Bang & Olufsen have released the BeoLab 9 speakers. They feature Bang & Olufsen’s special Acoustic Lens technology which allows the listener to hear perfect sound no matter where the speakers are placed in the room. The BeoLab 9 speakers also feature Adaptive Bass Linearisation technology which reduces the distortion and allows bass to be played loudly without the speakers being damaged. The BeoLab 9 speakers will be available from March. All this comes at a price of course. You can lay your hands on these speakers and let your ears feast on the music for US$9900.

The lens sits on top of the speaker in a specially shaped housing which distributes the treble in an 180 degree arc, and limits it’s exposure to echoing from the floor and ceiling. The BeoLab 9 speaker also has a manual position switch which changes the sound based on it’s position in the room. Placing the speaker in an open area, a corner or against a flat wall can be accommodated without sound compromise.

The look of these high-end speakers gives it a different look from most traditional designs, having a conically-shaped enclosure that holds the mid-range and bass units. The Acoustic Lens on top of the loudspeakers has a metallic look, and the rest is covered in fabric available in red, blue, dark gray and black. The base speaker is a 10 inch speaker powered by 500 watts, the mid-range a 5 inch speaker and the treble is 3/4 inch. The entire loudspeaker measures roughly 2.5 feet tall.

Designed to be a perfect acoustical match to the other Acoustic Lens sound performers in the Bang & Olufsen loudspeaker range, BeoLab 9 can be used in a surround sound setup (front or rear), or as a fully capable stereo speaker in a music system. It works perfectly as a link room loudspeaker and connects easily to non-Bang & Olufsen equipment. It is as universal as you could possibly want, and its impressive performance most definitely contradicts its modest size.

In a move that broadens the company’s product line into the wireless loudspeaker category, JBL today announced the introduction of its JBL On Air Control 2.4G high-performance wireless loudspeaker system.

The JBL On Air Control 2.4G includes a pair of compact two-way loudspeakers incorporating a wireless transceiver and amplifier, and a transmitter/receiver module. The system is ideal for a host of wireless speaker applications, including use as the surround channels in a multichannel home theater; as a second-room music system; and as a high-quality wireless speaker system for laptop and desktop computers, iPod and digital music players, personal DVD/CD players and other devices.

Available in a black finish, the magnetically shielded speakers feature a 1/2-inch titanium-laminate dome tweeter, a 4-inch high-excursion woofer and 30 watts of built-in amplification for natural, richly detailed sound quality. The speakers are supplied with wall-mount brackets, and also include standard 1/4"-20 threaded inserts for use with third-party wall-mounting brackets.

The system includes a transmitter and two speakers that each feature 30-watt built-in amplification. The active speaker includes a mini-jack input for connection to a second local audio source, and a subwoofer output that enables the speakers to be used as part of a 2.1-channel satellite/ subwoofer audio system.

One transmitter can serve up to four speakers, so you can have a surround system with entirely wireless satellites. The On Air Control loudspeaker system will be available in Feb. for an MSRP of $349.

China's largest appliance maker, Haier Group, is teaming up with a subsidiary of AOL to make a wireless media player that can stream or download content without hooking it up to a PC.

The product, which has yet to be named, was unveiled at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and is set to be sold in the United States by the end of the second quarter.

It looks like a regular iPod but does what even the new iPhone doesn't — access online music and video stores over Wi-Fi networks to stream, download and play content without having to sync up with a computer.

''The PC really isn't needed to manage your media library,'' said Mike Wehrs, vice president of product management for AOL subsidiary Tegic Communications Inc. AOL is a division of Time Warner Inc.

The Haier/AOL player, which will come with 30 gigabytes of memory, is the second device unveiled at CES that has a wireless music download capability.

SanDisk Corp. showcased its Sansa Connect, a $249 gadget to sell in March that also detects Wi-Fi networks and allows one to stream Internet radio, search for songs, detect friends and send recommendations. The device will have 4 gigabytes of memory.

The Haier group is expected to announce content and network partners at either the GSM World Congress in February or CTIA Wireless show in March, Wehrs said.

Razer, the creators of the Tarantula keyboard, Copperhead gaming mice, and other gaming hardware, introduced the Razer Mako 2.1 THX Certified bi-amplified multimedia speaker system at CES 2007.

The Razer Mako represents a groundbreaking new desktop speaker design from the sound engineers and scientists of gaming industry leader Razer and audio industry pioneer THX Ltd. The Razer Mako 2.1 is the first desktop speaker system to incorporate THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker technologies, which raise the bar for acoustic fidelity and performance in the desktop category.

Whether the listener has connected their desktop computer, gaming console, television, CD deck, or portable MP3 player as the Razer Mako’s input source, the system will deliver sonic presentations that are the best-in-class for any 2.1 desktop speaker system The Razer Mako 2.1 is the first multimedia speaker system designed from the ground up to provide optimal performance on the desktop.

The THX Ground Plane and Slot Speaker technologies ensure the speaker drivers are very close to the desktop surface, doubling the output and delivering smooth and even response at all frequencies. The Razer THX-certified 2.1 speakers will be available for approximately $300.

(2 sets are being given away at RazerZone.com. Contest ends 28 Feb. Give it a try!)

Read on...

Logitech has announced a new speaker system, the X-540, to be released sometime in November.  Actually, it looks a whole lot like the X-530, but the model name pretty much implies as much.

The X-540 has the same speakers as the X-530, 45W distributed among the satellite speakers and 25W for the subwoofer, for a total of 70W.  As for new features, the X-540 has a separate volume control module, so you don't have to keep the front left speaker within reach.  The center speaker now has a way to clip onto a flat-panel monitor, which finally gives you a good place to put it.  The shape of the satellites is a little different too; it looks like they have a smaller footprint, but personally I liked the rounded edges on the X-530.

I happen to own the X-530, and while it's not worth it for me to pay $99 to upgrade, I definitely recommend the X-530 or X-540 to anyone looking for a good mid-range surround sound system.