Speaker

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

Meet the pint-size portable speaker, Qube

LAS VEGAS--At CES Unveiled today, the Canadian audio company, Matrix Audio, demoed its newest (and smallest) member of its family of portable speakers.

Known as Qube, the $49.99 speaker measures 1.5 by 1.5 inches and is about the size of a golf ball. It connects to devices through an auxiliary cord that plugs into any 3.5mm headphone jack.

With its aluminum finish and polished colors, Qube sports an attractively compact design. Currently, it comes in black, silver, and red, but will come in three more pastel colors at the end of February.

The speaker will be … 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

Bigger is better: Wharfedale Diamond 10.5 speakers

Wharfedale is an 80-year-old speaker company, not to mention one of the oldest names in British audio. They make high-end and affordable speakers with prices starting at around $300 a pair. I recently checked out the Wharfedale Diamond 10.5 towers; their curvy cabinets cut a nice figure in the sound room at the In Living Stereo store in NYC. I listened to a few LPs on the stunning new Rega RP8 turntable. The tower speakers sell for $950 a pair.

The Diamond 10.5 is a three-way design with a 6.5-inch woofer, a 2-inch dome midrange, and a … Read more

SuperTooth readies two budget portable Bluetooth speakers for CES

I gave high marks to the original SuperTooth Disco bookshelf speaker when it dropped into stores last year, but I took issue with its inability to travel and of course, the lack of true stereo sound.

This year, the company will take to CES again to announce a portable listening solution called the Disco Twin that includes two separate speakers, giving you option to perch them wherever you like.

Wireless Bluetooth channels stream music to each device powered by 16 watts of audio juice, and the company's legacy "bass reflex system" in the back keeps the low … Read more