Surf report: Speaker Trio, Ferrari headphones and more
The Speaker Trio starts at $299.99.(Photo: Alice Truong for USA TODAY)
The personal audio market gets a little more crowded every day, and we're constantly sifting through it. This week's highlights include modular speakers, racecar-inspired cans and more.
A trio of modular speakers
By now, Bluetooth speakers are so mainstream that everyone and their mom has one. Heck, it's not even that unreasonable to own a few. But what good is a pair of Jamboxes when you can only listen to one at a time? (A gripping #firstworldproblem[1], I'm sure.)
Bem solves this conundrum with its Speaker Trio[2] ($299.99), a triplet of modular cubes that allow you to listen to music across multiples rooms. Within a single room, you can attempt to emulate surround sound, minus the spliced audio. Measuring 6 inches across all dimensions, these aren't exactly puny in stature, and their audio is reflective of that. Perhaps the most intriguing feature is the ability to add more cubes — up to 99 in total — to the sound system. Starting up such a system would be a spectacle, as instructions require you to turn on the speakers before turning on the base, which also charges the cubes on contact, to connect via Bluetooth. But as soon as a speaker is on, it blasts a repeating tone that's uncomfortably loud, especially when playing in tandem with others just like it.
Though the Speaker Trio uses Bluetooth, the individual cubes communicate over a 2.4 gHz signal. The benefit of this is that your one device can broadcast simultaneously to multiple speakers. The downside is that if you live in an area that's particularly congested with wireless signals, say, Union Square in San Francisco, they're not going to perform optimally.
The P200 headphones start at $249.(Photo: Alice Truong for USA TODAY)
The Ferrari of headphones
Switching gears, have you noticed a new name in the high-end headphone market lately? Nope, it's not a rapper, athlete or reality TV personality. Lending its star power to Logic3's audio lineup is Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari.
The P200[3] ($249) headphones from the Scuderia Ferrari collection scream speed. These sporty cans — the biggest and boldest of Ferrari's audio products — are colored with the race car's iconic red, accented with a Modena yellow badge featuring the dancing horse mascot on each cup. Inspired by the Ferrari Formula 1 team, these look like a perfect fit in the pit, with carbon fiber weaving and machine crafted metal arms. That's just on the outside. With 50 mm drivers, the sound also roars like an engine, strongest when delivering deep bass.
RELATED: Scientific reviews of all the best headphones[4]
The BRV-1 starts at $169.99.(Photo: Alice Truong for USA TODAY)
Braving the elements
When Braven launched its first line of speakers, it included a rugged, shock-absorbing version — useful for hikes where equipment might take a tumbling, but it certainly couldn't weather much more than that.
Its latest, the BRV-1[5] ($179.99), is a different story. The aluminum grill and electrical innards are protected by a rubber exterior, which features four buttons on top: power, play, volume up and volume down. Everything else — audio in, battery indicator, micro USB port for charging and USB port to power up other devices — is protected behind a screw-on cap on the back. Despite its relatively small size, it emits clear and balanced audio. With 12-hour battery life, you won't have to worry about being stranded without music or power in the middle of nowhere.
Water- and shock-resistance makes this speaker, which began shipping mid-February, a suitable companion for more than hikes. Whether a leisurely afternoon on the beach or an extreme day on the slopes, the BRV-1 will brave it alongside.
The Black Diamond 3 starts at $120.(Photo: Alice Truong for USA TODAY)
Black Diamond's light show
Admittedly, the audio on the Black Diamond 3[6] ($120) isn't anything to write home about. Furthermore, without a built-in battery, this speaker by Taiwanese companies Acase and Yantouch needs to be tethered to a power source. The addition of a remote makes it handy to control when you're not next to the speaker, often the case since it's a wired device, but small remotes are easy to lose. If that ends up being the case, you're out of luck since there aren't buttons on this crystal ball. I can't attest to its build either. A review unit quickly delved into obsolescence when I attempted to connect a mini USB cable. The charging port fell inside, and the only sound I could hear is the part jingling within the speaker.
With all that aside, let's talk about the one thing this speaker does fantastically. It's the most visually intriguing audio product I've tested. Unpowered, it looks a little like a plastic toy, but once on, the Black Diamond glows with programmable lighting effects that can make for a somewhat psychedelic experience, especially as it transitions through eight colors that can pulsate alongside the beats it outputs. The remote also allows you to adjust the brightness, volume and lighting tempo. Though it's not without limitations, we have to admit the Black Diamond's a looker — more eye candy than ear candy.
Native Union's Switch speaker starts at $150.(Photo: Alice Truong for USA TODAY)
Making the Switch
Unlike some of the aforementioned speakers, Native Union's Switch[7] isn't about flamboyance. The minimalist speaker features clean lines along its 7.75-by-2.75-by-2.75 inch shape. Its three drivers and active subwoofer will appeal to those who like their music on the bassy side.
Gracing the side (or top, depending on its position) is a lovely oversized knob, somewhat reminiscent of Dieter Rams' radio dials. It doubles as volume control as well as a button for power, audio and calls. Maintaining its sleekness, the speaker features a flap on the underside that hides two audio ports (in and out) and two charging ports (micro USB for power input and USB for output). With a 14-hour battery life and a wallet-friendly $150 price tag, Switch is a great speaker contender for casual listening.
E-mail Alice Truong at
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References
- ^ http://twitter.com/search?q=%23firstworldproblems (twitter.com)
- ^ Speaker Trio (www.bemwireless.com)
- ^ P200 (www.ferrari-by-logic3.com)
- ^ http://www.headphoneinfo.com?utm_source=spikes&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=collab (www.headphoneinfo.com)
- ^ BRV-1 (www.braven.com)
- ^ Black Diamond 3 (www.yantouch.com.tw)
- ^ Switch (www.nativeunion.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." title="http://This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./" name="readabilityFootnoteLink-8" id="readabilityFootnoteLink-8" target="_blank">http://This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./ (usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.twitter.com/alicetruong (www.twitter.com)