speakerlamp
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Yamaha's YST001 shimmies into the speaker-lamp niche
If a few more companies get into these speaker-lamp combo designs, it just might define a whole new product category. Yamaha's YST001 speakers, however, offer up a couple of features that make them better suited for HT use. First and foremost, the cabinet design and front-facing drivers on these are a natural fit for the HT arena. Second, the lighting is rearward-facing, so using a pair of these speakers for front channels will bring an adjustable backlight to your display -- good news for those who want to produce better perceived contrast. From our mangled Japanese translation, the YST001 seems to be a combination of Yamaha's NS-M125 bookshelf speakers and a speaker stand with integrated lighting from Koizumi. Nice idea -- and the design seems to have avoided the gimmick of dynamic, colored backlights -- but ideally we'd like to see the speakers positioned closer to ear level. Read on for a couple of gallery shots.[Via CyberTheater]
Soundoiler unveils duo: the wireless speaker lamp
Seemingly, it's just not to efficient enough to buy lighting tools for your home anymore, as lamps these days have to have at least one other random function thrown in for good measure, and Soundoiler's duo is no different. Melding form with function, this stylish lamp features a built-in speaker to go along with its lighting capabilities, an integrated control pad to dictate volume / channel selection, and an optional "maestro" transmitter that pipes in audio from your wirelessly-enabled DAP. Moreover, the lamps can be purchased in pairs and setup to function as stereo speakers, correctly separating the left and right channels during playback, and if that weren't snazzy enough, there's also a foot-controlled power / dimmer switch so you can set the mood without even lifting a finger. Soundoiler's multi-purpose fixture can be picked up now for $279.95, while the wireless addition will run you an extra $79.95, but the wow-factor in your living room is presumably priceless.[Via CNET]
