Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to portable speakers – let alone Bluetooth enabled ones, these are dime a dozen in the market. The thing is, how does a manufacturer ensure that what they have on offer will be very different from the other offerings, so much so that folks would not hesitate to purchase and recommend your device compared to the rest? Take the £119.99 Switch Bluetooth Speaker for instance, as it comes in a choice of black and red shades.

The Switch Bluetooth Speaker would come in a clean, functional design that boasts of high-quality audio in addition to carrying an abundance of useful hidden extras, making it a truly versatile wireless speaker for plenty of occasions. The built-in battery is capable of lasting for the entire day, where you get up to 14 hours of non-stop playback on a full battery charge. Not only that, the Switch Bluetooth Speaker boasts of VoIP capabilities, allowing the unit to function as your very own conference call hub. Should you be a movie buff instead, the Switch Bluetooth Speaker ensures that your ears are in for a real treat, delivering high performance bass and a sub-woofer that ought to send chills down your spine. Not only that, the Switch Bluetooth Speaker also doubles up as a portable battery charger – as long as the thirsty devices of yours can be juiced up via USB, that is.
[ Switch Bluetooth Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

If you’re a high-end audio fan, you’ve probably heard of Cambridge Audio, the London-based firm that makes some of the best equipment in the business. The brand is currently undergoing some changes that involve targeting the growing number of users who are looking for wireless in-home and portable speaker solutions. Hence the new Minx line of devices, which borrows its name from Cambridge’s affordable home-theater speaker range, but adds goodies like AirPlay and Bluetooth.

The Minx Air 200 is part of this new effort. It’s a large home speaker that packs in AirPlay, Bluetooth, two 2.25-inch drivers and one 6.5-inch subwoofer, as well as direct access to up to five preset Internet radio stations without requiring a connection to an iPhone, smartphone or computer. The Minx Air 200 is a beast of a networked speaker system, and at $599 it compares price-wise to other higher-end options like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air or the Libratone Live Speaker.

• AirPlay
• Bluetooth
• 3.5mm and RCA wired input
• 802.11 b/g
• Ethernet
• 200W amplifier output
• MSRP: $599
• Product info page

The Minx Air 200 is somewhat sober in its design choices if I had to pick one word to describe it. It’s white plastic, with a light gray front grill and metallic rim bordering the front grill. Unlike some of the competition like the Zeppelin, the Minx isn’t trying to draw too much attention to itself. The arc of it adds a little bit of design flare, but mostly this is a speaker that strikes you as subdued, and that’s just fine. The Air 200 isn’t bad looking, it just is. Which sets the stage for it to live or die based on its performance.

You’ll be able to connect to the Minx Air no matter what type of device you’re trying to use as your music source, and the AirPlay connectivity is solid (the protocol seems to have come a long way in terms of stability, which is a bonus for Cambridge, who are relative latecomers to the market). And Ethernet support is a hugely welcome addition if you’re the type that can’t even fathom the idea of an occasional drop-out. It’s probably not going to be much use to most looking for a wireless speaker, but the fact that it’s there at all is excellent.

Preset Internet radio stations is another huge advantage for the Minx Air 200. With the Minx Air app, you can change settings on your device and cycle through 10 preset stations. Minx sets these up automatically, but you can change them within the app. Best of all, you can switch between five presets on the Air 200 itself with hardware buttons, giving you access to Internet radio without any kind of connected device required. That’s a huge advantage versus the competition when it comes to features.

True to its audiophile roots, Cambridge has also included advanced audio signal-boosting technologies, including built-in digital to analog converters (DACs) and AAC decoding, as well as tech designed to maximize the quality of Bluetooth stereo streaming to CD-quality standards.

All those claims of better sound bring us to the money question: Is the sound actually better? Yes, yes it is. Put simply, this is the best-sounding AirPlay speaker I’ve reviewed, and the best-sounding Bluetooth one, too. AT $599, it isn’t cheap, but in this case you definitely get what you pay for. Bass performance is impressive, as is max volume, though even Cambridge admits this won’t go as loud as some of the competitors in the interest of preventing any kind of distortion even at the top end, something competitors aren’t necessarily as concerned about.

Cambridge may be trying to move into more mass-market products, but the Minx Air 200 still demonstrates the company’s audiophile roots. Audio clarity is great, even from streamed online sources like Rdio being streamed once again over the local network. The connection doesn’t seem to suffer from excess network traffic, either, and Bluetooth connections are likewise solid (with the usual limits on proximity), and sound quality also shines there. If you’ve been making do with even something as good as an Audyssey Audio Dock Air, you’ve been missing out. And that’s what Cambridge wants to do with the Minx line: Show a generation that hasn’t been particularly focused on audio quality what a difference it can make when someone pays attention to that above all. Mission accomplished.

This is an excellent choice for an AirPlay/wireless home speaker. A battery would be nice, as there’s a handle for easy enough portability, but in its category, it’s still by far the best choice at the current price, and probably a better option than some of the more expensive ones out there. Cambridge Audio may have waited and let its competitors get a head start in this category, but the wait paid off: The Minx Air 200 is a polished, well-designed piece of audio hardware that confidently tops the competition.

The recently introduced Wren V5PF holds the proud distinction of being one of the only two wireless speakers in the market today that will offer Android users a sophisticated channel for Wi-Fi music thanks to DTS Play-Fi technology. By utilizing old-school audio materials as well as classic audio know-how, the Wren V5PF will not only be able to harness the latest in wireless technology so that your ears will be treated to vibrant, room-filling sound, it manages to do so in a beautiful, simple, and convenient way. Of course, when you couple that with an elegant design as well as the proper acoustics in mind, marry that with the speaker’s sophisticated styling, subtle curves, and real wood rich finish, the Wren V5PF ought to be able to find a space in just about any home.

Your ears will definitely be more than happy with the Wren V5 Play-Fi speaker as individual features were specially designed to deliver fearless sound. It has been constructed out of natural bamboo or rosewood veneers that measure more than 0.5” thick MDF board, and the cabinet itself is internally braced to deliver a rigid enclosure that will be free from coloration. The unique internal diamond matrix-grille will offer further protection to the drivers without distorting sound. As for the underside of the Wren V5PF, it has been reinforced with a 4mm low-durometer silicone pad which will help stabilize the chassis and absorb cabinet vibration.

Here is a little primer on what DTS Play-Fi technology does – it transforms just about any Android smartphone or tablet (that runs on Android 2.2 Froyo or higher) into a flexible wireless audio device that has Pandora, vTuner internet radio, and a music player which can stream lossless audio files that has been stashed on the device, a local computer or a hard drive that has a DLNA server. Since it transmits “lossless” audio, you can be sure that the music you hear, based on the original quality, is as good as it gets. The Wren V5PF comes with an asking price of $399 a pop.

Press Release
[ Wren V5PF launched copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

There’s something quite special about high-end speakers, in the way that they are often able to recreate acoustic performances very accurately, akin to what holography is to visual senses. I’m not sure that these Bowers & Wilkins speakers will do that, but they certainly look the part.

The B&W 805 Maserati Edition Speakers will please audiophiles and car enthusiasts alike. At heart, they are part of the 800 Series of Diamond speakers, adorned with lots of materials that you’d find in any Maserati. They come in maple veneer, black leather, standing tall on the stand that has a Maserati Trident logo.

These speakers are limited and the price hasn’t yet been announced, but given that the regular 800 Diamond Series speakers sell for $23,000(USD) a pair, so you can just imagine how much these will cost. They will be available this Fall, so start saving up now.

[via Uncrate]

The folks over at MuseMini who have come up with their fair share of wireless audio accessories in the past which target an active lifestyle, has come up with a spanking new collection of Near Field Communication (NFC) as well as Bluetooth powered accessories that were specially designed to be tough while they’re on-the-go as well as when involved in outdoor activities. I am referring to the so called trinity of a portable speaker, headphones, and NFC/Bluetooth adaptor.

Of course, leading the charge would be the $129.99 DBoom, which so happens to be a customizable and portable speaker that is capable of streaming superb sound and handsfree phone calls from any Bluetooth or NFC enabled device. What makes the DBoom special from the other devices in its class out there would be the added option to showcase your personality through the customization of your speaker, where this is made possible thanks to a perfectly form fitting skin which you can choose from a library that features most professional sports teams, colleges, entertainment and art brands. With literally thousands of designs to choose from to state your preference, you would be hard pressed to find another DBoom that looks exactly the same as yours. It delivers 6 watts of powerful stereo output from a pair of custom high fidelity audio drivers and passive sub-woofers, running on a re-chargeable, high capacity 2600mAH lithium-ion battery that delivers users up to a dozen hours of playtime on a single charge.

As for the MuseMini Bluetooth and tangle free UberBuds, this pair of eadbuds might not look like much, but when you take its $99.99 price tag into consideration, it delivers rich audio which is unique in such a compact and versatile package. It is perfect for music, phone calls, and games, as UberBuds will be able to stream Bluetooth wirelessly from any APTX/AAC compatible device from a range of up to 30 feet away. It will come with three sizes of ear cushions in order to maximize your comfort and support, while UberBuds offers a lifetime warranty against sweat, thanks to the use of cutting edge science that implements a patented nanotechnology through the treatment of a hydrophobic (waterproof) solution.

Last but not least, the $79.99 UberFly headphones can stream music from any NFC and Bluetooth enabled device from a range of up to 30 feet away, making it a snap to control your music while handling calls thanks to the integrated control panel and concealed microphone. Any takers?

Press Release

[ MuseMini rolls out a bunch of accessories copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]