Bose

For these vintage clock radios, death is but the next great adventure

Any audiophile would appreciate a portable Bluetooth speaker this holiday, but electrician-turned-artist Devin Ward has a more sustainable solution: he guts vintage clock radios and recycles them into desktop speakers for your laptop, smartphone, and tablet computer.

You probably have a similar tube radio lying around the house, but Devon does the work for you and rewires the internal circuitry, replaces faulty electronics, and even adds a 1/8-inch audio jack that lets you play music out of any device with a standard headphone minijack.

You're left with a speaker that probably won't sound as clear as the Bose SoundLink, but definitely looks better on a shelf and has the added benefit of an AM/FM radio.

According to Core77, Devon admits that the receiver may pick up some fuzzy static from electromagnetic interference, but if you're willing to deal with that and a $200-plus price tag, you may have just found the perfect holiday gift.

Check out Devin's Etsy store to buy, or click through the jump for more photos.… Read more

Bose AE2i headphones

The Bose AE2i is the iPhone-optimized headset version of the Bose AE2 headphones. The AE2i is identical to AE2 except for the inclusion of an inline remote and microphone. In addition to a microphone for phone calls, the inline remote offers controls for volume and answer/end call.

The AE2i is designed to work with iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Beyond the headphone function, the microphone and remote is not designed nor intended to work with other phones.

The Bose AE2i should deliver identical sound to that of the Bose AE2 headphones.

Read the CNET review of the Bose AE2.

Bose SoundLink wireless Bluetooth speaker review: It lives up to the hype

Bose, create a groundbreaking product? Sure, the company's got some really nice headphones and decent sound systems that are just a tad overpriced. But Bose? Since when does Bose make a game-changer?

Since it came out with its compact Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile, that's when. No, it's not the iPhone or anything, but it may just be the iPhone of portable Bluetooth speakers. … Read more

Bose intros new OE2 and OE2i headphones

Here's something you don't see everyday: a pair of white Bose headphones. Yes, its next-generation on-ear headphones, the OE2 and OE2i, now come in black or white.

As you can see from the photo above, the step-up OE2i has a microphone for cell phone calls along with an Apple-product friendly inline remote that's compatible with more recent iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models (some features work with Android smartphones, but volume control is often an issue with headphones that carry the Made for iPhone stamp). … Read more

Bose intros $2,500 sound bar system

Just about every home audio manufacturer is getting into the sound bar business, and Bose is no exception. Bose has released two sound bar home theater systems, the Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR, each sporting a wireless subwoofer and programmable universal remote. They're the first sound bars ever released by Bose, and prices are entirely Bose-like: $2,500 for the Lifestyle 135 and $1,500 for the CineMate 1 SR.… Read more

The 404 910: Where we are baked fresh every day (podcast)

When Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg tells us he has ideas for the 404 Podcast, we listen. We invited him to sit down with us today to talk about Netflix splitting in half, which "high-end" audio manufacturers are making impossible claims about their products, and the headphones that just earned Steve's award for "Worst-Sounding Audio Ever."

Be sure to keep checking The Audiophiliac blog on CNET for the latest hardware reviews and news, and follow up with Steve on Twitter @Audiophiliacman.

The 404 Digest for Episode 910

A $25,000 'bookshelf' speaker from Magico. The award for 'Worst-sounding audio product' goes to... Steve endorses these $74 5.1-channel home theater satellite speakers. And these $1 HDMI cables from Monoprice, too.

Episode 910 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Why iPhone speakers are ditching AirPlay for Bluetooth

Big-name iPhone/iPod speaker manufacturers like Bose and Logitech have recently rolled out new products designed to wirelessly stream music from your iOS devices using...Bluetooth. Wait, wasn't AirPlay supposed to take over in this space, promising better compatibility, range, and sound quality? It was, but as good as AirPlay is, it's not a great choice for iPod speakers this year, especially with the Bluetooth alternative. Here's why.

Bluetooth works nearly identically to AirPlay on iOS devices When we reviewed LG's LSB316 sound bar with built-in Bluetooth, we were surprised at how easily the Bluetooth feature worked with our iPhone 4. It felt exactly like AirPlay, offering the same compatibility between apps, and it even uses the AirPlay icon. If nobody told you it was Bluetooth, you probably wouldn't even realize you weren't using AirPlay.

AirPlay products are prohibitively expensive so far If you really want AirPlay, you can plunk down $600 for the B&W Zeppelin Air Speaker, but that's about four times more than most people want to spend on an iPhone speaker. JBL's On Air Wireless costs $350. Even iHome, known for its budget iPod speakers, is charging $300 for its AirPlay-equipped iW1.… Read more

Bose bets on Bluetooth with new SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker

In the early days of the iPhone, Bose was one of the first major companies to make a big push into the iPhone/iPod speaker dock market with its SoundDock. Now the company is hoping to reach an even larger, platform-agnostic audience with a new portable Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile.

As with all of Bose's significant launches, the company takes great care in introducing its product to the media, with a carefully orchestrated presentation followed by hands-on demos using iOS and Android Bluetooth-enabled devices. The top of the Trump Soho was the stage for the SoundLink Wireless … Read more

Monitor Audio i-deck 200 iPod speaker, worth $599?

It seems more than a little strange to me, but iPod speakers are really popular. This much I do understand, people love their iPods, and if they don't have a hi-fi system an iPod speaker might look like the best way to go. At $599 (MSRP) Monitor Audio's i-Deck 200 is priced at the upper end of the market, and competes with the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air ($599), Bose SoundDock 10 ($599) and the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox iPod Dock ($449), but are any of these worth the money?

For most buyers of high-end iPod … Read more

Bose Acoustimass 6 Series III review: Tiny speakers that sound big, but pricey

Bose is one of the most polarizing brands in home audio, especially on the Internet. Some home theater enthusiasts are quick to dismiss Bose products as overpriced and overhyped, but user reviews for Bose's products are often overwhelmingly positive. That makes it tough for buyers to separate truth from fiction.

Whatever your opinion on Bose may be, there's no denying that the company's products are expensive, which is why we couldn't include a Bose system in our recent roundup of 5.1 speaker packages for under $500. The Bose Acoustimass 6 Series III ($700 street price) … Read more