Portable Speakers -- Engadget

portable speakers posts

The portable, rollable X-mini II speaker gets a refresh

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 7:44PM

The kids over at CNET have got their hands on the new X-mini II portable speaker for laptops, PMPs, and the like -- and they've been gracious enough to give us the lowdown. The speaker is an update to the X-mini, incrementally larger than its predecessor and packing a 40mm driver. Powered by a rechargeable battery, this bad boy can be juiced up via mini-USB cable (included) and boasts a pretty impressive eleven hours of run time before it needs to be recharged. And if that weren't enough, several of these guys can be daisy chained together -- so if you should find yourself in your dorm room with nothing to amuse yourself but your iPhone, an acoustic guitar, and some Dave Matthews Band MP3s, you can string up a half dozen or so of these things and have an old fashioned grape jam. Look for the speaker sometime in March, with a probable MSRP of $29.

Sony announces four new desktop speakers and a choir of angels rejoice

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Nov 24th 2008 at 2:37PM

Sony has announced that it will be manufacturing and selling at least four more products, contradicting rumors that the company has "packed it in," because "we have enough money, don't you think?" The four new desktop speaker systems will find their homes in the SRS line, consisting of the SRS-M50 (the 5W travel speakers that we first saw last week), the SRS-Z50 (a two piece system featuring a 38mm Neodymium driver unit and "rich bass reproduction"), the SRS-D25 (a 25W three piece set featuring a stylish "hatbox" subwoofer) and the crème de la crème, the SRS-Z100, whose 25W speakers boast "enhanced bass response" and "detailed and crisp high frequencies." Capping off this stunning news, the speakers will be available in a number of stylish colors, including "urban black," "luxury pink," and "blazing red." But not so fast! Pricing and availability will be announced at a later date

Xpod Active Sound speakers put your pocket change to use

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 14th 2008 at 12:11PM

These new Xpod Active Sound speakers now available in Korea (and apparently only Korea) likely won't win many points for sound quality, but they at least forge a bit of new ground in pocket change usage, and that's got to count for something. The speakers are also small enough to toss into a bag or pocket and forget about 'em until you want to share a song or, say, a podcast, with someone, and they pack a built-in rechargeable battery that can be topped off using any available USB port. They also shouldn't cause too much heartache if they should mysteriously go missing someday, as they only cost the rough local equivalent of $17, although you can expect to pay a bit more than that if you plan on importing them.

[Via technabob]

Targus unveils NXT-based Portable Speaker Book

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 21st 2008 at 7:08PM

We've seen some far-out portable speakers, but Targus is keeping it simple with the upcoming Portable Speaker Book. The folding speakers feature NXT flat-panel Balanced Radiator drivers, and can be powered by either four AAs or USB power. We've no word on pricing, but we wouldn't expect to break the bank when these hit the UK sometime this summer.

[Via Randomly Accessed]

DLO's iPhone-shielded Portable Speakers

by Paul Miller, posted Feb 9th 2008 at 7:55AM

Recognize this sound? "Blip da da blip da da blip da da blip da da bliiiiiiiip." If you answered yes to any of the preceding questions, you may own an iPhone. The little bugger wreaks havoc on your average unsuspecting, unshielded desktop speaker -- and most iPod docks, as it turns out -- emitting audible blasts of interference from up to three or four feet away. Luckily, the DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone don't have that problem, since they're shielded from TDMA interference. You can power 'em off of AAA batteries or an AC adapter, and since they plug into the iPhone's headphone jack, you can use plenty of other audio sources. The speakers detach from the rotating base, and you can even use the setup as a speakerphone if you'd like. They're out now for $50.

[Via iLounge]

Xenics Music Cube speakers disassemble, can't conceal their ugliness

by Donald Melanson, posted Dec 12th 2007 at 5:17PM

Portable speakers always bring with them a few compromises -- namely, they either aren't very portable or they don't sound very good. Korea's Xenics now looks to have come up with a solution to that first problem, however, with its new Music Cube speakers able to be disassembled in order to take up as little space as possible in your gadget bag. Unfortunately, it seems that you may want to keep 'em in there as often as possible, as the company's choice of designs leaves quite a bit to be desired. There's also the small matter of that other aforementioned problem, as these speakers pack a mere 1W apiece. On the upside, that means they don't need an external power adapter, and we assume they won't set you back too much, although there's still no official word on pricing or availability.

Princeton's PSP-312IPIR2: 2.1ch iPod travel speakers

by Thomas Ricker, posted Oct 5th 2006 at 9:27AM

Not likely to be your ordinary set of tin-can, iPod travel speakers, we bring you this 2.1ch setup from Princeton. Conflictingly dubbed the PSP-312IPIR2 (uh, "PSP" Princeton?), this kit appears capable of delivering what the others miss. Namely, a couple of 3W / 4Ω speakers with dedicated 6W / 4Ω subwoofer which can hopefully deliver a little thump when on the go. The bundle brings that "made for iPod" badge of whoredom and delivers a 3.5-mm jack, universal dock with remote, choice of USB / Firewire connectivity back to your PC / Mac, up to 25 hours of continuos play off 4x AAA batteries batteries, and simulated 3D sound at the touch of a button. Best of all, it folds down flat into a 421-gram / 0.93-pound slab (with remote, no batteries) for fairly easy portability. Available in black or white with plenty of that blue LED action for ¥12,800 or about $108 when they hit Japan later this month. Check that sub and folding transformation after the break.

[Via Impress]

Update: So, Made for iPod isn't the only badge these are wearing; how 'bout trying on rebadge Princeton since these have been out as the Logic3 i-Station for more than a year. Thanks to our readers for the gentle reminder.

Continue reading Princeton's PSP-312IPIR2: 2.1ch iPod travel speakers

Buffalo's USB powered laptop speakers

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 22nd 2006 at 1:40PM

If you just gotta have the thump only a, uh, 2 x 0.5 watt pair of USB-powered speakers can deliver then by all means, have at these from Buffalo. Dubbed the BSPL-MU09N/SV in a fit of alphabetical vomit, these bezel-attached speakers bring a 4-ohm impedance, 200Hz~12kHz frequency zone, and 3.5-mm stereo-in for excreting that laptop sound. Yours for ¥4,179 or about $36 starting late September, you know, if you're just feeling silly.

[Via Impress]

NB-mate USB hub / speaker / power source / charger

by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 7th 2006 at 4:52PM

The font of gadget goodness that is Thanko just keeps on giving, with the Japanese manufacturer now trotting out its NB-mate multi-function device to make our lives a little easier. A USB 2.0 hub that doubled as a portable speaker system would have been sweet enough, but Thanko takes things even further, with the NB-mate also able act as a power source for any USB-powered device by popping in couple of rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, which themselves can be recharged by plugging the NB-mate into an AC outlet. It's the circle of life, man -- and it'll only cost you fifty bucks.

[Via Engadget Japanese]