Panasonic's Bluetooth speaker plays nice with tablets, does faux surround
Panasonic's newly announced SC-NP10 Bluetooth speaker is designed to prop up and amplify tablets.
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. The SC-NP10's Bluetooth Re-Master feature claims to restore frequencies lost by Bluetooth transmission, but I've never found those types of features to work well in other systems. Panasonic also touts a 3.13-inch subwoofer, although calling it a subwoofer is a bit of a stretch for a driver that small.
The SC-NP10 is scheduled for release in April. Pricing has not been announced.
