Hasta La Gadget!

We all enjoy a good speaker system, but sometimes they can take up a lot of room. However, Meridian has announced a new speaker that allows you to embed it right into the wall. Today, the company announced the DSP520 in-wall speaker to give space-savers a viable audio option while also keeping things sleek and modern.

Meridian says that the DSP520 is built to offer the best performance possible out of a loudspeaker, with the drivers mounted into the front extrusion of the speaker enclosure. There’s also a separate case that houses the electronics and amplifiers for the speaker. The speaker can be mounted either vertically (pictured above) or horizontally.

The new speaker model can also be paired with other Meridian speakers as well, including other DSP in-wall models like the DSP640 loudspeaker and the DSW500 subwoofer. It can also be paired with any of Meridians freestanding speaker options. What perhaps most impressive is that the DSP520 is just 7.8 inches thick, meaning that it’ll fit into any wall nicely without too much of a problem.

However, these speakers don’t come cheap. You’ll be laying down a whopping $5,000 per speaker, which can certainly add up if you’re planning multi-speaker setups in your living room. However, it’s not everyday when you come across a speaker that’s made for being mounted inside walls. Of course you could DIY a method to stuff a normal speaker into a wall, but we digress.

Meridian announces DSP520 in-wall speaker is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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There huge number of people all around the world who enjoy bike riding as a way to get from home to the office and just for fun. There are also a large number of people that like to bike ride and listen to music at the same time. The problem with wearing headphones is that it makes it difficult to hear what’s going on around you, and that can be dangerous.

Scosche has announced a new portable wireless Bluetooth speaker that’s designed specifically for bike riders called the boomBOTTLE. The Bluetooth speaker is designed to fit into the water bottle holder on just about any bicycle on the market. It’s also designed to be small and portable so you can take it with you to the pool and anywhere else you might go. The speaker is splashproof and weatherproof so it’ll hold up to whatever you might throw at it while riding.

Its wireless Bluetooth range is 33 feet and the speaker charges via USB. The speaker promises 10 hours of continuous playback and has 40 mm drivers along with a large passive subwoofer.

The boomBOTTLE speaker is available now in gray for $149.95(USD). Several other colors will be available in May.

When you hear of a name like Ferrari by Logic3, you know for sure that this is no ripoff, but rather, it is a collaboration between one of the most successful stories in motorsports racing along with an audio company that always wants to deliver nothing but the best to its customers. Well, their latest collaboration has resulted in what they call the FS1 Air speaker dock, where this particular speaker dock will come with AirPlay technology which enables it to stream music wirelessly from iTunes or Apple devices.

Just what kind of hardware does the FS1 Air offer? Well, it boasts of a sophisticated design that was clearly inspired by the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, achieving a balance between the GT Car’s innovative lines, creases and curves along the way. Not only that, there is also a 2.1 speaker system which will incorporate Apple AirPlay technology so that users are able to stream their favorite tunes sans wires from iTunes or Apple devices. This is one flexible speaker system which also sports Bluetooth connectivity, just in case you do not happen to own any AirPlay compatible device in your household, preferring instead to rock to Android or Windows based devices.

Oh yeah, did we mention that the FS1 Air speaker dock will also come with an Apple Dock connector that allows you to charge and play your Apple device simultaneously? The FS1 Air will boast of a compact design which in essence, allows it to be the perfect addition to any room in the house, or if you prefer to perk up your workplace, at the office. It will incorporate patented Class HD Technology alongside a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that controls the crossover and equalization processes, delivering an end result which goes along the lines of best performance, natural musical timbre and extended low frequency response.

If you are interested, be prepared to fork out a rather hefty $649 for the FS1 Air Speaker Dock from Ferrari by Logic3.

Product Page
[ Ferrari by Logic3 announces FS1 Air speaker dock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

With so many Bluetooth speakers flooding the market, it’s getting harder and harder to decide which one to buy. Well, I’ve been test-driving one for the past few days that I definitely think should be in the running. The Braven BRV-1 is a compact, rugged-looking Bluetooth speaker that I definitely would consider keeping in my backpack from now on.

While it measures just 5″(w) x 3.25″ (d) x 2.5″ (h), and weighs just over 12 ounces, this compact speaker really does offers big sound in a small package. As I write this, I currently have it streaming tunes from my iPhone about 12 feet away, and it’s filling my 400 square-foot living room/office with sound.

The speaker is nicely designed, with a rubberized case which provides easy access to the volume controls (which also control tracks if you hold them down longer), power switch and a play/pause button which doubles as a pairing button for Bluetooth and for accepting and hanging up on calls. Its only metal bit is its speaker grille, which comes in either black or blue.

Braven packed the BRV-1 with two full-range speakers, and a passive subwoofer, powered by a total of 6 watts of class-D amplification. This gives it plenty of oomph, despite its size. In my playback experience, I found minimal distortion at even the highest volume levels, and a clean, ear pleasing sound with plenty of low-end for a box this small. Sure, its bass won’t substitute for a powered subwoofer, but it’s as good as many bookshelf systems I’ve used over the years.

In addition to its music playback chops, the BRV-1 functions as a speakerphone for your Bluetooth smartphone. I didn’t find audio quality to be particularly thrilling during calls, but that’s more likely a limitation of the phone networks than the speaker itself. I was also able to use it to control Siri with my phone sitting on the other side of the room.

On the back of the BRV-1, you’ll find a twist-off protective cover which conceals access to its microUSB charging connector, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a full-size USB connector which can be used to syphon off some power to your other gadgets in a pinch. It won’t charge an iPad, but it’s more than fine for helping out your dying smartphone. Speaking of battery life, I was able to get slightly more than the quoted 12 hours of power from a single 3 hour charge. There’s also an on-demand battery indicator hidden beneath that cap so you can see about how much power you have left (in 20% increments).

If you’re wondering about that twist-off cover, that’s because the BRV-1 is IPX5 rated water-resistant, and sealed well enough to take to the beach, poolside, or even in a rainstorm. That said, it’s not designed to be submerged, and despite its rugged looks and shock absorbent design, I wouldn’t intentionally toss it around more than you have to.

Overall, the BRV-1 is a very impressive little speaker, and it will be taking up residence in my travel bag. If I have any complaints at all, it’s that I’d prefer that it supported AirPlay in addition to Bluetooth, and that there was some sort of tether attaching the back cap so you don’t risk losing it. But those are minor issues, and the excellent sound quality, portability and rugged good looks are more than enough to win me over.

The Braven BRV-1 retails for $179.99(USD), and is available now.

Disclosure: Braven provided speaker for review in this article. However, all reviews are the unbiased views of our editorial staff, and we will only recommend products or services we have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.

Panasonic is releasing 2 new wireless speaker systems on May 17: “SC-NE5″ and “SC-NE1″

SC-NE5
– Consisting of units: Speaker unit and CD/dock unit
– With the CD/dock unit, you can play a CD and there is an iPod/iPhone dock
– The speaker unit is a 2-way speaker that has 8cm woofer and 2.5 cm semi dome shaped tweeter.
– Compatible with Airplay, Bluetooth, Panasonic’s music play app “Panasonic Music Streaming”, and USB cable

Price: Price is not set
Size: Speaker unit 570 × 206 × 100mm, CD unit 192mm×206mm×93mm
Weight: Speaker unit 2.8kg, CD unit 0.9kg
Max output: 40W (20W×2)　6Ω

SC-NE1
– Speaker unit is a 2 way speaker that has 8 cm woofer and 2.5 cm semi dome shaped tweeter.
– Compatible with Bluetooth and Panasonic’s music play app “Panasonic Music Streaming”

This is only the speaker unit which communicates wirelessly with smart devices. It does not have a CD player or iPod/iPhone dock and is not compatible with Airplay or USB cable.

Price: Price is not set
Size: 570 × 206 × 100mm
Weight: 2.7kg
Max output: 40W (20W×2)　6Ω