Hasta La Gadget!

JBL audio has announced the launch of a couple new audio accessories for Apple gadgets that use the new Lightning connector. The docks will work with the iPhone 5 and iPad mini and promise to work with updated iPads and iPods. The new devices include the JBL OnBeat Micro and the JBL Venue LT.

JBL says that these two new speakers are the first on the market to support the new Lightning Connector. The OnBeat Micro is a battery-powered speaker dock aimed at mobile users, students, and anyone else looking for audio performance on the go. The OnBeat Venue LT is a larger tabletop speaker dock with dual full-range drivers.

The Venue LT also has JBL Slipstream port technology for enhanced bass and TrueStream technology for high-quality sound via Bluetooth. The Micro can operate for up to five hours on battery power alone and can be used with an included AC adapter. It also has an integrated USB connection to our other portable devices on the go.

The Venue LT has a hidden Lightning dock connector behind the JBL logo on the front and can be paired with up to eight devices via Bluetooth. Both devices support the MusicFlow application from JBL to allow users to create customized playlists, adjust volume, and browse through album artwork. The Micro will sell for $99 and the Venue LT will sell for $199.

JBL launches new speakers for Lightning Connector Apple gear is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

That larger JBL speaker dock looks familiar, doesn’t it? Near the end of September, Harman gave us a peak at it’s latest consumer audio products. Curiously, however, a slew of new iOS-focused speaker docks were shown off, each lacking a Lightning connector. Today that’s changed, as JBL has announced a duo of systems that are equipped with Lightning docks. To start, the larger system is dubbed as the OnBeat Venue LTE ($200). This unit is essentially a Lightning-enhanced version of the 30-pin loaded Venue we recently spent time with, featuring the same 30 watts of power and Bluetooth connectivity with Apt-X support. Like it’s sibling, the dock can be set flush with the front, and better yet, you’ll even be able to dock your iPad Mini into it. Sizing things down a bit is the OnBeat Micro, a $100 bedside system that’ll play nice with the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Nano. While it doesn’t benefit from Harman’s Bluetooth know-how (a pricing consideration, as we’re told), it’s loaded with a rechargeable battery for quick bouts away from wall power.

Based on a quick listening session, we can report that the Venue LT sounded very full and clear. Even with the optional bass- or vocal-boosts enabled, it didn’t seem like the speakers were having trouble pushing out a high level of volume. The Micro on the other hand sounded decidedly tinny, which we’re frankly not surprised about given the size. Both systems are compatible with JBL’s MusicFlow app as well, giving you some extended options for tweaking the EQ. Both rigs felt fairly sturdy, but we were immediately able to notice some niggles with the Lighting connector. Our iPhone 5 and Harman’s iPad Mini and iPod Nano clicked into place easily with the connector, but the hinge it’s built on is very loose without any tension. A slight knock could potentially send an iOS device leaning forward, which would have us concerned in a party situation (the problem is more apparent on the Venue). Secondly, the docks won’t play nice with common cases like Speck’s CandyShell, so you’ll need to have your devices naked before docking. JBL noted the quirks, stating that they have little control over the behavior of connector itself, as it’s is supplied by Apple.

JBL expects that the OnBeat Venue LT and Micro will be the only Lightning-packing speaker docks for at least the holidays, so check out the press release after the break for more details if you’re interested. As for us? We’d say the Venue LT is definitely worth a look, but we’d just as easily pass on the Micro given the myriad options out there for smaller Bluetooth-equipped speakers.

Continue reading JBL intros first Lightning-equipped speaker docks, we go ears-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

JBL intros first Lightning-equipped speaker docks, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JBL’s SoundFly lineup is one of the rarer breeds of wireless speaker we’ve come across: it’s much like an earlier AirPort Express made solely for audio, designed to be as unintrusive as possible while it kicks out the jams. Those who find that stealthy sound appealing will be glad to hear that the more advanced of the two SoundFly speakers, the SoundFly Air, is now shipping. The 20W box will play audio streamed from any AirPlay-capable device on the same WiFi network while it sits demurely on a wall outlet. JBL is counting on a few tricks to set itself apart from the rest of the similarly Apple-oriented pack, such as linking up to four of the speakers for whole-home audio and offering an iOS app to tailor the output to the room. About the only reservation is a $199 shipping price for something that isn’t as portable or universal as a Jawbone Jambox, but that may be the price to pay for a speaker that can offer longer range and syncing while it very nearly blends into the furniture.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

JBL SoundFly Air ships, delivers AirPlay to your wall socket for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JBL Audio has unveiled a new portable speaker aimed at users of Apple devices called the SoundFly Air. The little speaker is AirPlay-enabled supporting iOS devices and is designed to plug directly into a wall outlet for power. The speaker pairs with a free downloadable app.

That free app allows users to browse through music with cover art, adjust the volume and the tone of the speaker, and customize the digital signal processing to make the sound suit their tastes. The speaker has 20 W of power and a frequency response of up to 20 kHz. The outlet prongs are on the back of the speaker allowing the entire speaker to hang from the front of an outlet in any room.

The signal-to-noise ratio for the mobile speaker is 80 dB. It’s designed to work on 100 V to 240 V making it usable who in the US and abroad. The speaker is compact measuring 190 mm deep by 92 mm tall and weighing 0.42 kg. The speaker appears to only support Apple AirPlay enabled devices.

The speaker is available for pre-order right now for $199. That price includes free ground shipping. Exactly, when the SoundFly Air will, ship is unknown. JBL simply says that it’s up for pre-order and will ship when available.

JBL shows off SoundFly Air portable speaker is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Harman announced a fair amount of JBL-branded speakers back at IFA, but that wasn’t all it had to announce before the year goes out. Today we met with in the company in NYC, where it was ready to show off even more of its upcoming wireless and dock speakers. In fact, don’t tell Harmon that the 30-pin connector is on its way out, as its $199 OnBeat Venue (seen above and $139 OnBeat aWake are ready to pair up with your last-gen iOS devices. The Venue is rated for a peak output of 30-watts and features a stow-away dock a tweeter and woofer combo for both stereo channels, component outputs for use with TVs, an obligatory 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth if you’d prefer to go wireless. The aWake shrinks things down to about 13 watts, and features a digital clock so that you can use it on your bedside night stand — despite its small size, it’ll easily dock an iPad. Both systems also work with free JBL apps for iOS that’ll enhance the experience. According to the company, it’s also working on solutions for the Lightning connector, but wouldn’t reveal any hard details.

Moving along to dedicated speakers, you might recall the SoundFly BT, which recently got outed during its trip to the FCC. The 20-watt Bluetooth-equipped unit is strictly intended to plug directly into wall outlets, having only a status light with no inputs or buttons. It’ll set you back $149 when it hits shelves, and if you tack another another $50 you can get an AirPlay-equipped version instead. We gave the BT a quick listen and it sounded surprisingly big with a fair amount of bass extension — impressive considering it’s petite and it plug-friendly design. A Harmon rep even noted that the hotel we were in was interested in procuring some for its rooms. Sadly, the units aren’t remotely water-resistant, even though our demo area was a bathroom.

Lastly, we’re actually most intrigued by the $59 Harman / Kardon BTA 10 dongle. The nearly matchbook-sized box connects to any speaker via its 3.5mm jack, allowing you to stream over Bluetooth 4.0 on the fly. Power is supplied via a micro-USB cable, and a blue indicator light lets you know that it’s powered up. Harmon’s mainly created it to add Bluetooth functionality to its non-wireless speakers, but it can be used with any speaker of your choice. We’re also told that it overs very high-quality, despite being Bluetooth, thanks to some in-house development dubbed as TrueStream. There’s no exact word on when all of these units will hit shelves, but you can peek the galleries for better looks — check the source link for full details.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, Portable Audio/Video

Harman shows off its upcoming JBL docks and speakers, we go eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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