Hasta La Gadget!

Libratone has just made an announcement for the first no-compromise and hassle-free wireless speaker in the market, calling it the Libratone Zipp. You know that you have got yourself quite the winner here with the Libratone Zipp, where it comes in an attractive and compact form factor that is also proud to be the first and only device which is capable of delivering the performance and convenience of AirPlay without having to have a Wi-Fi network in the vicinity. Not only that, you are able to kiss goodbye to all kinds of complicated setup courtesy of Libratone’s all-new PlayDirect technology.

The battery-powered Libratone Zipp will enable you to take wireless high-end audio to the outside world, although I am not quite sure whether sharing your devoted musical taste in Justin Bieber is something that the general public would appreciate. It is said that a full charge on this puppy is capable of delivering up to eight hours of continuous playtime when wired, and half that amount when you rely on a wireless connection.

Not only that, when you want to be fashionable, the Libratone Zipp will not disappoint you at all, since it also comes with changeable wool covers in eight vivid colors that is able to suit all tastes and occasions. Similar to the rest of the Libratone product family, the Libratone Zipp will play nice without a hitch or hassle with the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Mac, and of course, who can forget the venerable PC.

If you are interested in the Libratone Zipp, you will be able to pick it up in Salty Grey or Raspberry Red October 2012 onwards at $399 a pop. Alternatively, you can opt for the Libratone Zipp to come in a 3-pack-color box with two extra wool zip-on covers thrown into the mix, and these will set you back by $449 per box.

Press Release
[ Libratone Zipp AirPlay speaker is a true blue portable device copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

If you’ve been following the surge of AirPlay speakers that started hitting the market in 2011, you’ve likely feasted your eyes on the spendy wool-clad systems by Libratone. While its larger Live and Lounge units have primarily been purposed for households, its new Zipp speaker is the being touted as the “first and only” portable AirPlay speaker. Make no mistake, unlike B&O Play’s portable AirPlay-equipped Beolit 12 ($800), the Zipp’s loaded with Libratone’s proprietary PlayDirect protocol, meaning it doesn’t require a separate wireless network / router for iDevices to connect to it over the air. The Zipp moniker is a play on the swappable wool grill which cozies around its vertically-standing tubular enclosures. Weighing four pounds and measuring in at 10.2 inches high by 4.8 inches in diameter, this “portable” unit is a good bit larger than the Blutooth-equipped Jawbone Big Jambox placed sideways, but it’ll certainly fit in a backpack — hey, it does have a leather carrying strap. Thankfully, that weight is partially due to its internal rechargeable battery, which should last up to eight hours.

As far as the speakers go, you’ll find a duo of 1-inch ribbon tweeters facing the sides for the left and right channels, along with a 4-inch up-firing woofer. The rig also features Libratone’s signature FullRoom design, which forces a 360-degree dispersion of the sound by way of deflectors in front of the tweeters. Beyond that, it’ll naturally work with Libratone’s existing iPhone app, allowing you to change the DSP on the fly for optimal output regardless of its placement in a room. The Zipp will hit Apple Stores later this October wrapped with a single red or grey zippered grill for $399, while other retailers will carry the $449 Classic Color and Funky Color editions, which each come with a trio of those wool grills (black, blue and red for the Classic, and black, pink and yellow for the Funky). Past that, a single grill by itself will cost you a relatively expensive $49 directly from Libratone. In the meantime, join us past the break for more details about the unit itself and PlayDirect, our initial impressions and a hands-on video overview.

Continue reading Libratone intros Zipp portable AirPlay speaker with DirectPlay, expectedly wrapped in wool (update)

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

Libratone intros Zipp portable AirPlay speaker with DirectPlay, expectedly wrapped in wool (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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