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Samsung's 2021 Q soundbars have advanced room optimization and AirPlay 2
Samsung unveiled quite a few new devices and experimental technologies at CES 2021, including its 8K and 4K Neo QLED TVs and a bunch of new helper robots for the home. Both models support Apple’s AirPlay 2 and come with a feature called SpaceFit Sound, which can help you calibrate the devices so they can deliver the best sound for the room where you’re placing them. The models have calibration mics inside the soundbars themselves and their subwoofers.
LG teases CES home theater lineup including a multi-room music streamer
Nothing says "holiday cheer" like a fresh coat of snow, hot toddies and scads of CES pre-announcements from LG. After dishing on some of its 2014 smart TV plans, the Korean company has now moved on to audio, detailing several new components starting with the NP8740 wireless audio system. It'll let you play music through your house in a similar fashion to to Sonos' Play:1 speaker, thanks to a dual-band 2.4/5Ghz WiFi system using so-called mesh network technology. That means each speaker can repeat the signal throughout the house, letting you play the same song everywhere or choose music on a room-by-room-basis. It can even connect to other audio systems and let you control the whole shebang with a smartphone app. The company also revealed its LAB540W SoundPlate, a slim home theater receiver for 32-to-55-inch TVs with a 4.1-channel, 320-watt amp and external wireless subwoofer. It packs a built-in 3D Blu-ray player and smart TV functions, letting you stream audio from a portable device via WiFi or Bluetooth. For those who just need audio, LG also flaunted the 320W NB5540 soundbar that can either work via a Bluetooth connection or over a single HDMI cable from your TV, thanks to an audio return channel. As usual, there's no sign of pricing or availability for any of these products yet, but we'll be boots on the ground next month at CES 2014 in Vegas to fill in all the details. Meanwhile, check after the break for a few more pics.
Bowers & Wilkins reveals Panorama 2 soundbar: same body, new features, $2,200 price tag
Bowers & Wilkins this week unveiled a sequel to its Panorama soundbar that looks an awful lot like its predecessor. There are, however, some key differences, including "dramatically improved acoustic performance," according to B&W. That soundbar soundbump comes courtesy of nine drive units, including two bass woofers, two midrange drivers and an aluminum dome tweeter. The Panorama 2 has three HDMI inputs and one output, plus an On Screen Display that lights up when your hand gets close. It'll be available later this month for $2,200 a pop. More info can be found in the press release after the break.
JBL announces Cinema SB 100, 200 and 400 soundbars
JBL has been sprinkling a fair amount of its sonic-spice atop desks of late, now it wants to sneak some of the same under your TV. Enter three new all-in-one soundbars just announced by the firm, which it claims bring surround sound performance. As well as that virtual surround experience, the JBL Cinema SB 100, 200 and 400 also sport an equalization switch that optimizes sound depending on where you put it (i.e., mounted on a wall, or on a furniture unit). The SB 400 has a separate wireless subwoofer, while the 200 has one built-in, leaving the 100 with the connections to bring in your own. Likewise, the 400 and 200 models also come with Bluetooth, for added audio content streaming options. If you've got a soundbar-shaped hole in your media set-up, then prices start are $199, $299 and $549 according to your feature requirements. To hear the specs in more detail, sound out the PR after the break.
Toshiba tries its hand at home theater audio with the SBX4250 Sound Bar
Toshiba has long been acquainted with the visual facets of home theater setups, and now the firm is entering the audio side of the equation with the SBX4250 -- the first in a line-up of sound bar speaker systems. Featuring SRS TruSurround HD and accompanied by a wireless subwoofer, the strip packs two tweeters and four speakers in a 3.6-inch tall, 2.2-inch deep and roughly three-foot long form factor. In addition to the included HDMI and optical audio inputs, the box boasts Bluetooth connectivity for streaming audio from PCs, tablets, smartphones and other compatible devices. For those willing to part with $329.99, the 300-watt rig can already be snapped up online and at select brick-and-mortar establishments. Check out the glamour shots and the full press release below.%Gallery-162424%
Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air soundbar further befits its moniker with custom speaker grilles
Remember Klipsch's $500 Gallery G-17 Air soundbar that wowed our ears last holiday season? If you weren't fond of the AirPlay-enabled rig's piano-black finish, you might be pleased to know that the company is ready to let you spice it up visually. If you'll recall, the unit features a removeable magnetic speaker grill, which can now be customized to your heart's desire -- provided you've got another 25 bucks, a 300 DPI image file and four weeks of waiting time to spare. Naturally, we're partial to seeing it affixed with the Engadget white and blue, but feel free to give it a go with something of your own favor at the source link below.
Rocketfish's Sound Prism is triangu-lovely
Cunning design is a wonderful thing, and this triangular bundle of smarts is almost meta! Rocketfish's Sound Prism is exactly what it says it is, a three-sided speaker bar with a twist (metaphorically speaking.) Inventors, CRE8 Design studio, cooked up the clever idea of using the empty space created by a folded Apple Smart Cover. This fella neatly slips into the cubby-hole of the folded case, and attaches itself magnetically. It's Bluetooth, so can pair up with any compatible device, but won't look quite so snug as when used as nature -- or rather its creators -- intended. How much for a slice of the Pythagorean action? That'll be 80 rectangular dollars, sir.
Harman Kardon SB 30 has two listening modes, costs eight Benjamins
Looking for a fancy new soundbar for your fancy new home theater system? Don't mind dropping, oh, say, $800 or so on the thing? Why not have a look at Harman Kardon's latest offering, the SB 30? The relatively compact system offers up two listening modes -- virtual and wave, the latter of which promises to "maximize the listening area" in bigger rooms. The SB 30 also packs in Dolby Volume technology for a consistent volume levels and a dual-position equalizer. Harman will be showing the thing off next week at CES. Press info can be found after the break.
Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air soundbar review
If you'll recall, it was back at CES when we realized that AirPlay devices would be "set to explode" by this year's end -- and it's certainly proving true as a storm of new speakers have hit the market over the last few months. Of all the speakers we'd spotted on the show floor, however, a select bunch AirPlay-enabled speakerbar prototypes from Klipsch's newly unveiled Gallery lineup of high-performance home audio wares really perked our ears -- and widened our pupils. It wouldn't be until July that the smallest version, known then as the $400 Gallery Studio, would be officially unveiled as the Gallery G-17 Air, priced at a spendier $530. Now, nearly four months later the G-17 is finally hitting retail (albeit with a $20 price increase), aimed just a notch below $600 options like B&W's Zeppelin Air, but well above others including iHome's $300 iW1. We've been testing a model G-17 Air for a few days now, so join us past break to find out whether its beauty is deeper than its insanely glossy black shell. %Gallery-139873%
XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)
There were lots of cool Apple-centric products to been seen around XtremeMac's extremely orange booth at IFA this week, proving that there's still interesting things to be done in the world of iPhone / iPad / iPod docks. At the top of the list is the Soma Stand, a pyramid-shaped dock that folds up for portability. The accessory is mostly speaker, which faces outward, so sound isn't blocked when you've got an iPad on the thing. The Soma Stand should be hitting shelves around October, running around €100 here in Europe. The Soma Travel, meanwhile, works without the need batteries or wires, running directly off the power from your docked Apple device. XtremeMac claims that a docked iPhone 4 playing through the speakers will get about 34 hours of audio playback on a charge. As expected, the thing doesn't get too loud, but it should do the trick for solo listening. The peripheral will run around €50 on its release. The Tango Bar is a style-conscious sound bar with a silver grill that fits in quite nicely with the current generation iMac. The speaker pulls both audio and power from a single USB cable and outputs audio at ten watts. Like the Soma Stand, the Tango Bar will run around €100. Check out video of the Soma Stand after the break.%Gallery-132528%
Klipsch's AirPlay-enabled Gallery G-17 Air soundbar pleases ears sans cords for $530
No, that's not some oversized Kinect KIRF. What you're looking at is Klipsch's latest soundbar, the Gallery G-17 Air. Seem familiar? If you'll recall, back at CES it was known as the Gallery Studio -- the smallest of three AirPlay-enabled speaker systems the company let us demo at CES. Although not totally new, its full specs have been revealed and its price re-vamped from $400 to a slightly spendier $530. The bi-amplified stereo rig features four individually powered drivers that aim to deliver full-range sound via two Tractrix-horned .75-inch tweeters (10 watts each), and dual 2.5-inch, 20 watt woofers. Although you'll probably be streaming music over WiFi from iDevices or iTunes, the unit's equipped with USB and 3.5mm inputs should you ever want to plug-in directly or juice-up your battery. There's an ultra-svelte grill-cloth magnetically attached to the front, playback and power buttons on the side, and it also comes with a remote. The system itself sits atop a tempered glass base, but if space is at premium it can be mounted to a wall. The G-17 is set to release this fall, but if your ears are already tingling you'll find more info in the source link below.
Zvox returns with a few new sound base speaker setups
We were impressed by the stereo sound Zvox's 425 and 550 soundbars produced when we checked them out a few years ago, and now the company has announced two new models in the Z-Base 555 and Z-Base 580. As indicated by the name, these aren't just skinny bars that sit in front of your TV, they're an entire box meant to be placed underneath one's flat panel. That difference gives them the space to deliver quality sound, and these new models expand the line with a few new features including Dialogue Emphasis and output leveling. Both are shipping now, the 555 sports a $399 MSRP, while the 580 sports a more powerful amplifier and larger speakers to justify its $599 price.
InFocus Mondopad is a 55-inch multitouch display with an identity crisis (video)
What do you get when you mix buzzwords like "cloud" and "tablet" with an enourmous multi-touch monitor? The InFocus Mondopad, that's what. The company anticipates that this 55-inch 1080p high-definition panel "wall tablet", equipped with WiFi and a 720p webam / soundbar, will bring pad-like functionality to your next presentation in a big way. The proprietary software mimics the feel of a mobile OS -- only bigger and blander looking -- with basic apps like a whiteboard and web browser, as well as support for Office, JPG, and PDF files. Also inside is Intel's vPro tech, enabling remote access and file sharing with mobile devices -- or having dual-screen sessions with a 58-inch iPhone table, for instance. Pre-ordering one will run you $5,949 for delivery in July and VoIP service through Vidtel will cost $49 a month per connection. No word yet on whether a more portable version is the works, but you'll find some PR and a video walkthrough after the break. Update: We've been informed by InFocus that the Mondopad is running Windows 7 along with pre-loaded apps.
Harman Kardon's SB 16 soundbar ships with a subwoofer, $600 price tag
Regardless of whether you're stuck in an abode with no room, or you're simply too lazy preoccupied to run eight miles of cabling to six separates in your home cinema room, soundbars are definitely a preferred alternative to in-home surround home here at Engadget HQ. Harman Kardon's got a new option in the mix, with the classy SB 16 offering two-way, dual-driver, left and right soundbar speaker channels, each with two 3-inch midrange drivers and a 3/4-inch dome tweeter. $599.99 also gets you a wireless 100-watt ported subwoofer, while the soundbar itself gets pushed by a 25-watt x 2 amp. Head on past the break for the full release, and feel free to grab one prior to hosting your Super Bowl party. You are hosting one, right?
Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES
If you come all this way to the Consumer Electronics Show, why introduce just a single product? You wouldn't, as evidenced by Maxell's smorgasbord here in Las Vegas. Kicking things off is the outfit's new Acoustabar soundbar lineup, which boast integrated subwoofers and hardwood enclosures. The 32-inch Eht model includes ten speaker drivers, while the SD320 delivers 430 watts of audio through five drivers. Moreover, that guy touts a built-in iPod dock, and it allows for connectivity with any TV, DVD player and game console. The 32-inch SD-400 simply steps up to 520 watts of audio. Once you're done dreaming of ways to enhance your own home cinema, the outfit has one to consider for the kids. The KDP-1 projector includes an inbuilt DVD player and provides a plug-and-play experience that'll shoot up an image as large as 45-inches. You'll also get built-in speakers, a microphone input for karaoke and an undisclosed native resolution. We'll confess that not knowing the latter scares us a bit, but those who couldn't care less can find it nowish for $129.99. As you'd expect, Maxell's also dishing out a slew of new storage products. It'll be pushing out 1.8- and 2.5-inch SSDs (64GB, 256GB and 512GB models) in late 2011, SDXC cards and readers sooner than that, a number of USB 3.0 flash drives / HDDs and a non-networked. MP-100 media player. There's plenty of details on earbuds, iPod cases and other accessories after the break, too. %Gallery-112224%
Samsung goes cubic with HT-D7100 Blu-ray home theater system, HW-D550 soundbar
Digging the cube-like stature of Samsung's new BD-D7000 3D Blu-ray player, but on the hunt for a more complete package? Have a gander at the GT-D7100, an all-in-one Blu-ray home theater system that's shaped more like a box and less like... well, conventional home cinema systems. There's 2D-to-3D upconversion, a 2.1 channel sound system (with 110 watts of power), inbuilt WiFi, support for Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio and support for Samsung Apps / Hub. If you're looking for something more traditional, the HT-D6730W is a 7.1 channel surround system, complete with a WiFi-enabled 3D Blu-ray deck, wireless rear speakers, a pair of tower speakers, 1330 total watts of power and a wideband amplifier, two HDMI inputs and an iPod / iPhone dock cradle. In related news, the HW-D7000 Blu-ray AV receiver is being introduced, and it's being described as the world's first 7.1 channel AVR with an integrated 3D Blu-ray player. You'll get four HDMI sockets, HDMI-CEC (Anynet), inbuilt WiFi, a Smart Hub (including internet radio) and a 120 watt x 7 channel amplifier. Finally, the HW-D550 soundbar measures 46-inches in length and offers 2.1 channel audio, 310 watts of power, a wireless subwoofer and a pair of HDMI connectors. Pricing information remains to be seen, but as with Samsung's other CES introductions, these too will be on sale in 1H 2011. %Gallery-112485%
iHome intros iDM12 micro-soundbar, iDM15 Bluetooth speakers and iDM70 'Sound Sleeve'
It just wouldn't be CES without a gaggle of new products from iHome, now would it? Kicking things off in this year's line of audio-related gadgetry from the company is the iDM12 (shown above), a rechargeable portable Bluetooth speaker that's described as something like a mini-soundbar. It'll stream tunes from any Bluetooth-equipped phone or PMP, but naturally, it's being aimed at iPad, iPhone and iPod owners. Moving right along, there's the iDM15 rechargeable portable BT speakers. Here, you'll find two diminutive speakers that can stream in a similar fashion as the iDM12, but with the addition of speakerphone support. Lastly, the iDM70 'Sound Sleeve' is both a protective shell and a speaker setup for your iPad; it relies on rechargeable NXT flat speakers to improve the audio experience, but mum's the word on price. You'll find these guys, as well as the iD9, iD28 and iD85, on sale "later this year." %Gallery-112370%
Ask Engadget: best sound system / soundbar for around $100?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Colin, who needs his jams on the cheap. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I have been looking for a decent set of speakers that can kick out fairly good sound. Ideally, I'd use these in a bedroom, mostly for television viewing and Xbox gaming. I don't need anything too powerful as I'm not filling a gigantic room with sound. I've heard good things about Logitech boxed kits, but have also heard that soundbars are great space-saving alternatives. I'm open to pretty much anything: HTIB, soundbars, etc, but am hoping to spend around $100 or less. Thank you!" We know, you're looking to pinch pennies in order to take that special someone out on a fantastically fine date tomorrow. We get it. But these days, $100 can actually buy you quite a bit of sound. We'd echo those positive sentiments on Logitech's boxed kits, but if anyone has any other input, comments are open down below.
Yamaha's $1,000 YSP-2200 Digital Sound Projector debuts with HDMI 1.4a
It's been a hot minute since Yamaha served up a new Digital Sound Projector, but with 3D doing its darnedest to take over the home entertainment universe, there's hardly a better time for the YSP range to make a comeback. Debuting shortly before CES, the YSP-2200 is one of the outfits sleeker soundbars at 3.5-inches tall, touting 16 speaker beam drivers, faux 7.1 surround sound, 11 Cinema DSP programs and full internal decoding of DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD. You'll also find a foursome of HDMI 1.4a inputs alongside a single output, all of which are fully capable of handling 3D Blu-ray content. We've been ardent supporters of the YSP range ever since we first heard one at CEDIA 2008, but even for a loyalist, the $999.95 retail price is tough to swallow. But hey, at least that nets you a 100-watt subwoofer and a bucket of bragging rights!
Get a clue: Official PS3 sound bar designed to enhance game dialog
The so-called "first step" in a PlayStation-specific audio system will be released next week for $180, and you're looking at it. The "Surround Sound System," like most sound bars, mimics true surround sound through 2.1 audio channels (this one has an integrated sub). While the PlayStation-brand sound bar is compatible with other audio sources, its been designed to match the "PS3 system aesthetics" and features two gaming-specific modes, "Dialog" and "Night" (which enhances key sounds when the volume is turned down). "The sound bar is the first step for us to develop an audio system that's specific to the PlayStation," Sony's David Murrant says somewhat curiously in a marketing spot for the system (embedded after the break). Of the Dialog sound mode, Murrant adds, "Often dialog is going to be key to knowing what the next stage for the game is or giving you clues." %Gallery-104982%
