Speaker

It comes up again and again: "Steve, please recommend a great speaker." Good question, but there are a lot of factors to consider before coming up with a definitive answer. A lot depends on what you're looking for and how you define "great." Nailing down the price is the first step, but if there's one thing I've learned about audiophiles, it's that taste always plays a big part in evaluating sound quality. That's why, in my reviews, I describe how a speaker sounds with different kinds of music.

There's no … Read more

Headed to the beach? The campground? The shower? Gotta love a battery-powered Bluetooth speaker for those and other destinations.

But which one? Jawbone's Jambox is arguably the best-known, but at $129.99 (down from $179.99), it feels a little pricey. Thankfully, there are more affordable alternatives.

Like this one: Today only, and while supplies last, Tanga has the Urge Basics Soundbrick portable Bluetooth speaker for $33.99, plus $2.99 for shipping. It's available in your choice of colors: white, blue, red, and pink.

Urge Basics? Nope, I never heard of 'em either. But check this out: … Read more

AT&T subscribers eyeing the HTC One were able to save $100 and get a free Beats speaker to boot due to an error from AT&T.

The carrier's HTC One 32GB package includes the 32GB edition of HTC's flagship phone and throws in a Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker, which by itself retails for $199.

On Friday, the price listed for the entire package was $99, which almost seemed like too good a deal. And in fact, it was. The $99 price was actually put up in error. However, AT&T will honor the price … Read more

Speakers Lock grants you more control over your volume, but installs as an ad-supported application; therefore, caution is needed. It will drive your antivirus software up the wall and try to load your computer up with nasty adware. Once you get to the program, itself, it's a little too aggressive with how it takes over your volume; but it performs well.

Since this is an executable program, it might make your antivirus software suspicious. That could be because the program is loaded with nasty add-ons. It tries to change your search and your homepage, and install something called the &… Read more

When a Bluetooth or AirPlay speaker crosses the $500 mark, you expect to be impressed. Yes, it has to sound good, and yes, it has to look good, but it also has deliver just a little something extra to make you throw out reason and spend more than you probably should on a wireless speaker.

The Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200 ($600) is an undeniably nice speaker, but it doesn't quite feel worthy of the asking price. Its strongest suit is its refined design, with a clean look that blends into most decor without drawing attention to itself. The … Read more

There's a new portable Bluetooth speaker in town -- and it's got the Jawbone Jambox and its wireless brethren squarely in its sights.

Bose today introduced the SoundLink Mini, a $200 wireless speaker that's considerably smaller and less expensive than the company's earlier Bluetooth offering, the SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II. That model retails for $300 to $350, depending on whether you opt for a nylon or leather cover flap.

The svelte speaker is 2x7.1x2.3 inches, and it's a looker. The frame is a unibody aluminum enclosure that surrounds tiny stereo drivers at … Read more

My first encounter with one of Adam Audio's smallest speakers, the ARTist 3, took me by surprise last year. That little speaker is still in the line, but when I learned Adam just introduced a less expensive, but slightly larger desktop speaker, the F5, I was eager to get it in for review. The ARTist 3 has a better tweeter, bigger amps, a more robustly designed cabinet, and it's a lot nicer looking. The F5's black vinyl-covered cabinet is strictly business, and at $499 a pair it lists for $300 less than the ARTist 3.… Read more

Congrats to John D. of Fruitland Park, Fla., for winning a Crucial M500 SSD and copy of Iolo System Mechanic in last week's giveaway. This week, I asked you for help deciding whether to give away a mini action cam, a waterproof iPhone 5 case, or an ultraportable speaker. The speaker won by a few tweets, so here you go, readers. Ask and ye shall receive (and don't worry; those other prizes will be coming soon).

We're giving away a pocket-size Boombotix Boombot Rex, which connects via Bluetooth to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and any other device with a 1/8-inch standard headphone jack. It's got built-in voice control so you can ask the time, dial a contact, or play a song, all while keeping your handheld device in your pocket. How you'll look talking to your speaker? Well, that's your business. … Read more

I've had a run of bad luck with some of the latest AV receivers' autosetup programs; they set the subwoofer volume way too loud, or misidentified the "sizes" of the speakers (one receiver tagged our small Aperion 4B satellites as large speakers). These reviews have yet to post, but that boo-boo played havoc with the sound. Rerunning autosetup sometimes fixes the problem, but not always. When I'm testing speakers I always do a totally manual setup. In this man versus machine contest, I always win.

Automatic calibration programs started to appear on Pioneer's higher-end receivers … Read more