The Price:

$130

The Verdict:

It's good! We had three issues with the first one: wireless interference, the inability to adjust the volume from the computer when using the USB wireless audio dongle, and the price. To start, it's $130, down from $150, and our volume changes on the MacBook Pro transferred directly over the air to volume changes in the player.

If you're talking sound quality, the Mint Studio is decent. This is more about the convenience of wireless speakers than having a really great sounding set of speakers. For $130, you get a not-too-shabby set that can also act as an iPod dock. It's definitely better than the speakers you have in your laptop, so that's already an upgrade.

Lastly, the wireless interference is reduced by hopping over two channels instead of just one, which should help to curb many problems unless you have a lot of wireless laptops using the same frequency. Also, 802.11n laptops and routers are pretty much de facto since we reviewed the previous Mint, so you shouldn't see any interference if you're using the 5GHz channel for your N traffic.

One bonus feature introduced in the Mint Studio is the ability to support three different units from one transmitting laptop. We tested this in our house, with the laptop source and USB transmitter on the first floor, and one unit on each of the three floors. It was able to reach all three floors with zero audible loss, which is pretty great, and within its household operating range (with walls and floors) of 100 feet.

And in case there was any confusion, it's not waterproof—we just enjoy planting it on a shelf outside the shower and streaming music while we bathe. It allows us to keep our laptops out of splash distance too.

It also still supports line-in and still acts like an iPod/iPhone dock, and works fine in those respects too. With the low price and improved featureset, I think the Mint Studio is a pretty good buy for people who want cheap multi-room audio that can also function as an iPod dock. [Mint]

Fixed interference issues and remote volume control from a computer

Cheap way to get wireless streaming music throughout your house

Sound quality isn't astounding

The $550 speaker can transmit through rooms and walls (obviously), comes with a 3.5mm auxiliary jack and has a rechargable battery that lasts 3 hours. While the sound quality of this thing will more than likely be excellent, a USB dongle seems a bit janky (though I'm sure their filthy rich, technophile audience will love it).

It will be available on August 27. [BusinessWire via Dvice]

JVC DEBUTS NEW 5.1 CHANNEL HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS

New line includes systems with iPod® compatibility and wireless surround speakers.

LAS VEGAS, January 7, 2009 – New JVC home theater systems unveiled today are designed to complement today’s high definition displays and handle the various range of digital sources now available, while providing enhanced ease-of-use.

The three systems in the new JVC line, the TH-G31, TH-G41 and TH-G51, are 1000-watt, 5.1-channel systems comprised of a progressive scan DVD receiver, five speakers and a subwoofer. Each system includes an HDMI output with 1080p up-conversion and the TH-G41 and G51 include an HDMI input with repeater. A front auxiliary input on each system makes connecting additional sources quick and simple. All three systems offer Dolby Digital and DTS decoding.

To those features, the TH-G41 adds iPod/iPhone music and video playback through a connected dock, with control play, pause and skip functions controlled through the home theater system’s remote. To make control even easier, there’s an on-screen display that shows the iPod or /iPhone menu on the connected TV.

At the top of the line is the TH-G51, which adds wireless rear speakers to the feature set offered by the TH-G41. Providing wireless technology for the rear surround speakers eliminates what for many consumers is a serious challenge when setting up a multi-channel home theater system – how to unobtrusively run wires from the main unit to the rear speakers.

All three systems are designed to complement the latest generation of sleekly styled flat panel TVs, with a glossy black low-profile receiver that features illuminated function keys. The center channel speaker is a crisply-styled horizontal unit that will look smart either above or below the TV. As for playback options, JVC’s home entertainment systems easily accommodate both the old and the new, combining DVD/CD and FM playback with the ability to handle digital audio and video files from a wide variety of sources.

Model Available National Ad Value
TH-G51 June 2009 $429.95
TH-G41 May 2009 $329.95
TH-G31 April 2009 $249.95

Zikmu, a collaboration between speaker company Parrot and noted super designer Phillipe Starck, is a set of 2.5 feet tall speakers that use Bluetooth to communicate with each other. They apparently broadcast sound 360° arround the room thanks to Parrot's NXT technology, which uses an extra-flat mebrane to create small-scale vibrations across the speakers' entire surface.

"We were not aiming to create just another speaker," says Philippe Starck. "Our design focused more on making the air vibrate. There is actually a three-dimensional feel to this vibration, meaning that the air is palpable, almost humanlike in presence, like a fragrance."

See? Isn't that SO something Nuni/Nooni would utter? What does that even mean? Those of you who appreciate the combo of high art and electronics more than I do can find out in Spring 2009 for the suggested retail price of $1,500. [Ecoustics]

The Price: $249 - (Costco has it for $199 here)

The Verdict: Good functionality coupled with decent sound quality and compact-ness makes for a good buy if you have an 802.11n laptop or like to share speakers among various computers.

The Media-210 works exactly as advertised, beaming USB audio over the air to the 2.1 speakers located across the room. The major caveat with using the USB dongle with a laptop is that the laptop NEEDS to use either 802.11a or 802.11n's 5GHz frequency, because using 80211b/g/n on a 2.4GHz frequency will give you frequent audio dropouts and constant interruptions to your Wi-Fi connection. No good. Only people with N and A laptops, or laptops using Ethernet, should consider buying this.

Once hooked up correctly, the sound flows uninterrupted through the powered—so they're only wireless to your laptop—satellite speakers. The audio quality is good, but not flawless; the bass is a bit light and everything just sounds slightly muffled. It's ten times better than what the speakers on your laptop, but not quite as good as the best 2.1 desktop-class wired speakers.

It's definitely better than the $159 wireless Mint 220 speakers, trading in an iPod dock slot for a subwoofer and better audio quality. It's also about $100 more expensive than the Mint (or $40ish if you're getting it at Costco). If you're often working on the couch or on the patio or in the bathroom—anywhere where you want a decent set of speakers but don't want to lug them around with you—this is definitely a good buy. [Sound On and Costco]

The Price: $159 with $20 promo code (DS220)

The Verdict: Not too bad. The speakers themselves are adequate, though not as good as their previous wireless iPod dock effort. The 220 functions decently well as an iPod dock, but what you really want this for is its wireless speaker functions.

Imagine plugging in the USB dongle to your laptop—which doesn't have very good speakers—and beaming all audio to the wireless unit across the room. It's a fairly elegant solution to get around the fact that your laptop has less than optimal speakers and aren't easy to substitute by plugging into better ones when you're lounging on the couch.

The only note we have is that the 2.4GHz frequency the dongle uses to communicate is prone to interference, and if you use it on your laptop, you're going to get some intermittent audio. Everything was fine when we worked off an Ethernet connection, but when we fired up our wireless on the laptop, you could definitely tell some interference was going on when music keeps dropping out. Also (on at least the Mac version) you can't control volume via your computer; you have to use the wireless remote.

In the end, $159 isn't too steep a price to pay for wireless speakers that you can easily sync up to your laptop. If they'd fix the wireless interference and add volume control on your computer, we'd be able to recommend this fully. [Mint]

The Price: $250 for the base unit and one satellite, $130 for each additional satellite.

The Verdict: Dreamy. The ability to put music in five separate rooms simultaneously (base + 4 sats) is a dream we've had since we were in elementary school planning on buying our first house. (That's right, other kids wanted to be astronauts, we wanted to be Bruce Wayne, homeowner and bad ass crimefighter.) The base unit has excellent sound, great bass response and SRS WOW! sound enhancement. The satellites are a bit lower quality, but definitely listenable. As a bonus, it also supports all the way back to the 3rd generation iPods—in our opinion, one of the best iPods ever made. Rocktastic.

Shooting iPod music everywhere was cool, but we discovered something way cooler. Step one was plugging our iTunes output from our Mac/PC into the base unit and switching it to AUX input. Step two was using our iPhone and the new Remote app so we could control our iTunes from anywhere inside the house. It's as close to an ultimate audio setup as we could get with equipment this easy and plug-and-play.

Is it worth $250 + $130 for satellites? Think of it as an investment. As long as you're alright with the sound quality and your home isn't any taller than three stories (just about the limit we found for the sound to not cut in and out all the time) you'll be able to use this as a home-wide music solution for years. [EOS Wireless]

May 20, 2008 04:00

Keep Your Phone in Your Pocket: Listen to Your Mobile-Phone Music on Logitech's New Wireless Speakers

Logitech Introduces Pure-Fi Mobile Speaker System

FREMONT, Calif. —(Business Wire)— May. 20, 2008 To transform your low-fidelity mobile-phone audio into high-fidelity, stereophonic sound — wirelessly — Logitech (SWX:LOGN)(NASDAQ:LOGI) today announced the Logitech(R) Pure-Fi Mobile(TM) speaker system. Soon you can be listening to your favorite tunes on your mobile phone — even when your phone is in your pocket.
"Millions of people now use a mobile phone to listen to music. If you're one of those people, now you can toss your ear buds aside and pump up the volume," said Mark Schneider, vice president and general manager of Logitech's audio business unit. "So when you're at a party, at the park, or just hanging out at home, your mobile-phone music will always sound great when you use the Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system."

If you have a mobile phone that uses Bluetooth(R) wireless technology with the Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP) profile, you can stream stereo audio through the compact Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system — up to 33 feet away from your phone. And thanks to the 2-inch high-excursion drivers and dual 2-inch pressure drivers, your mobile-phone music will fill your home, your car or your office with articulate bass and smooth treble.

You can also use Pure-Fi Mobile as a wireless speakerphone. It features two built-in mics — one to pick up vocal nuances and the other to monitor and block unwanted background noise. And you won't need to even pick up the phone — the call-answer and call-end controls on the top of the speakers let you accept or end calls.

When you're ready to hit the road, toss Pure-Fi Mobile into your suitcase, backpack or car and enjoy music wherever you go. The compact, one-piece speaker system comes with a protective case that can also carry charging cables. So you don't unexpectedly lose power, the rechargeable batteries give you approximately 12 hours of playing time as well as a battery-life indicator. Plus, if the batteries run low, just use the included power adaptor or mini-USB cable and keep on rockin'.

And if your favorite audio is on your PC, iPod(R) or other MP3 player, you can enjoy the rich sound of Pure-Fi Mobile by pairing it to your audio source via Bluetooth or by connecting it to the built-in 3.5 mm audio jack — instantly enhancing your listening experience.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile speakers are expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in June. The suggested retail price in the U.S. is $149.99.

sounded like a standard pair of wired speakers, which is a good thing considering most wireless cans sound weak/distorted. The downside is that—you guessed it—they require cabling. In a nutshell, you have to plug the left speaker into an AC outlet and then connect the right speaker to the left speaker in order to power the right speaker. So in the long run, you end up with a pretty noticeable amount of wiring. Otherwise non-audiophiles looking for a decent pair of compact speakers can't go wrong with this $349 set. – Louis Ramirez

JBL On Air Control 2.4G [CNET via CrunchGear]

Acoustic Research Shows Off Wireless 5.1 Speaker Package [Electronic House]

JBL Controls Airwaves with Wireless Speakers [Electronic House]