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JBL OnBeat Venue LT review and giveaway
JBL has been making the OnStage line for a while now. I still use an older model for my ancient iPod photo (remember that gem?). The Venue LT I tested has a pop-out Lightning dock, however, and the oomph of a larger system. I've always been impressed with JBL's audio gear, but the Venue LT provides you with plenty of connections in a sleek package for a reasonable price. Design I'm always amazed at how small JBL can make its speakers without compromising the volume of the sound. While the Venue isn't tiny, it is dense (meaning the magnets driving the speakers are heavy), and shaped so that it feels like a big bullet in your hands. A big, heavy, plastic bullet. Despite being plastic, the build quality is very good. The Slipstream bass ports, as with all proper sound ports, are designed to help pump up the sound and are aimed towards the back. There's a thin fabric stretched across the plastic grill, which protects the speakers. If you're doing to be moving this around a lot, note that the fabric isn't protected behind plastic or rubber, like some speakers. Still, that lack of protection is what makes the Venue so sleek. That sleekness comes with a small price, however. Up top are the buttons and indicator lights. The volume buttons are not lit, and several times I was perplexed as to how to turn the volume down (even though I know left = down). Without paint to accentuate the plus/minus signs, you'll need a lot of light to see them. Frankly I don't tend to put my speakers under a spotlight, so this because a bit of a problem. Similarly, the power, EQ buttons and audio routing button are hard to read, though they are poorly backlit, so you essentially will need to memorize the buttons on the top of the device. That's not terrible, but it's a design choice that makes an impact on the actual use of the device. Don't compromise function over form if you can help it! One nice feature of the Venue's design is a pop-out tray for the Lightning port. If you're just using the Venue as a speaker, not as a dock, you'll appreciate the fact that you can hide the tray entirely -- although the little gray rubber nub (where your iDevice would rest its back panel) would remain a curiosity. One problem with the tray is that the Lightning port itself can only plug into devices with no case -- at least, none of the minimal cases I tried would work. Despite the fact that the port has a bit of swivel, it seems to be made so that any case which adds width to the bottom of your device, even up to an inch away from the port itself, will prevent a secure connection. So be aware of that. I don't use a case with my iPhone 5, so it wasn't a huge deal. While Bluetooth is probably the easiest way to connect your device to the Venue, the Lightning port also charges your iDevices, and quite rapidly from what I saw. You can also connect through a 3.5mm auxilliary audio port, but since the Venue is designed to power down after a certain period of time of no sound, you won't be able to set up an Airport Xpress-based speaker system. I found myself having to get up and power on the JBL if I forgot to keep playing audio on whatever I had plugged in. That doesn't happen with the Bluetooth or dock, but one unit I tested did have a slightly annoying feature of relaying all of my system audio to the Bluetooth speaker. So if I was charging my iPhone and got a text, I got a very loud text through the speaker. I've been told that some of the issues I was having (like volume being set very loud when first plugging in) were abnormal, and another unit seems to be working better. Finally, the Venue LT is not designed to be an outdoor speaker. It must remain plugged in to AC, and there's a small round port on the back for the external AC adapter, which also has a nice big transformer brick attached. I was thankful that the plug wasn't a wall wart, however, and is long enough to likely be tucked under something. Function As a speaker the Venue is outstanding for a couple of reasons. While I'm not a big fan of those pre-set EQ buttons, they definitely punch up the presence of the audio -- even if it's just boosting the bass and treble a tad. The real beauty of the Venue, however, is its support of high-quality AAC streaming over Bluetooth, and the use of Harman TrueStream technology. According to Harman-Kardon, TrueStream is "Bluetooth hi-fi" -- and compared to some other Bluetooth speakers I've heard, it works well. Not only that, but it's very fast to connect and allows you to "store" up to 8 devices at a time. Back to the actual sound of the speakers, however. JBL is notable for making loud stuff, and also somewhat reviled for having a "too bright" sound. That is, it tends to accentuate the highs and not the lows, and that leaves a muffled mid-range sound as well. There's plenty of clarity, thanks to the highs, but I would say the mids are not as present, which lends itself more to pop and less to, say, folk music. But man is this thing loud. Part of the reason I had to get another unit was because I would plug in my phone and the sound (as there's no volume indicator) would actually hurt my ears! I have learned not to put my face directly in front of the speaker. Still, this thing is designed to be loud, and I cannot fault it for that. I have little doubt that this speaker, not two feet in length, could fill a rather large room with sound. It's a little crazy how loud this thing gets, and JBL's signature orange pads on the bottom were doing a good job of keeping the speaker on a table while I stress-tested it (and probably woke up my neighbors). Perhaps that's where the name Venue comes from. Bottom Line If you are in the market for a loud speaker dock, the JBL OnBeat Venue LT is a good deal, retailing for about $200. The outstanding Bluetooth implementation and the pop-out dock are great selling points, and extremely useful if you need them. If you are an audiophile, you might be somewhat disappointed by the mid-range sound. If you intend to have this plugged in all the time using the aux input, you will also be annoyed that it powers down. I'm also hoping JBL rethinks the button lighting on the top of the device. But even with those relatively minor flaws, this is a very good purchase, possibly the best in its class. JBL makes a great product (and stands behind it), and I suspect you can find this unit pretty much anywhere. If you need volume and a place to charge up your Lightning device all wrapped into a sleek and unassuming package, the Venue LT is a perfect choice. If you just need a speaker with great sound and several connection options, I still recommend the Venue highly. At this price point, I doubt you'll find much better sound. Giveaway! And we're giving one of these suckers away to a lucky TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before August 30, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected. One will receive a JBL OnBeat Venture LR with a value of $199.95. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Insert Coin: OnBeat headphones are powered by rock, the sun
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Granted, they're lacking that ever-important rapper endorsement, but the OnBeats do have one important thing on their side: that giant atom-smashing ball in the sky. The black and orange prototypes feature a solar panel on the headphone band, with a battery in each ear cup. The panel feeds the batteries, which charge your phone via USB. For those times when solar charging isn't an option -- or you just need a full backup battery for a long day -- you can also refill the battery by plugging it directly into the wall. The headphones' Scotland-based creator Andrew Anderson is asking the Kickstarter community for a lofty £200,000, with a little over a month to make up the £197,000 and change. If you want in, a £69 pledge will get you a discounted pair (in the Kickstarter-only black and green), with expected delivery around February of next year. Check out Anderson's video plea after the break, along with some early OnBeat prototypes -- and a sunshiney Spotify playlist to get you started.
Harman bringing trio of JBL speakers and pair of AV receivers to CES
Harman has joined several other companies in jumping the CES gun, announcing five new products it's bringing to the show. First up is the JBL Charge, a hardy Bluetooth speaker which promises an impressive 12 hours of tunes on a single charge. If you are willing to sacrifice some of that play time, you can siphon power from the internal battery to other kit via the speaker's USB port. Expected to start shipping in Q1 2013, you should be able to pick one up for around $149. Joining JBL's OnBeat range are the Mini and Rumble speaker docks, which are both compatible with Apple's Lightning connector. The Mini is a fairly standard dock which will play and charge for up five hours on battery power, and should be available this coming March for around $149. The Rumble, however, is a little more equipped, with both Lightning and Bluetooth streaming options, as well as a 4.5-inch, "down-firing subwoofer" for bass junkies. That extra muscle is reflected in the price, though, which is likely to be $399 when it hits stores next spring. A couple of new Kardon-branded A/V receivers from Harman are also coming along to CES -- the AVR 2700 and 3700. Both have multi-zone functionality, are stacked with wireless features including internet radio, AirPlay and DLNA connectivity, and can be controlled using iOS and Android apps. The AVR 2700 has eight HDMI ports and 4K video scaling for when you get round to buying that UHDTV, as well as 7.1-channel audio (at 100 watts per channel). The AVR 3700 adds WiFi connectivity, and has 7.2 channels (at 125 watts per channel) for adding a second woofer to your setup. When they become available to purchase in Q1 2013, expect wallet damage to the tune of $799 for the 2700, or $999 for the 3700. You can get a closer look at all the Harman products in the press shots below (complete with unnecessary reflection), and if you're into PRs, there are a whole bunch awaiting you after the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Harman shows off its upcoming JBL docks and speakers, we go eyes-on
Harman announced a fair amount of JBL-branded speakers back at IFA, but that wasn't all it had to announce before the year goes out. Today we met with in the company in NYC, where it was ready to show off even more of its upcoming wireless and dock speakers. In fact, don't tell Harman that the 30-pin connector is on its way out, as its $199 OnBeat Venue (seen above and $139 OnBeat aWake are ready to pair up with your last-gen iOS devices. The Venue is rated for a peak output of 30-watts and features a stow-away dock a tweeter and woofer combo for both stereo channels, component outputs for use with TVs, an obligatory 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth if you'd prefer to go wireless. The aWake shrinks things down to about 13 watts, and features a digital clock so that you can use it on your bedside night stand -- despite its small size, it'll easily dock an iPad. Both systems also work with free JBL apps for iOS that'll enhance the experience. According to the company, it's also working on solutions for the Lightning connector, but wouldn't reveal any hard details. Moving along to dedicated speakers, you might recall the SoundFly BT, which recently got outed during its trip to the FCC. The 20-watt Bluetooth-equipped unit is strictly intended to plug directly into wall outlets, having only a status light with no inputs or buttons. It'll set you back $149 when it hits shelves, and if you tack another another $50 you can get an AirPlay-equipped version instead. We gave the BT a quick listen and it sounded surprisingly big with a fair amount of bass extension -- impressive considering it's petite and it plug-friendly design. A Harmon rep even noted that the hotel we were in was interested in procuring some for its rooms. Sadly, the units aren't remotely water-resistant, even though our demo area was a bathroom. Lastly, we're actually most intrigued by the $59 Harman / Kardon BTA 10 dongle. The nearly matchbook-sized box connects to any speaker via its 3.5mm jack, allowing you to stream over Bluetooth 4.0 on the fly. Power is supplied via a micro-USB cable, and a blue indicator light lets you know that it's powered up. Harmon's mainly created it to add Bluetooth functionality to its non-wireless speakers, but it can be used with any speaker of your choice. We're also told that it overs very high-quality, despite being Bluetooth, thanks to some in-house development dubbed as TrueStream. There's no exact word on when all of these units will hit shelves, but you can peek the galleries for better looks -- check the source link for full details.
JBL introduces OnBeat speaker dock for iPad, iPhone, iPod
If you've somehow avoided buying a speaker dock for your iPad, iPhone or iPod up to this point, then you might want to wait until next month before you make your decision. That's when the JBL OnBeat speaker dock will be available at Apple and Best Buy stores. Priced at US$149.95, the OnBeat is JBL's first foray into the iPad dock market. They've obviously put some thought into the design, building a swoopy design big enough to comfortably hold an iPad in portrait or landscape orientation and packing a pair of Phoenix full-range transducer speakers that can pump out your favorite tunes with great clarity and volume. The OnBeat produces 7.5 watts of computer-optimized, DSP-equalized audio per channel. Not only does the OnBeat dock handle your tunes, but if you happen to have a set of composite video cables handy, you can run 'em between the OnBeat and your TV. JBL supplies an IR remote with the OnBeat so that you don't have to get up from the couch to change tunes, and of course, you can use the dock to keep your favorite iToy charged up. As you can see from the image above, the OnBeat dock looks pretty cool, too. I don't know if it's just me, but with that iPad attached it looks like some sort of robot samurai... We'll try to get one of these docks soon for testing and giveaway. [via Engadget]
JBL intros OnBeat iPad / iPhone / iPod speaker dock, prices it at $150
This planet we call home needs another iDock about as bad as we need another Charlie Sheen running around aimlessly, but no matter -- we're getting one, and it's being delivered from JBL. The company has just outed its first-ever iPad speaker dock, the OnBeat. Truth be told, it's capable of handling iPod touches, iPhones and iPads (no word on the iPad 2), but it's clearly engineered to hold the largest of the bunch best. Aside from providing joints and jams to those situated in your living room (or basement, if that's how you roll), it can also pipe Netflix and YouTube content directly to one's television via a composite video output, and if you're running around sans an iDevice, the 3.5mm auxiliary jack ensures that any other source will still function just fine. You'll also be able to charge and sync any docked devices, but you'll be asked to dole out $149.95 in order to bring one home when it ships next month.
