Awesome Speakers

An elegant sound system which can fill a room with music streamed from Spotify, Tidal, Napster, and Deezer, as well as FM and Internet radio, Bluetooth or optical sources, and even plays CDs. It also works in a whole-home audio system with Como’s other audio gear.

VETR’s flat desktop speakers use 1.3mm thick panels of real carbon fiber to produce an open and airy soundstage. Combined with the bundled compact subwoofer with dual 48-watt amps, they push out great volume too. Read our review of the prototypes over on Technabob.

VanTourist shows us an easy way of making a portable Bluetooth speaker – no soldering or woodworking required. It even has two USB charging ports and an LED flashlight. All in all it cost him about $100. Photo guide here.

Sony’s quirky personal speakers give you surround sound without taking up space or completely cutting off ambient noise. The SRS WS-1 has 2W drivers and vibration motors with three levels of strength. It comes with a wireless transmitter that can pair with two units at once.

JLA’s made-to-order end table is also a 100W 2-way speaker. The M.1’s 8″ woofer and 1 1/8″ tweeter fire downwards at an angle. It can stream music via iTunes, Airplay, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio and Tuneln. Available in black or natural finish.

If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind Bluetooth speakers, check out Room One’s Surface. It’s a wall-mounted Bluetooth speaker that transmits sound through its minimalist oval disk, which is crafted from layers of oak veneer. Available in natural, indigo or red.

If you’re looking for stylish and compact desktop speakers, check out Ashtown Engineering’s Meters Cubed. The 20W system consists of three 3.5″ cubes: two speakers with 2.5″ drivers and an amplifier with a round analog VU meter. Available in black or white.

The successor to the Play:1, the Sonos One is a great speaker and a great listener. It comes with Amazon’s Alexa, so you can use your voice to play music, search online, control smart appliances and more. It will soon be updated to have Google Assistant as well.

DIY Perks shares his favorite project yet: a handmade Bluetooth speaker. He says its shell is made of concrete, but the only aggregate he used is sand. Nevertheless, his video, templates and list of materials will save makers a lot of time and headaches.

Amazon updates its family of Alexa-enabled devices. The 2017 Echo speaker has a more compact design, with better speakers and voice recognition. The new Echo Plus is also a speaker but with a built-in smart home hub. The Echo Spot is a smaller version of the Echo Show.

Do you fart $100 bills and dig slow jams? Grab the BeoLab 50 Speakers ASAP, then. The deluxe speaker delivers 2100w via seven drivers and seven 300w amps, and Active Room Compensation measures room acoustics and creates custom filters for it. (Thanks Todd!)

Like all Bose SoundLink speakers, the Micro is exceptionally loud and clear for its size. It also has a flexible strap and a durable silicone rubber case. It’s water-resistant up to 3.3ft and lasts up to 6h per charge. The biggest downside? No 3.5mm input.

We had a chance to listen to Pioneer’s new Z series car speakers during our visit to their factory, and they sounded truly stellar, with zero distortion, huge dynamic range, and brilliant reproduction that’s on par with some of the best home audio systems we’ve heard.

LEXON’s cordless lantern serves multiple purposes: a Bluetooth speaker with dual 3-watt drivers, a warm LED ambient light, and a 4000 mAh battery pack which can be used to charge up to two devices. Comes in aluminum, brown, or gold finishes.

Marshall’s amplifier-style speakers now come in wireless multi-room variants. The Acton, Stanmore and Woburn Multi-room can be used separately or as one wireless unit. They all have Chromecast, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Bluetooth, 3.5mm and RCA inputs.

Remember when home entertainment systems were gigantic showpieces? Ruark remembers. That’s why it keeps cranking out its R7 Radiogram. The latest version not only plays CDs and radio. It also has Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB, RCA and optical inputs.

We recently were given the unique opportunity to fly to Japan to visit Tohoku Pioneer Corporation’s factory. We learned how they design, engineer, and build some of the world’s best sounding speakers, from affordable car speakers to high-end audiophile equipment.

Get true stereo sound separation with this duo of compact Bluetooth speakers, which can be wirelessly set to output left and right channels, or used individually. They work up to 30 feet away, and come with a special microUSB “Y” cable so you can charge them both at once.

From Anker’s Eufy line of smart appliances comes the Genie. It’s an affordable way to access Amazon’s Alexa, the voice-controlled virtual assistant. The Genie doesn’t have Bluetooth and it only has a 2W speaker, but it’s as responsive as Amazon’s gadgets.

Klipsch wishes Capitol Records a happy 75th birthday by releasing special editions of The One Bluetooth speaker, The Three desktop speaker, and the Heresy III loudspeakers. They have real wood veneer cases, spun copper switches and knobs and a unique insignia.

Edifier’s S2000Pro powered monitors are as good as bookshelf speakers get. They not only look substantial, but they offer up smooth, clean, accurate, and room-filling sound via analog, optical and coax digital, balanced XLR, or Bluetooth sources. Full review on Technabob.

From the makers of the Lofree Keyboard comes another retro style gadget. The Poison Bluetooth speaker has a nice Space Age design. It even has a built-in FM radio with an analog dial. Its two 10W drivers and a large bass diaphragm produce a loud and tight sound.

AC Worldwide makes Bluetooth speakers based on movie and TV franchises. Their latest project? A shiny polished alloy replica of the T-800 endoskeleton head, with built in Amazon Alexa integration, and an app-controlled HD camera in one of its light-up eyeballs.