Items tagged with Speakers
Sometimes at the end of a long work week, you just need to kick back and crank up the tunes. Whether you choose to fire up a rocking playlist to get the adrenaline pumping or prefer smooth jazz music, that's up to you. If you are looking for a deal on some great sounding speakers, though, we can help. Bose's Home Speaker 300 and 500 are both on sale this weekend with big savings. Bose has a reputation for delivering premium sound and products, at premium prices to boot. So the best time to pounce is when there are markdowns. We usually see discounts this deep during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but for whatever reason, this random weekend in February is your chance to save hundreds on these...
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Roku just made it easy to upgrade your television's audio and add streaming capabilities in one fell swoop. The new Roku Smart Soundbar is notable because not only is it the company's first soundbar, but it also comes with a built-in Roku Ultra streamer, allowing users to stream videos in up to 4K Ultra HD with HDR support. Granted, most modern TVs come with built-in streaming capabilities, so for some it might be a redundant feature. However, for those who prefer Roku to Chromecast (the latter of which is found on many TVs), the Roku Smart Soundbar could serve as a nifty 2-in-1 upgrade, piping out better audio than a TV's speakers with 4K HDR streaming support to boot. "We’ve been very...
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JBL and Google have been collaborating on a soundbar that is powered by Android TV and has Google Assistant integration, and the anticipated speaker is now available to purchase. Harmon, a subsidiary of Samsung and JBL's parent company, announced that the JBL LInk Bar can be purchased for $399.95, along with an optional subwoofer for $299.95. "The Link Bar transforms any TV into a smart TV, with legendary JBL sound performance. Equipped with the content of Android TV and the helpfulness of the Google Assistant, this soundbar is anything but ordinary. Just start with 'Hey Google' to quickly find the latest blockbuster, control a smart home, and more—all with just a voice command," Harman...
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You're not still using your big screen TV's built-in speakers, are you? Granted, not all built-in speakers sound terrible on some modern TVs, but almost without exception, something as simple as adding a decent soundbar can significantly upgrade the audio quality. If that is the route you are considering, check out Samsung's HW-N650 Panoramic Soundbar, which is on sale right now. Amazon has Samsung's HW-N650 Panoramic Soundbar marked down to $339.90. That is 32 percent off its regular $499.99 list price—a delightful discount, especially considering that it hit a day ahead of the 48-hour Prime Day sales event. Samsung HW-N650 Panoramic Soundbar - $339.90 on Amazon (save 32 percent) There...
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At the beginning of the month, Amazon announced that it was expanding its family of Alexa-enabled products with the Echo Dot, a $90 hockey puck-shaped device that brings the power of Alexa to your existing speakers, and Amazon Tap, a portable version of Echo. The latter is now available to purchase for $130 with free two-day shipping for Prime members. Unlike Echo, the Amazon Tap is battery powered, hence why it's portable. Amazon says it provides up to 9 hours of music playback, giving you ample time to hang out with friends on the beach and relax all day long, or keep the backyard barbecue going late into the night. When your guests leave, you can plop the speaker into its charging cradle and...
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It's a tough life being an audiophile. Not only is it expensive -- prohibitively so if going all out -- but it will also test your patience when it comes to finding the perfect speaker placement and sound calibration. Sonos is hoping to change that with the launch of a new flagship speaker and tuning software. The new PLAY:5 from Sonos sports half a dozen custom-designed drivers with dedicated Class-D amplifiers. There are three mid-woofers and three tweeters to cover a full range of audio from "deep, rich bass" to "crisp and accurate" highs, and if you opt for two of the PLAY:5 speakers, you can use them as separate left and right channels or stack them for "a focused and intense sweet spot."...
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Chocolate and peanut butter, football and cheerleaders...light bulbs and wireless stereo speakers? Sony today is announcing the May 23 release in Japan of its LSPX-100E26J, a LED light bulb through which audio can be played. The company's press release pegs the new product as being a part of their "Life Space UX" product group, showcasing devices that "take advantage of space itself to create a new experience, aiming to do so by fusion of light and sound" (roughly translated from the Japanese). "How many _______ does it take to screw in a music-spewing light bulb?" In an installation example that is certain to get audiophile fingers a-tinglin' and toes a-tappin' (salivation...
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With smartphones and tablets being so commonplace these days, we're all classified as mobile warriors. However, most of the devices lack mojo in one critical area -- speakers. At best, we hope for serviceable sound from speakers integrated into tablet and smartphone devices, which is why we're starting to see more portable speaker options. Towards that end, Logitech's Ultimate Ears division today announced its UE MEGABOOM, a next-generation portable wireless speaker that's supposed to deliver more power, sound, and bass than previous efforts.Don't fret too much over placement -- the UE MEGABOOM offers 360-degree sound with "heart pounding bass," according to Logitech. It's also waterproof (IPX7...
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Marshall needs no introduction among musicians, but in case you're not familiar, Marshall is a British company that makes high-end amps, speaker cabinets, and other audio equipment. The company's newest product is the Stanmore, a modern wireless loudspeaker with a retro aesthetic that looks like one of Marshall's older amp heads. Stanmore is the compact cousin (or sibling, if you prefer) to Marshall's Hanwell, though the company promises it can deliver big sound. It has a pair of 3/4-inch dome tweeters and a 5.25-inch woofer powered by a Class D amplifier. Marshall rates max power at 80W RMS with a frequency response of 45Hz - 22,000kHz. It's not just about being loud, however. The compact speaker...
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Logitech is going for a certain look and feel with its Z600 Bluetooth stereo speakers, which is to say that it’s trying for a sleek, high-end-looking product that matches the luster of ultrabooks. (Especially MacBooks, it would seem.) The twin speakers are quite fetching, with graceful curves and a long, tall stance. They’re sort of an aluminum-white in color, with speaker grills covering most of the outside and a white stripe down one side that contains the power button, Bluetooth button, and 3.5mm input. The flat top offers a volume control that you can manipulate by gliding your finger in a circle. The Z600 speakers will work with up to three devices simultaneously--just press...
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Regardless of whether or not you consider yourself an audiophile, or even a technology lover fascinated with audio, you've almost certainly heard of Bose. The name is essentially impossible to avoid. It's in television ads, stores are plentiful, and just about every flight that departs has at least one person on there sporting a pair of Bose headphones. Much has been debated about the overall quality and general lack of transparency that the company shows when it comes to raw specifications, but all that aside, the technology universe lost a great figure this week. Dr. Amar Bose, a former member of the MIT staff and the founder of Bose Corporation, passed away today at the age of 83. He received...
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WOWee ONE, a company well-versed in ultra-portable speakers, and MicroVision, an outfit responsible for a number of ultra-miniature laser display technologies, are joining forces at CES. They're unveiling their collaboration to bring enhanced mobile visual and audio experiences to smartphone and tablet users in more than 120 countries, and they're teaming together to bring customers a portable, immersive digital consumption experience, by combining WOWee ONE’s revolutionary Gel-Audio based portable speakers with MicroVision’s award winning products based on PicoP portable display engine technology giving users the ability to instantly share and enjoy their content with colleagues,...
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Hercules revealed its new Autumn/Winter 2011 collection of multimedia speakers. In all, the company is launching five new models that are designed to be friendly to your wallet. The XPS ARC WHITE speakers feature a streamlined and slightly arched design. These speakers are available in two models. The XPS 2.1 20 ARC WHITE includes two satellite speakers, a subwoofer, a wired remote with volume control and a line input. The XPS 2.0 10 ARC WHITE is a 2.0 version of the previous speaker system with a volume control, on/off button and line input located on the left satellite speaker. Hercules is also adding a USB sound bar to its lineup. With its attachment clip, this speaker bar is designed to be...
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In this latest episode of HotHardware's Two and Half Geeks Dave, Iyaz and Marco talk about AMD's decision to leave BAPCo, the Dell XPS 15z ultralight notebookm, Alienware's killer M14x notebook, and Logitech's sweet Z906 5.1 channel speaker system. We also talk a bit about our on-going "Dads and Grads" giveaway, which is in its final hours... Show Notes: 01:10 - AMD Gives BAPCo the Bird, Chirps About Unfair SYSMark 2012 Benchmark 05:17 - Dell's XPS 15z Ultra Slim Notebook Review 09:12 - Logitech Z906 Speaker System Review 11:47 - Alienware M14x Sneak Peek 15:20 - Final "Dads and Grads" Contest Plug...
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It doesn't matter how hard your earphones pound your eardrums with cranium shaking noise, you can't truly call yourself a power user unless you're ticking off the neighbors and scaring the hell out of the dog with a surround sound setup that rattles the walls and punches copious amounts of bass. Without it, you might as well give your man-card away to someone who plans on fulfilling the requirements for membership in an illustrious club that demands everything be over the top. Logitech's famed Z-5500 system fit the bill, and there are many who consider it to be the king of multimedia speakers. But a king's reign can only last so long before either being usurped, or passing the torch to a successor....
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It doesn't matter how hard your earphones pound your eardrums with cranium shaking noise, you can't truly call yourself a power user unless you're ticking off the neighbors and scaring the hell out of the dog with a surround sound setup that rattles the walls and punches copious amounts of bass. Without it, you might as well give your man-card away to someone who plans on fulfilling the requirements for membership in an illustrious club that demands everything be over the top. Logitech's famed Z-5500 system fit the bill, and there are many who consider it to be the king of multimedia speakers. But a king's reign can only last so long before either being usurped, or passing the torch to a...
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Wireless speakers are a dime a dozen these days, and even Bluetooth versions have grown increasingly popular of late. Creative, which has made a name for themselves in audio, is joining the fray this week with the introduction of the D80 Bluetooth one-piece speaker. The company calls this their most affordable Bluetooth speaker ever in this form factor, and the $50 price tag is indeed very inticing. Creative is hoping that the rampant adoption of Bluetooth enabled devices such as phones, PMPs and tablets will product a huge market for something like this, and given the portable nature of the D80, we wouldn't doubt if it proves successful. The device streams Bluetooth audio from just about any...
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Although the idea of a 2.1 speaker system isn’t terribly exciting to some users in this era of multi-channel gaming audio and 5.1 channel speaker systems, the technology employed by the Corsair SP2500 2.1 channel speaker system is intriguing. Not only that, but the simple fact of the matter is, most PC users don’t have the right room and / or desk setup to properly install and configure a surround sound speaker system. If you own a high-end, 5.1 channel speaker system and your rear satellites aren’t positioned properly, at the right angle and distance from your ears, don’t scoff at the idea of an advanced 2.1 channel system. Odds are the 2.1 channel setup sounds better...
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It was back at the Consumer Electronics Show that we first caught a glimpse of the Corsair SP2500 2.1 channel speaker system. Dave and I were traversing the show floor while our compadres Mat and Jennifer were off gallivanting at a few private meetings at some lavish Las Vegas hotels. As we headed straight into the Corsair booth to check out some new cooling gear, new solid state drives, and a slick, white 600T case, we walked right passed the SP2500s, which were positioned on and end-cap at one of the corners of the booth. As our discussion with reps from Corsair winded down, we asked if we had seen all that Corsair was featuring for the show. The answer was no. At that point we were escorted...
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Looking for a new way to spruce up your home audio / home cinema experience? Without a solid surround sound system, your entire experience will likely be lacking. Which is precisely why Harman has just introduced a handful of new surround sound sets. The new BDS series features two integrated home entertainment systems, the Harman Kardon BDS 400 and Harman Kardon BDS 800. The company is calling these systems "all-in-one" sets, as they include everything you'd need to get a Blu-ray setup going in your home. There's an integrated receiver, a BD/DVD/CD player (complete with an FM radio tuner), and an on-screen setup menu that's said to be "foolproof." The BDS 400 includes a powerful BDS 2 SO integrated...
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Like us, you might have thought Logitech forgot all about 5.1 surround sound speakers and that the popular (and awesome) Z-5500 was the end of the road. Looks like we were all wrong on that one. Logitech today announced a long overdue successor to the Z-500, the multi-talented Z906. We say "mulit-talented" because the Z906 isn't designed primarily for the PC, but for anywhere you need banging bass and great sounding audio. You can connect up to six audio devices simultaneously, including your TV, DVD, DVR, Blu-ray player, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, iPod, and of course your PC or Mac. So really it's intended to slide into your home theater, which is where you might have your PC in...
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Is the surround sound system dead? Not quite, but it's not nearly as necessary as it was just five years ago. At that point, running miles of speaker cable around your den was a dreadful requirement to get legitimate surround sound, but audio technologies have evolved quite substantially in the span of just a few years. Sound bars in particular offer a great balance; there's the compromise of not actually having 5, 6 or 7 independent speakers, but the size and ease of installation usually makes up for that. Harman Industries are today introducing the new Harman Kardon SB 16 2.1-channel soundbar home theater speaker system. This system is designed for those seeking great surround sound, but aren't...
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