Yes, the speakers are visually appealing (perhaps not so much as the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers we showed off last month, that obviously inspired a lot of you) but there’s more to it than that.

Yes, it will dock your iPod or iPhone and do all the stuff you’d expect from that.

However, it will also improve the sound quality from any device you choose to plug in to it. Given the fairly poor audio output you get from the built-in speakers many items such as laptops and TVs, that has to be a good thing.

Now, granted, it’s not going to replace a dedicated surround sound home cinema system, but for those with modest tastes and wallets, it’s good. As well as the two stereo speakers there’s a separate subwoofer. Additionally, it comes with high-quality oxygen-free copper speaker cabling.

Inside the casing of each speaker you get 2 x 50mm midrange and 1 x 15mm tweeter, while the subwoofer packs a 155mm woofer. Total RMS output is 48W. Pricing at £229.99 (about $370).

IXOS

Maybe for you, but for those audiophiles who can afford high-end equipment (and are probably not listening to compressed MP3 files on their iPod) comes the likes of the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers.

They’re not carved from ice (because they’d melt, duh) but they’re exquisitely formed from clear glass.

My audiophilia isn’t advanced enough to explain the tech involved in these speakers, but I can tell it’s cutting edge. Here’s the lowdown as explained in the press release:

The GLA-55 features many proprietary technologies to provide the highest quality sound possible; including:

• Atlas AL and CMMD Transducers – The CMMD drivers provide accurate high frequencies, but are capable of low-frequency extension to four octaves; the Atlas AL drivers are capable of nearly 2,5 cm peak-to-peak travel for tight, accurate bass reproduction. Their pairing provides a full, rich frequency response, from the lowest bass to highest highs.
• Slipstream Port Design – The GLA-55 port minimizes boundary layer separation, providing high-output bass with low distortion.
• COE (Computer-Optimized Equalization) – The system equalization is computer-optimized to provide a rich, complete soundstage over a wide range of listening positions.
• OCT (Optimized Compression Topology) – The GLA-55 system utilizes a proprietary compression technology to ensure clean, accurate sound at high output levels.
• The Harman Kardon GLA-55 system is compatible with desktop computers (all platforms), laptops and MP3 and portable media players. In clear with chrome accents.

So, basically, they look great, sound great, and work with pretty much everything.

Price? £750 ($1,250 equivalent)

Harman Kardon

The Mod1 satellite speakers are just four inches in diameter and made from high carbon steel. There’s a lot of sound technology in there, too, including rare earth magnets, Santoprene, Nomex and CCAD voice coils.

The speaker system is also easily upgradable, just by adding more speakers to form a Mod2 or Mod4 setup. There are compact subwoofers available too.

You can get two satellite speakers for $239 or the Mod1 Plus Home Theater System, which includes 5 speakers, the Super Eight subwoofer, a handmade stainless steel speaker stand and all of the wires and cables needed to set up the system for $999.

Operating via USB, the speakers are downward facing which makes me think a lot of the sound is going to bounce off the desk or distort in some way.

Is this a case of cuteness before sound quality?

Surely if you wanted some animal ornaments you’d be better off investing in some fine porcelain ones that don’t try to do anything technological at the same time.

I suppose it’s a small mercy that these haven’t been combined with those dogs that run along yapping and then flip over backwards. You’d need wireless audio for that, for a start.

Still, if you really want to listen to your music coming out of a dog’s stomach, these are for you.

More pictures at the link.

These are glass speakers with white and blue LEDs, and they can even be supplied with some stands that also have lights built in.

Trouble is, they cost close to $1,000 and yet they only offer 10W of output per channel, which is pretty pathetic.

They might look great, but as far as I’m concerned speakers have to perform. I’d rather have boring speakers that pump than underperforming fancy ones.

Nice try Kenwood but give me something I actually want to play my music through.

(Via Akihabara News)

Our friends at ThinkGeek would surely agree. That is why they have come up with the ultimate shirt for geeks who want more excitement and/or drama in their daily lives. I am talking about the Personal Soundtrack Shirt.

This shirt has a speaker embedded onto the front. While it has built-in sounds, it does offer personalisation through SD-card capabilities. You can also use your iPod or any other mp3 player to create the soundtrack of your life. And when you need music to accompany your daily routine, you just need to push a button on the remote control device.

The remote control is very small, which you can put in your pocket. If you know which buttons to push, you don’t even have to show the remote – just keep it in your pocket, push, and hear the appropriate sound or song. What started as a joke for April Fool’s is now a reality. The question is, would you actually buy this shirt? I am quite unsure, to be honest with you.

The UFO speaker from USB Geek is an awesomely cool, and rechargeable, gadget for all Sci-fi and geeks.

The built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery can be recharged via USB, but the speaker can also be used for portable media players. Full specs after the jump.

• Recharged by USB ports
• Built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
• 3cm speaker with 2.2W high quality sounds output
• SNR >= 89db
• Simple, just plug-in, no driver install
• On/Off switch with Blue LED power indicator
• Standard 3.5mm audio plug apply with music player and digital products, e.g. PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, PDA, MP3 player, CD player … etc.
• Dimension: 73mm dia x 35mm
• Weight: 45g

Get it for $15 from USBGeek.

The Phonofone is a retro-designed speaker set for your iPod. What you may not know is that this isn’t powered by AC nor DC.

Through passive amplification alone, these unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player + earbuds into a sculptural audio console. Without the use of external power or batteries, the Phonofone II inventively exploits the virtues of horn acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55 decibels.

NOW you tell me if it’s still worth US$600… for the amount of technology (or retro-technology) this has… the price sure is just about right. And while this isn’t your ideal party piece… it certainly makes your pad a little more sophisticated.

There’s not much to say about this one except that it is a pillow and a speakerset for iPods. The picture itself says enough

We consider it the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your preferred nerd. For only £14.95 and with these specs you just have to get it AMIRITE?

• Soft plush padding
• Material is a velvet like material
• 2 x speakers set in the back of the iBoobs
• Zipper pocket to hold the batteries and the speaker jack
• Volume control on the speaker jack wire

One more picture after the jump.

This is a little odd, when I first saw this I thought a digital camera was supposed to be up there. But close study would show that the plug is for audio. The Portable Tripod Speaker is supposed to be “clever” until you take a step back and think is my precious MP3 gadget safe on top. Hmmm… valid question indeed.

If you’ve got a steady table to put this on top of, AND if you’ve got careful kids at home, then maybe your MP3 player IS safe. With the specifications below the jump, it does offer decent sound for a US$20 speaker set.

Size: 177×65x65mm, or 6.97×2.56×2.56in
Net Weight: 304g, or 10.72oz
Isolated Rate: >=65dB
Output: 4Wx2
Impedance: 4 Ohm
Speaker Unit: (70mmx30mm)x2
Power Supply: DC3-5V
S/N Ratio: >=90dB

It’s a new take on surround sound. I think it’s perfect for table activities with friends… like say scrabble? Definitely NOT Jengga!

My wonderful Klipsch speakers blew out yesterday and although I wasn’t searching for a new pair I came across these bad boys on the Popular Mechanics site. I don’t know about the sound quality, but for a home theater system these would really kick some ass.

When they say flat, they really do mean flat, but of course flat does not come without its downfalls.

Because the radiation of sound waves from an NXT panel is so diffuse, the speakers don’t create a sweet spot–that perfect listening position between the speakers where imaging and sound stage are defined in the conventional speaker world. For that reason, flat-panel speakers will probably never make it in audiophile circles. But there are plenty of applications where the diffuse soundfield makes sense, both in and outside of the home. Since there’s no beaming of sound from a single point source, you can easily walk around a room where flat-panel speakers are playing and not hear a variation in volume or timbre. That could play well in multiroom audio and home theater systems, and the possibilities in large public spaces are endless. Imagine a ceiling-tile speaker that could cover a much broader area and deliver much better intelligibility than a conventional speaker.

Okay so maybe I won’t install them for a home theater in the living room, but for a bedroom set there is nothing wrong with having imperfect sound. In the living room though I need that bass-thumping, theater-quality sound that my neighbors enjoy so much.