iPod speakers?fall into two categories, they are either bog standard and fairly cheap, or they attempt to be iconic in their design. Sometimes this division is so great that they polarise potential customers into thinking it is either the best-looking thing in the world or the most fugly thing they have ever seen.

The Bayan Audio Bayan 7 sits, as you might have gathered from the picture, in the second of those two camps coming with a striking design.

"Interesting" design

The design starts with a large, square, box with a further four speakers on the front, mounted into a large sheet of clear Perspex.

Fo those who like tech specs, the Bayan 7 has a 120W power output through its twin amplifiers, a 5-way?2.1-channel stereo speaker setup and an 8-inch subwoofer for deep bass control. Then there is a pair of 2-inch mid-range and a 1-inch tweeters. Its frequency range is 30Hz - 47kHz.

The 7 is available in black or white, but whichever you choose, you end up getting a wall of speakers and docks with a big box behind it. The Bayan Audio Bayan 7 is more akin to a microwave than your usual iPod speaker.

That presents its own issues, in that it will take up most of a sideboard, and certainly be too big and too heavy for most shelves - ?something to bear in mind if space is at a premium.

Size aside, design, as already mentioned, is something that you'll either love or hate. It's certainly striking, causing plenty of conversation to everyone we've shown. Personally we're not so sure it works. We prefer the more subtle lines of the B&W Zeppelin, but each to their own. We're sure the designer loves it.

Performance and sound quality

Get past the "kooky" design and you can start to enjoy some of the more unusual features of the Bayan 7. Like the two docking station slots on the front allowing you to charge two iDevices at the same time. Which means both you and your other half's iPhone can be charging together.

As well as being charged, you can switch between the two iThings via the accompanying remote control although that's as far as it goes. Would-be DJs: there are no fading options.

Each dock is designed to accommodate the array of iPods and iPhones on the market, but if you've got a iPad it won't fit without blocking the speakers above.

If you haven't got an iDevice, then you can still play with the addition of a Line-in around the back, and for Android tablet users there is a USB charging slot as well - a nice touch.

The remote, as you would expect, allows you to control volume - although we found this to be pretty slow to respond - and if you are using an iPhone or iPod you can skip through tracks and other standard playback functions.

While the remote has a bass and treble button, but no visual feedback on whether these were working, we couldn't notice any audible difference even after pressing the buttons violently to change the settings.

One thing we did notice was that, for some reason, the volume control wouldn't work correctly with our first-generation iPod touch. Annoying.

With the volume controls buried at the back out of quick reach - a strange decision - you'll have to control playback and volume either via the remote or with the Apple device itself.

So, what about the quality??Not surprisingly the Bayan 7 sounds really good. The speaker combination gives a clear sound, coping well with both bass and treble on the tracks we played via an iPod touch and iPhone 3GS we had in the office.

We tested a range of music from Adagio for Strings (Platoon Soundtrack), to Daft Punk, to more challenging tracks from NoFX and TaTu - All The Things She Said.

Sound is crisp and clean compared to the Zeppelin - which offers a more base-heavy feel. Volume is loud enough to fill a medium-size room comfortably.?

Verdict:

The Bayan Audio Bayan 7 sounds great, but with a design that isn't likely to be everyone's cup of tea. It's also one that will most likely be just too big to fit anywhere in your house, unless it's a mansion.

But if you lived in such a grand abode you would probably go for something a lot more impressive, leaving us with very mixed feelings for the Bayan 7.

We actually like the dual iPhone charging station idea for the iPhone or iPod friendly family, but it isn't enough to seal the deal for the microwave-sized music-monster.

Tags: Audio Speakers Bayan Audio iPod speakers

Bayan Audio Bayan 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:53:00 +0000

Over in Vegas at CES 2012, Altec Lansing unveiled the Live 5000, a wireless speaker that builds on the success of the inAir 5000 that was unleashed back in September at IFA.

Whereas the inAir used AirPlay to wirelessly play back your tunes, the Altec Lansing Live 5000 simply uses your home's Wi-Fi connection to hook up to your audio playback devices. It is controllable from iOS, Android and desktop applications and delivers music from the web's "most popular content providers".

It uses AL's Live controller app to setup up a central playlist of your tunes. Rather than have your music sent to the cloud, it is streamed directly from each device's local library of music.

The tear-drop shape, we're told, is to provide a better sound with a more natural path for sound waves due to the non-parallel walls. There's also a tri-amp platform in place, along with neodymium tweeters, 3-inch kevlar mids and a long throw subwoofer.

"Now more than ever, there are so many different ways to experience the music we love, and it doesn’t matter if it’s from the cloud, from our individual libraries or even from our friends’ phones," said Brendon Stead, co-president, Altec Lansing. "Whether it’s for personal listening or for a party, the Live 5000 is the device that brings your music mosaic and lifestyle together in complete harmony."

The Live 5000 will cost $499.95 Stateside when it lands in the summer. We're told a UK release is coming too. You can also hook up multiple Live 5000s should you wish.

Tags: Audio Altec Lansing CES2012 Speakers Altec Lansing Live 5000

Altec Lansing Live 5000 wirelessly beams in originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

Bang and Olufsen, better known for high-end audio installations, have announced the launch of the B&O Beolit 12, a premium iPhone speaker.

The new speaker is the first product to be launched under a new sub-brand, known as B&O Play. B&O Play will focus on high-quality portable audio-video products, which the company says are designed "for the digital generation, at a more accessible price point".?

With an RRP of €677 or $799 (?580), it's a tad more expensive than your average Gear4 iPhone dock, but we guess that accessibility is a subjective concept. Fortunately the Beolit 12 oozes luxury at every possible point and has been designed to ensure you get a cracking portable speaker.

It features a full-grain Italian leather carry strap and a solid anodised aluminium speaker grill which wraps around the device seamlessly, giving it a minimalist but sophisticated design. Different colours will be available, although it is initially launching in grey.

The top is finished in rubber and designed to be non-slip, so you can safely place your iPhone on the top when charging or playing music. Oh yes, it's AirPlay compatible too, and although you can connect other devices, this is very much Made for iPhone (or iPod, or iPad).

Internally you'll get a 120 Watts class D power amplifier driving two 2-inch full range tweeters and a 4-inch woofer, said to comfortably fill a medium-sized room.?

The Beolit 12 is designed to be portable so comes with an internal battery that is said to give you 8-hours of playback (with wireless switched off) and will charge your iPhone (or other device) thanks to a USB port hidden down the side.?

In terms of connections you'll get the USB, a 3.5mm line in and an Ethernet port as well as Wi-Fi a/b/g/n. It measures 230 x 150 x 188mm and weighs in at 2.8kg.

“Once people listen to their portable music through the Beolit 12, they will wonder why they ever did it any other way”, said Tue Mantoni, Global CEO of Bang & Olufsen.

The B&O Beolit 12 will be available from January 2012 at B&O stores (including online) and will be available through the Apple Store.

Read

Tags: Audio Bang And Olufsen Bang and Olufsen Beolit 12 Apple Airplay AirPlay Speakers iPod docks iPhone Apple CES2012

Bang and Olufsen launches Beolit 12, a premium portable iPhone speaker originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:15:24 +0000

Speaker manufacturer Otone Audio has developed a new range of desktop speaker systems that have been tweaked in order to appeal to Britain's apparent love of particular types of music genre.

The innovative new system is the culmination of Otone Audio's "years of experience in the audio industry" as well as the work carried out with top designers on the continent and leading businesses in China.

What this means is that the speakers have been tuned to the British market, with the company carrying out extensive research in the UK? and then refining them accordingly. Whether this is just marketing hype or not isn't clear yet, we'll have to wait to get our hands on them to say for sure, however the company states that the speaker systems "better complement the more bass-centric sounds of dance, hip-hop and rock found in the UK market".

Gareth Thomas from Otone Audio explains: “By tightening up the bass drivers, which in turn reduce their response time, the drivers in our systems can move [in and out] faster and respond in sync with the [faster] beat of the music."

And not content with tuning speakers specifically for the music on this fair isle, Otone Audio continues with the bold claim that: "Otone provides better audio clarity and quality than any other directly competing sound system on the market at the moment, achieving this with equal or better sound at a lower price point than our rivals."

Still, all the speakers in the range look pretty smart, so let's hope the sound is mirrored by the decent design.

The speakers should be available by the end of January 2012.

Tags: Audio Speakers Otone Audio PC speakers

Otone Audio brings custom bass speakers to Britain originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Ferrari?fans listen up. Logic 3 has teamed up with Ferrari to launch a range of Ferrari-branded?iPhone speaker docks?and headphones so you can show your love for the brand when it comes to listening to your favourite music.

Ferrari by Logic3, announced at CES on Monday, comprises a range of earphones, headphones and speaker docks that celebrate Ferrari without going all out red, well not too much.

On the speaker front there are two models in two very different ranges - the Ferrari Cavallino Collection and the Scuderia Ferrari Collection.

The first is influenced by GT road cars and take their design inspiration from the "premium textures and materials" found in the Ferrari cars while the Scuderia Ferrari Collection is inspired by the competition, speed, and technological innovation of the Ferrari F1 team and therefore is a bit more brazen carrying the bright yellow Scuderia Ferrari badge.

The Ferrari?Scuderia FS1 speaker dock

The Ferrari team has been closely involved with Logic3 throughout the entire process, ensuring the marque’s characteristic style, design and personality are captured within every product.

So what do you get? Well the Cavallino GT1 (pictured top) is a speaker dock that comes with a 250W RMS class HD AMP in a multi speaker unit with a 6.5-inch (165mm) subwoofer. In addition to an Apple dock connector, the GT1 also features wireless Bluetooth connectivity for Android and Windows-based devices. Priced at ?399 for an extra ?100 you'll be able to get Apple AirPlay support. The iPhone docks via a sliding tray where the prancing horse is if you are wondering.?

The Scuderia FS1 on the other hand, is a 2.1 Speaker Dock offering 120W RMS class HD Amp with twin passive bass radiators and Bluetooth. Like the GT1, if you are will to spend a further ?100 on top of the ?499 price tag you'll get AirPlay support.

If speaker docks aren't your cup of tea, then you can also get the prancing horse in your ear with a range of earphones and headphones also being announced.

There are four models within the Ferrari Cavallino range and a further five in the Scuderia Ferrari range with the latter showing off the bolder colour scheme.

The Cavallino range consists of the T350 (?299) over-ear headphones which include active noise cancelling, the T250 (?249) on-ear headphones, and the G150 (?149) and T150 (?149) earphones, which feature something called TFAT, which stands for?Thin Film Acoustic Technology,?and noise isolating technology.

The Ferrari Scuderia?P200 On-Ear Headphones

The Scuderia Ferrari headphones and earphones range consists of the R300 (?249) over-ear headphones, which offer active noise cancellation, the R200 (?199) and P200 (?199) on-ear headphones, and the S100 (?99) and R100 (?119) earphones, which feature TFAT and noise isolating technology.

The P200s, if you are a Ferrari fan, will be on the ones you'll want.

The Ferrari by Logic3 collection will be available from April 2012.

Tags: Audio iPhone docks Ferrari Logic3 Speakers Headphones Earphones

Ferrari iPhone docks and headphones show your love for beautiful sound originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:51:00 +0000