speaker

LAS VEGAS--Wireless audio at CES 2013 has been almost entirely dominated by the idea of streaming music directly from your smartphone, usually via Bluetooth.

Teenage Engineering's newly announced OD-11 is taking a different approach, which it calls the Cloud Speaker. The cubelike speaker actually borrows its design from Swedish audio engineer Stig Carlsson, whose original OD-11 in 1974 featured the same angled tweeter and woofer that directs sound out the the top of the speaker, rather than a more traditional front-facing design. The idea is to throw the sound into a room, without a defined sweet spot that standard … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Wireless peripheral maker Parrot is showing off an update to its Philippe Starck-designed Zikmu Solo wireless speaker system. Due sometime this year, the system doesn't differ much aesthetically from the original model introduced back in 2009. The latest version, does, however, offer improved innards, powerful sound, and a lower price point.

The $999 Zikmu Solo has 2x100-watt output and a built-in 1GHz ARM A8 processor that the company says "controls the path of the coil of the bass loudspeaker in real time" to greatly reduce distortion during playback.

The 2.1 stereo audio speaker system features built-in Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC (for quick pairing). Aside from the array of connectivity features, the Zikmu also jives with DLNA for networked streaming and can even connect with another Zikmu (over Wi-Fi) for even more output. A built-in speaker dock at the top of the device works with older iPhones and iPods with a 30-pin power port.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--If you can't decide whether to buy a portable or desktop speaker for your smartphone, here's a solution that may give you the best of both worlds.

The Zagg Origin, spotted at the Digital Experience event here at CES, is a 2-in-1 speaker system. It consists of a portable Bluetooth speaker that can be used on the go for more than 10 hours with its onboard rechargeable battery.

When this portable unit is docked into the desktop component, sound output is seamlessly transferred to the larger speaker, enabling it to fill a bigger room. Meanwhile, the portable … Read more

It doesn't get any cuter than Priscilla Pink or Charlie Chimp when it come to speaker equipment for kids.

Zagg -- which specializes in accessories for electronics -- introduced the Animatone Snug, a stuffed animal that doubles as a portable speaker, at CES 2013.

The company decided to drop its BoostPlus speaker into a fluffy doll and add it to its children's products line, Frogz. The BoostPlus is a speaker that amplifies the sound of a media device when it's placed on top of it, no wires or Bluetooth required.

Add a device pouch to the doll … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Plantronics has long had Bluetooth-compatible headsets and speakers, but people with PCs have largely been left out of the party.

Until now. At CES this week, Plantronics is showing a wide array of its headphones and speakers, many of which focus exclusively on Bluetooth compatibility. But with the Voyager Legend UC and the Calisto 620, PC users wanting to listen to their favorite music on their mobile devices or wanting to make VoIP calls from their PCs can play along.

With its Voyager Legend UC headphones, Plantronics is now offering the ability to listen in on audio from mobile … Read more

LAS VEGAS--It was short and sweet, and if you blinked, you might have missed it. We're talking about Panasonic's press conference at CES today.

The star of the show, unsurprisingly, was Panasonic's 2013 line of Viera TVs. But the consumer electronics giant also showed off a range of other new products, from midrange LCD TVs, to new Blu-ray players, to Bluetooth speakers, to a range of micro home stereos, and finally a set of bone-conducting headphones.

It may not have been the shortest press conference of the day (Lexus called it quits at 13 minutes), but before … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The Stream Wireless Home Audio System from Voxx International lets you play music and audio anywhere in your home and is relatively low priced to make it more accessible.

Once set up with included software, you'll be able to control your music library from any iOS device or your computer over Wi-Fi and Apple's AirPlay. The software lets you choose zones for your music, and you can select playlists to play in each room.

The single-room configuration for the system costs $199 and looks like a smart way to control your music wirelessly.

LAS VEGAS--Samsung and LG aren't the only major manufacturers getting in on the Bluetooth speaker market.

Panasonic introduced the SC-NP10 Bluetooth speaker at CES 2013, designed with tablets in mind. The 3.5-pound speaker is designed to prop up tablets for movie-watching, although it doesn't necessarily need to be used with a tablet.

The SC-NP10 also has a feature called "Near Field Stereo Sound," which is supposed to make audio sound better even though you're close to the speaker. There's virtual surround processing as well, to help widen the soundstage from the small speaker. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic takes to CES 2013 to announce an array of updates to its line of micro stereo systems, this year with an emphasis on streaming, though several of the products include a Lightning dock for fifth-generation iOS music players.

As users grow more comfortable with wireless audio standards like Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay, Panasonic banks on a new generation of devices that rely on a wireless connection to transmit music.

The company gives a full refresh to its HC home audio systems with the introduction of the SC-HC58, SC-HC38, and SC-HC28. The SC-HC28 relies on a Lightning dock and … Read more