakers (FL, FR, RL, RR), a center channel, subwoofer and a control pod that does your bidding. The subwoofer is cased in a nice black plastic, while the speakers are small, yet adequately sized to fit any space. Even better, the G51 came with extra designs that you can cut out and apply to the side of the speakers for additional customization. If you'd rather to do it yourself, you can also surf over to this page to download software and artwork. If that still doesn't work, you can always design your own and insert it into the "patent-pending mod system" on each satellite speaker. Sure, it's not the greatest of add-ons, but it does add some personal flair to an otherwise run-of-the-mill design.… Read more

Undeterred by iPhone mania, Nokia continues to chug along with its own music phone efforts and has just come out with a new portable speaker device for its Xpress handset. That's a good thing, considering some of the unfortunate alternatives we've seen out there for other phone speakers.

Rather than something that looks like a genetic experiment gone awry, Nokia's MD-6 "Pocket Speakers" take on a sleek form that looks something like a cigarette lighter as seen on Krunker.com. Following that theme, it has a hinged top that opens to reveal both speakers at … Read more

Polk Audio has taken the wraps off the I-Sonic Entertainment System 2, the follow-up to the company's impressive 2006 tabletop AV system. The new ES2 model gets the iPod dock that was missing from the original I-Sonic, but it loses the Swiss-Army-knife luster of that all-in-one model: gone are CD/DVD player and XM satellite radio support (though an auxiliary line-in port lets you connect any external device of your choosing). Video output (for the increasingly burgeoning number of video-capable iPods) remains, as does the dual alarm clock and HD Radio tuner. And it's the interaction between the HD Radio and the iPod where the new I-Sonic debuts a first-of-its-kind feature called iTunes Tagging. … Read more

Yesterday I spent a lot of time raving about the SVS 20-39 PC Plus subwoofer, today we'll look at the company's satellites.

Like the subs, the SVS SBS-01 and SCS-01 speakers are generously proportioned; both use a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and 5.25-inch polypropylene woofer (the first speaker has one, the "center channel" speaker has two woofers). The SBS-01 is 12 by 7 by 9.5 inches (hwd) and the SCS-01 is 7 by 20 by 8.5 inches (hwd), so they're both big enough to make a fair about of bass on their … Read more

Enough with the carping. We've been complaining recently about speakers with designs that are uninspired or downright boring. You'll be thankful to know that there's one that has finally shut us up (however briefly).

The "Dodecasub" from Elemental Designs bears an impressive form that matches its unique name. This beast has a dodecagon casing (that's a 12-sided polygon, for those of us who failed geometry) and boasts 10 subwoofers measuring 10 inches each that can blast 600 watts apiece--or, as Audio Junkies puts it more graphically, enough to "leave you feeling a little … Read more

Crave readers clearly haven't gotten enough iPod news lately, so we thought we'd pitch in with a word about one of the player's accessories, which we all know are so rare. Besides, how often does a gadget have a name that sounds more like a designer fragrance?

The "Julia"--or "BoomTune Mini Julia," according to Fareastgizmos, to be exact--is a portable speaker device that stands like a tripod, giving your iPod a higher profile (as if it needed one). The 1-watt speakers aren't exactly meant for a pool party, but this little … Read more

Amazingly enough, not every bit of technology products involve Apple. There's this other company we've heard of called Nokia, which apparently also makes a few phones too, and some even play music like an iPhone.

Even JBL recognizes that last feature and has created a system to support Nokia's new "5310 Xpress" to maximize the music phone's sound with Odyssey speakers, an equalizer and a built-in amp. JBL's "On Call 5310" also serves as an all-purpose station for the handset with a recharging dock, according to OhGizmo, which says it will … Read more

Pretty much everything about Usher Audio's BE-10 screams "audiophile speaker." It's big, it's beautiful, and it sounds so good you don't even have to be an audiophile to appreciate it. Maybe the "audiophile" tag sounds a tad elitist, but anyone who occasionally gives their undivided attention to the sound of music--meaning they don't read, talk, or otherwise multitask as they listen--could be considered an audiophile. In any case, the BE-10 sounds too good to be ignored, and if that makes it an audiophile speaker, so be it.

Audiophiles with a hankering … Read more