bluetooth speakers

Bluetooth speaker made from 50,000-year-old wood

Bluetooth speakers are everywhere, so it's hard to come up with a way to distinguish a new design. An Indiegogo project called Petite Square is looking to stand out by building its enclosures out of ancient history. The speakers are crafted from 50,000-year-old wood excavated from bogs in New Zealand.

Ancient Kauri has been called the the oldest workable wood in the world. It's certainly easier to work with than petrified wood. The giant logs have to be raised out of prehistoric bogs, adding to the expense and rarity of the material. Still, there seems to be plenty available on the market for craftspeople to make musical instruments, carvings, and the Petite Square speakers.… Read more

Get an XtremeMac Bluetooth speaker with 30-pin dock for $39.99

When it comes to choosing a bookshelf speaker, you're often forced to decide between one with a dock and one that supports Bluetooth.

Thankfully, you can have the best of both worlds. Today only, and while supplies last, Tech.woot has the refurbished XtremeMac Tango TRX Bluetooth speaker with 30-pin dock for $39.99, plus $5 for shipping. It originally sold for $179.99, and the best price I've seen elsewhere (for a new unit) is $99.

As you can see in the photo, the Tango TRX sports a dock that can accommodate nearly any iPhone, iPod, or … Read more

Panasonic's Bluetooth speaker plays nice with tablets, does faux surround

LAS VEGAS--Samsung and LG aren't the only major manufacturers getting in on the Bluetooth speaker market.

Panasonic introduced the SC-NP10 Bluetooth speaker at CES 2013, designed with tablets in mind. The 3.5-pound speaker is designed to prop up tablets for movie-watching, although it doesn't necessarily need to be used with a tablet.

The SC-NP10 also has a feature called "Near Field Stereo Sound," which is supposed to make audio sound better even though you're close to the speaker. There's virtual surround processing as well, to help widen the soundstage from the small speaker. … Read more

Six new Panasonic micro home stereos sound off at CES 2013

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic takes to CES 2013 to announce an array of updates to its line of micro stereo systems, this year with an emphasis on streaming, though several of the products include a Lightning dock for fifth-generation iOS music players.

As users grow more comfortable with wireless audio standards like Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay, Panasonic banks on a new generation of devices that rely on a wireless connection to transmit music.

The company gives a full refresh to its HC home audio systems with the introduction of the SC-HC58, SC-HC38, and SC-HC28. The SC-HC28 relies on a Lightning dock and … Read more

Monster set to ship $699 Katana, a premium Bluetooth speaker

LAS VEGAS--It seems like every audio company is putting out some sort of compact Bluetooth speaker system these days. Monster is, too, but it says its new $699 ClarityHD Katana speaker system, which is due to ship later this month in black and white versions, is a major cut above the rest.

It touts the Katana as a true "breakthrough" in wireless digital music systems. What makes it so groundbreaking? Well, according Monster, thanks to its advanced Bluetooth wireless capability featuring AAC and apt-X, "users experience a new level wireless audio performance, with the option to stream … Read more

Get a Westinghouse Digital Bluetooth speaker for $79.99

Today I'm winging my way to CES, otherwise known as Geek Mecca. Deal posts will be a bit sporadic for the next few days while I check out the tech of tomorrow (and try to avoid getting trampled in the process -- the show is a madhouse, seriously).

One product category I expect to see a lot of: Bluetooth speakers. They're coming in all shapes and sizes these days, and prices are creeping ever lower.

For example: Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the Westinghouse Digital Unplug Bluetooth speaker for $79.99, plus $4.99 for … Read more

Polk Audio's Woodbourne is a Bluetooth speaker with high-end refinement

LAS VEGAS--Bluetooth speakers are taking over CES 2013, but the vast majority of them are cheap, small, and seemingly indistinguishable.

Polk Audio's new Woodbourne is on the other end of the spectrum, with a stylish retro-looking design that's made to be the centerpiece of a room. The Woodbourne's mahogany wood veneer top gives it a furniture-like feel, not to mention its sizable footprint: 24 inches wide, 7 inches tall, 6.88 inches deep, and 17.5 pounds. Most Bluetooth speakers focus on portability, but the Woodbourne is meant to be placed in a room and never moved.… Read more

LG's compact speakers support everything: AirPlay, Bluetooth, NFC, DLNA, and dual dock

LAS VEGAS--Portable speakers are one of the simplest ways to amplify your tunes, but there are a surprising number of different standards for a simple product type, among Bluetooth, DLNA, NFC, and AirPlay. There's one easy way around the problem: support them all.

LG is debuting six portable and docking speakers at CES 2013, offering a wide range of compatibility with different wireless audio standards. The high-end ND8630 dock supports nearly everything: AirPlay, DLNA, NFC, Blueooth, dual dock (for Lightning-equipped iOS devices and some Android devices), and a minijack input. The battery-powered NP6630 is nearly as well-equipped, except it … Read more

Samsung's first portable Bluetooth speaker does NFC

Samsung embraced Bluetooth and AirPlay speakers in a big way last year with the gorgeous DA-E750 and its sister products, but surprisingly the company hasn't rolled out a portable Bluetooth speaker -- until today.

The Samsung DA-F60 is the company's first entrant to the booming portable Bluetooth speaker market. It features the apt-X codec, which offers better sound quality if your tablet or smartphone supports it. It also supports NFC (near-field communication), which makes it slightly easier to pair with compatible phones.

The DA-F60 is compatible with Samsung's SoundShare platform, which means it can be used as … Read more

Bem Wireless Outlet Speaker: Bluetooth audio that's truly plug and play (hands-on)

CES is always a coming-out party for new brands looking to get noticed. For 2013, you can add Bem Wireless (pronounced "beam") to that list. Among the upstart audio company's first products is the Outlet Speaker, a small Bluetooth model that brings a sensible design approach to the increasingly saturated wireless speaker market.

LAS VEGAS--As the name suggests, the Outlet Speaker plugs directly into any standard two-prong power outlet. It's not the first-ever plug-and-play wireless speaker -- the Klipsch light bulb speakers come to mind -- but the $100 Outlet Speaker does get props for being … Read more