Audyssey Audio Dock: South of Market Edition offers high-end Bluetooth music streaming for your phone

It’s not every day our interest is piqued by an iPhone / iPod speaker dock, but when the folks at Audyssey told us they were entering the space with their new South of Market Edition, our ears perked up. You’re probably familiar with Audyssey if you’re into home theater at all — the company’s automatic EQ system is in all sorts of receivers — and the SOM dock promises the same sort of tuned audio performance you’d expect from the company. It also offers a little twist: you can pair your phone or computer via Bluetooth for both streaming music and making speakerphone calls with the built-in mic. Neat — although at $399 it’s definitely pricey.

We spent a few minutes playing with a review sample, and it certainly does what’s promised, although we were told our voices sounded quite muddled when we made a speakerphone call. Music-wise, the SOM gets quite loud and the two large bass drivers certainly offered plenty of punch; audio quality over Bluetooth was definitely passable, and we managed a pretty respectable 30-foot line-of-sight range when streaming music, although plugging directly in definitely improved the sound. Of course, spending $399 on a Bluetooth speaker dock for your iPhone right now when AirPlay-compatible devices are right around the corner definitely seems like a bad idea, but if you’re just looking for an attractive and great-sounding speaker dock to charge your iPhone in the office and you can swing the price, the SOM is well worth a look. More images in the gallery and PR after the break.

Continue reading Audyssey Audio Dock: South of Market Edition offers high-end Bluetooth music streaming for your phone

Audyssey Audio Dock: South of Market Edition offers high-end Bluetooth music streaming for your phone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iHome teases first AirPlay-compatible portable speaker dock

No surprise that iHome is first out of the gate with a speaker dock that’s compatible with Apple’s newly-open AirPlay music streaming system, but unfortunately the teaser page is maddeningly light on details — all we know is that it’ll have a rechargeable battery and be available for the holidays. We’re actually pretty stoked for AirPlay gear — the idea of setting up a quick mix-and-match whole-home audio system that can stream lossless audio straight from iTunes seems awfully hard to resist — so we’re eager to hear more about this thing, as well as the other third-party AirPlay devices like receivers and stereos that have been promised. We’ll keep digging for more, so stay tuned.

[Thanks, Fred]

iHome teases first AirPlay-compatible portable speaker dock originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s back to school guide: docks and alarms

Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got docks and alarms in our sights — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides.

Whether you’re simply looking for something to put on your bedside table or considering an iPod dock to replace a bulky stereo, you now have more devices than ever to choose from, which can be a tad overwhelming if you’re trying to stay on budget and still get something decent. As usual, however, we’re here to help, and have rounded up a range of docks and alarms that should more than satisfy at any price point.

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Engadget’s back to school guide: docks and alarms originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech S715i rechargeable iPod / iPhone speaker unleashes next generation hyperbole

We know what you’re thinking: not another iPod / iPhone speaker dock. Maybe, but it’s way more than that if you listen to Logitech describe it. According to the boys from Cali, the $149.99 S715i “sounds like a beast” with 8 custom-designed, laser-tuned speaker drivers that deliver “next generation,” “professionally tuned acoustics” capable of “filling a room” with “bold sound.” So yeah, it’s just another iPod speaker dock, although that 8-hour rechargeable battery is nice. Full PR and video overview after the break.

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Logitech S715i rechargeable iPod / iPhone speaker unleashes next generation hyperbole originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at ‘audiophiles’

Onkyo, known in these parts for everything from digiframes to a rather wild selection of PCs, has announced a set of compact audio systems aimed at the audiophile (though to be fair, Onkyo’s definition of “audiophile” might be different than our own). For the well-heeled consumer, the CS-1045DAB (pictured after the break) sports 70W (x2) output, three analog and both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs, a front-mounted USB port, VLSC Vector Linear Shaping Circuit tech, and a 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC. Score! Available at the end of August for £600 ($925) or bundled with a pair of D-145 speakers for £700 ($1,080). If your budget’s a little tighter (and we can’t blame you if it is) the CS-545UK (pictured above) is a cute little guy that features a digital amp, 2 x 50W output, MP3 compatible, tray-loaded CD player (remember those?), both an iPod dock and USB input, video out (presumably composite) and sub woofer out. Ships with a pair of D-045 2-way bass reflex speakers for £349 ($537) or without for £249. Look for it in September, kids!

Continue reading Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at ‘audiophiles’

Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at ‘audiophiles’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iHome iA100ZE iPad alarm dock raises questions, supplies few answers

So, the iA100ZE iPad dock isn’t anywhere in the same league as the iTar. To be fair, you can’t fault iHome for trying to stir up some interest in an over-saturated market by strapping an iPad onto a fairly typical FM radio / alarm clock / dock. And if that’s your bag, it certainly seems to be more than up to the task: iHome+Sleep app integration, Bluetooth, and that patented Bongiovi punch. Only a few questions have yet to be answered: when does it ship? For how much? And, most crucially, will you be able to sleep with an iPad shining in your face all night? Get another look after the break.

Continue reading iHome iA100ZE iPad alarm dock raises questions, supplies few answers

iHome iA100ZE iPad alarm dock raises questions, supplies few answers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Altec Lansing serves up angular Octiv Mini iPod / iPhone sound system

We know — you need another iPod sound system about as bad as you need another mortgage, but why leave any one room lacking, right? Altec Lansing has cranked out a rather unorthodox looking device this fine evening, certified to play nice with iPhone and iPod and deliver soothing jazz to whatever ears are fortunate enough to get close. The Octiv Mini (M102; $59.95) is yet another iPod / iPhone alarm clock, though this one ships with the Alarm Rock app in order to customize one’s wake-up tunes from their bedside. Full specs should be popping up in that source link momentarily, and it’ll ship to the last five remaining Americans who actually need one of these type devices in July.

Continue reading Altec Lansing serves up angular Octiv Mini iPod / iPhone sound system

Altec Lansing serves up angular Octiv Mini iPod / iPhone sound system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid made to work with iPod docks using unholy homemade adapter

What, our ultra-special Droid dock‘s not enough for you? There’s now another way to avoid buying Motorola’s official accessories, though this one’s a bit more blasphemous. Thijs Bosschert over in the Netherlands has put together a fully fledged adapter for his Milestone (aka Droid European Edition), which allows it to interface with docks designed for iPods and iPhones. He’s done it using mostly parts he had lying around — and a well-placed magnet, of course — though he had to resort to using the 3.5mm headphone jack to extract audio from the device. The result might not look like a million bucks, but then it didn’t cost that much either. See more pictures and Thijs’ full how-to guide at the source.

Droid made to work with iPod docks using unholy homemade adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eton Soulra iPod sound system is rugged, splash-proof and solar-powered

Solar-powered sound systems are certainly nothing new, but Etón has taken things a bit further than most with its new Soulra system, which not only adds an iPhone / iPod dock to the equation, but wraps it in a rugged, splash-proof enclosure. That obviously makes it better suited for the beach or pool-side than some other options, but you’ll also naturally get an AC adapter and line-in to use it at home and connect other audio devices. Not much else in the way of technical specs just yet, unfortunately, but it looks like it should be available in the coming days for $199 — Etón actually says “now,” but most retailers seem to be saying otherwise. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Eton Soulra iPod sound system is rugged, splash-proof and solar-powered

Eton Soulra iPod sound system is rugged, splash-proof and solar-powered originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T’Light lamp for major nerds with good taste (should such a thing exist)

The T’Light lamp isn’t the first one we’ve seen which boasts things like chargers, docks and USB. It is, however, the nicest looking one we’ve ever seen. The modern stainless steel lamp has an iPod dock in its base, plus a USB port and a jack for charging laptops — though there’s no adapter for MacBooks as of yet, apparently. The T’Light is available now for $90 — hit up the source for more details.

T’Light lamp for major nerds with good taste (should such a thing exist) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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