Hasta La Gadget!

A part of all its audio announcements during IFA, Harman’s showing off new multimedia speakers. The $499 Onyx leads the pack with a leather-wrapped standing circular design, compatibility with Airplay and DLNA, Bluetooth (aptX and AAC) with NFC paring and a six-hour rechargeable battery. A duo of three-inch woofers and 3/4-inch tweeters are housed in its enclosure, all of which are independently powered for a total peak output of 60-watts RMS. The speaker also uses Harman’s DSP and packs dual passive bass radiators for optimal lowend response. A stainless steel handle makes it easy to carry between rooms and there’s a 3.5mm input to ensure your jams never stop pumping if wireless connectivity is an issue. Expect it to be available later in the year.

Aside from that centerpiece, two new speakers are coming out of the JBL division. Getting less serious, the $130 Spark is an indoor Bluetooth speaker with a quirky transparent design that’s shaped like a megaphone. The unit needs to plug into a wall for power, but features stereo output via two 40mm drivers, an inline controller on its fabric cable and a hook if you want to mount it to a wall. Lastly, the brand’s $59 Pebbles are a coupled pair of USB-powered desktop speakers. The enclosures can stand vertically or horizontally and pack dual 50mm drivers aided by DSP. An auxiliary input is also onboard for your mp3 player, as is a cable management system for when you need to pack ’em up. Both the Spark and Pebbles will be available in a range of colors when they eventually hit shelves. Press releases for all the speakers mentioned are viewable after the break. %Gallery-slideshow79641%

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

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Source: Harman Kardon, JBL

Is it pandering to have one of our Canadian writers play with every new BlackBerry? Perhaps — not that we could’ve stopped him anyway. In this week’s issue, we have Mr. Jon Fingas sharing his thoughts on the Q5 and its physical keyboard, while Philip splurges on JBL speakers to match his new Lumia 1020.

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Blackberry

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When it comes to the world of headphones, making a particular purchase decision is not all that easy. After all, there are so many models to choose from, and you do not want to end up forking out money for something that does not offer as much bang for your buck as you wished. Well, one name that I am quite sure is able to serve up decent value for money would be JBL, and one of their latest headphones would be the JBL WR2.4. Of course, right off the bat, most folks would notice that the JBL WR2.4 headphones is missing the cord, which is an all too common feature in majority of the headphones out there, leading us to only one conclusion – this is a wireless device which will hopefully live up to the family name.

In a nutshell, without a cable to tether the JBL WR2.4 headphones to a compatible music playback device, you will be able to enjoy untethered freedom to move around, as long as the headphones remain within range, that is. We are looking at approximately 100 feet (30 meters) of reception range, while the nuilt-in rechargeable batteries will let you extend freedom from the AC outlet, too, delivering up to eight hours of continuous playtime.

Apart from wireless convenience, the JBL WR2.4 headphones have also been specially designed to be comfortable to wear, too. It is lightweight in nature, and comes with generously sized padded cups as well as a fully adjustable headband. This would allow you to wear the wireless headphones without suffering from fatigue or feeling hot between the head despite wearing it for an extended period of time. The WR2.4 headphones comes with semi-closed back acoustics to deliver naturally enhanced sound quality via their 18 Hz to 20 kHz sound range, while it has an uncompromising 2.4 GHz digital bandwidth for reception that remains untainted by transmission noise, sporting 32-ohm impedance to deliver a wide range of listening volumes. Running on a pair of AAA batteries, the JBL WR2.4 headphones can be yours for $99.95 per pair.

Press Release
[ JBL WR2.4 headphones introduced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

JBL is known for its love of exotic speaker designs, but a new FCC approval suggests it’s about to turn back the clock for its next look. An unannounced Spark Bluetooth speaker appearing at the US agency wouldn’t look out of place at the top of a gramophone — albeit one draped in red plastic. It could also be part of the decor, as a manual in the filing suggests there’s support for mounting brackets. While the FCC filing doesn’t give away any launch details for the Spark, the 13W of total power hints that we won’t be paying a lot for our semi-retro audio.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: FCC

Harman has joined several other companies in jumping the CES gun, announcing five new products it’s bringing to the show. First up is the JBL Charge, a hardy Bluetooth speaker which promises an impressive 12 hours of tunes on a single charge. If you are willing to sacrifice some of that play time, you can siphon power from the internal battery to other kit via the speaker’s USB port. Expected to start shipping in Q1 2013, you should be able to pick one up for around $149. Joining JBL’s OnBeat range are the Mini and Rumble speaker docks, which are both compatible with Apple’s Lightning connector. The Mini is a fairly standard dock which will play and charge for up five hours on battery power, and should be available this coming March for around $149. The Rumble, however, is a little more equipped, with both Lightning and Bluetooth streaming options, as well as a 4.5-inch, “down-firing subwoofer” for bass junkies. That extra muscle is reflected in the price, though, which is likely to be $399 when it hits stores next spring.

A couple of new Kardon-branded A/V receivers from Harman are also coming along to CES — the AVR 2700 and 3700. Both have multi-zone functionality, are stacked with wireless features including internet radio, AirPlay and DLNA connectivity, and can be controlled using iOS and Android apps. The AVR 2700 has eight HDMI ports and 4K video scaling for when you get round to buying that UHDTV, as well as 7.1-channel audio (at 100 watts per channel). The AVR 3700 adds WiFi connectivity, and has 7.2 channels (at 125 watts per channel) for adding a second woofer to your setup. When they become available to purchase in Q1 2013, expect wallet damage to the tune of $799 for the 2700, or $999 for the 3700. You can get a closer look at all the Harman products in the press shots below (complete with unnecessary reflection), and if you’re into PRs, there are a whole bunch awaiting you after the break.

Continue reading Harman bringing trio of JBL speakers and pair of AV receivers to CES

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Wireless, HD

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