Awesome Speakers

The gadget gurus at Brando have a new combination uber-dock up; it could use an eSATA port (it uses USB 2.0), but still packs a 2.5″/3.5″ HDD dock, two USB ports and 3W speakers.

Looking like a cross behind a King Cobra and a golf club, Ben Wahrlich’s wireless Serpent Speakers feature a base that can be easily bent to suit your desk’s space requirements.

More novelty than innovation, Ilshat Garipov’s Sound Egg speakers feature a rounded base that encourages spinning; a heavy weight at the bottom keeps them from tipping over.

These streamlined Focal XS 2.1 speakers don’t just look great, but produce studio quality sound for professionals via an active amplifier; they also include a convenient iPod dock.

A pair of mirror-imaged, omnidirectional arrays and a quartet of 12″ bass drivers make up these gorgeous MBL 101 X-treme speakers, which faintly resemble Federation warp cores.

Designed for people with small rooms (but big wallets), Von Schweikert Audio’s Unifield 3 features a SEAS Excel magnesium woofer in a tall, line-loaded enclosure with four chambers.

You don’t say: these speech-bubble shaped Speak-ers aren’t just concepts; for $120, you’ll get a pair of these 6W speakers, which come with a white ABS housing and black steel grille.

It won’t be abducting any cows, but mobiBLU’s UFO A10 is not only an MP3 player but doubles as a desktop speaker with Bluetooth; we dig the cool blue LED lighting on its underside.

Killing two birds with one stone, GoStereo’s Tune In Tune Out headphones also double as speakers; sound quality is average but it does save you from carrying two devices.

The sequel to the successful X-Minis, the X-Mini II portable speaker not only gets a larger 40mm driver but can be tethered with up to 7 other X-Mini IIs; CNET reports it can get “deafening.”

Let their be light … and sound: this SoundBulb concept seems a mite futuristic, as it not illuminates with LED lamps but streams music via Wi-Fi or bluetooth through 8ohm speakers.

eFizz doesn’t instill much confidence name-wise, but this all-in-one iPod dock and 2.1 stereo system cranks out 70 watts RMS through Cabasse speakers; it includes a HandMusic remote.

Ideal for minimalists, Panasonic’s SC-TZ1 home theater system includes four ultra-slim speakers; although it’s missing a subwoofer, it still can produce virtual 7.1 surround sound.

Give your first or second gen iPod a second lease on a musical life by turning it into a 2.25″ speaker; DIYer Jordan Horwich details how to build a pair of your own for under $100.

iLuv’s been busy lately, with yesterday’s i9500 and now the iSP200 Soundbar: this 2.1 channel system manages to squeeze in a subwoofer, two detachable speakers and a 3-port USB hub.

iLuv’s 2.1 channel i9500 Audio System is a followup to their popular i9200, albeit with twice the power at 45W RMS; this vertical system will dock your iPod or iPhone and hold up to 4 CDs.

Making its US debut in January and available for preorder, Italy-based Aux’s Classic 2.1 Speakers are compact yet produce a huge sweetspot; choose from regular, gloss and leather versions.

Nobody ever said being good was easy, but Bang & Olufsen also makes it pricey: they’re auctioning the first BeoSound 9000 plus a pair of 8000s, with proceeds going to UNICEF.

If you like a little visual with your audio, BluTiger’s 1000-watt 5.1 surround sound system includes two spectrum analyzers; in short, blue LEDs that’ll bump and grind with your jams.

Ideal for road warriors, the X-mini Capsule Speaker is a portable 2.4W speaker that fits in the palm of your hand; it features a unique expandable resonance chamber that ups bass response.

Say goodbye to clutter with GenevaSound’s Home Theater, which is essentially a massive iPod dock with FM radio and CD player; it packs 7 speakers, a 700 watt amp and a 12″ sub.

Hercules’ XPS 2.1 50 speakers were actually designed via a poll; in addition, we like the little touches such as line-in on the right satellite and wall-mountability.

Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 5 is two-piece remote and music server for the well-heeled, with a 10.4″ LCD and a 500GB hard drive running an Apple Genius-like MOTS algorithm.