Speakers - The Gadgeteer

Be part of the movie with Edifiers uniquely luxurious e255 5.1 Home Theater System

By Michael Strange / March 27, 2018 / News / Home Theater, Speakers / Leave a Comment

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Product design doesn’t always have to be boring. The Edifier e255 Luna E 5.1 Home theater system is a prime example of this. Its unique shapes and striking red color make it look like it came straight out of a Japanese Anime. But, the e255 is more than just another pretty face. Looks aren’t everything The 385-watt e255 has […]

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The Audioengine A5+ speakers are now A5++ with added wireless

By Bill Henderson / March 4, 2018 / News / Speakers / Leave a Comment

Audioengine has a history of making affordable speakers that happen to sound like they cost much more. Their A5+ speakers look good and are solidly crafted. However, up until now, the A5+ speakers lacked any wireless capabilities. Not any more. The new A5+ Wireless speakers are bookshelf speakers that can be placed anywhere in a

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A Brutalist approach to speakers

By Bill Henderson / December 13, 2017 / News / Speakers / Leave a Comment

When you ask someone what speakers are made of, most younger people would say plastic or metal (portable Bluetooth speakers) while older people might say wood (think your father’s stereo system). I can guarantee you that no one would say concrete. That kind of thinking might change if Brutalist-Lab has anything to do with it.

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Focal focuses on Dolby Atmos with its newest line of Sib Evo home theater speakers

By Bill Henderson / July 13, 2017 / News / Speakers / Leave a Comment

As I’ve said in my reviews of Focal’s excellent headphones and earphones, French speaker maker Focal is primarily known for their expensive (but also excellent) speaker line. However the audio news coming out of Focal this week is not about their crazily expensive speakers, but a more reasonable line of home theater speakers. Focal’s new

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Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 2.1 gaming speakers review

By Ryan Chapman / May 11, 2017 / Reviews / Gaming Gear, Speakers / Leave a Comment

I’ve been playing games for years, yet I’ve always used a pair of cheap Dell speakers for my PC. I never thought much of PC speakers for gaming, instead always using headsets, but when Creative offered their Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 gaming speakers to be reviewed, it piqued my curiosity, and I had to try them

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Creative gets creative with gaming speakers

By Bill Henderson / March 29, 2017 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Gaming Gear, Speakers / Leave a Comment

Creative is known mainly for SoundBlaster sound cards and speakers. I’ve reviewed their wonderful Roar wireless speaker series. Creative’s newest speaker is the BlasterX Kratos S5 is a 2.1 gaming speaker system with Aurora Reactive lighting system. It comes with powerful 4” satellite drivers and a 6.5” subwoofer in wooden enclosures, delivering clear highs, detailed

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Audioengine expands its HD series with the HD3 Wireless Music System

By Bill Henderson / November 13, 2016 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Speakers / Leave a Comment

It’s easy to make great speakers—at a cost. And it’s easy to make affordable speakers—at the expense of audio quality. Yet, Audioengine manages to achieve both of these objectives repeatedly. And they’ve done it again with the new HD3 Wireless Music System. “Classic speaker design with no plastic, full stereo sound, whole-house wireless and no

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Audioengine HD6 Powered speakers review

By Bill Henderson / May 11, 2016 / Reviews / Audio, Speakers, TV, Video / 11 Comments

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Audioengine. Their products—from the small A2+ to the larger A5+ speakers— are solidly built, affordable without being cheap, and sound terrific. What’s not to like? When I reviewed the A5+ speakers, I talked about how massive they were in both weight and sound. I used to think

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Fluance cranks up the power with its Signature Series speakers

By Bill Henderson / December 30, 2015 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Speakers / Leave a Comment

The Gadgeteer has reviewed a few speakers from Fluance and come away impressed. Fluance make everything from Bluetooth to home theater to home tower speakers. Fluance’s newest offering is also their new flagship model: The Signature Series. Fluance has taken engineering, craftsmanship and premium components from its other high performance speakers, such as their XL7F speakers,

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Audioengine puts the pedal to the metal with the new HD6 speakers

By Bill Henderson / November 13, 2015 / News / Audio gear, Speakers, TV, Video / 1 Comment

Audioengine has created some outstanding and affordable speakers along with other audio components over the last 10 years. Their A5+ is a killer speaker that sounds terrific and packs a powerful punch. It was their top-of-the-line speaker—until now. Just in time for the holidays, Audioengine has released the HD6 speaker—a new concept in both sound

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These headphones convert to speakers, or is it speakers that convert to headphones?

By Janet Cloninger / January 29, 2015 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Speakers / 2 Comments

If you’re tired of having to switch between headphones when you need to keep a quiet environment to speakers when a group will be listening, just buy a pair of Convertible Headphone Speakers. They look like normal over-the-ear, wired headphones, and they have soft, memory foam-padded ear cups for comfort. The over-the-ear design helps block

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Samsung on the Level about beating Beats

By Bill Henderson / July 25, 2014 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Speakers / Leave a Comment

It appears that Samsung has come out swinging in the “Let’s beat Beats” game. Say what you will about Beats audio quality (I do), you cannot argue with their marketing genius. They hold about 60% of the headphone market – which makes them a prime target. Samsung has released two new headphones, an earphone and

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Audioengine A2+ speakers review

By Bill Henderson / June 19, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, Computer Gear, Speakers, TV, Video / 17 Comments

A year ago, I reviewed the monstrous but wonderful Audioengine A5+ speakers. These behemoths will rattle not only your windows, but the neighbor’s as well — yet still sound good doing it. But let’s be real, unless you have a big desk (I do), the A5+ speakers are just too big and loud for most

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X-mini WE and ME Thumbsize Speakers review

By Jackie Cheng / May 22, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth speaker, Portable speakers, Speakers / Leave a Comment

Love music but just wish your phone’s speakers were a bit louder? On the go and hate carrying around one of those brick sized portable speakers? X-mini has the perfect solution for you! The X-mini WE and ME speakers are a whole lot of loud in a tiny package.

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Audioengine W3 Premium Wireless Audio Adapter review

By Bill Henderson / January 2, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, Audio gear, DAC, Speakers, TV, Video / 7 Comments

I will admit upfront that this review is way overdue. The main reason is because the Audioengine W3 Premium Wireless Audio Adapter is a product that is not easy to categorize. It performs some unique functions and duplicates some that are built into existing products. It’s taken me a while to sort it all out

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Audioengine moves their A2 speaker into the plus category

By Bill Henderson / November 8, 2013 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, DAC, Speakers / Leave a Comment

Audioengine doesn’t know when to leave well-enough alone. Case-in-point: Their A2 speakers were just about the perfect size and rating for desktop use, and consumers obviously agreed because they have sold quite well. Even so, Audioengine figured they could do better, so they’ve introduced the new A2+ powered desktop speakers. These mini-powerhouses have been substantially

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Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200 Wireless Music System review

By Julie Strietelmeier / October 30, 2013 / Reviews / Airplay, Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Speakers / Leave a Comment

A couple months ago I posted a review of the Cambridge Audio Minx Go and concluded at that time that it was my current favorite small speaker. Then I was given the opportunity to try the Minx Go’s bigger brother, the Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200 Wireless Music System. At twice the size and four times the

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Incipio acquires Braven

By Bill Henderson / August 20, 2013 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Speakers / Leave a Comment

We here at The Gadgeteer are fans of BRAVEN. Their cool speaker lineup only gets better each year. Accessory maker Incipio has wanted to get into the portable speaker market, and now they’ve gone from having no speakers to being a major player with the purchase of BRAVEN. “The BRAVEN team is thrilled to be

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Satechi Dual Sonic Speakers review

By Liz Rodriguez / July 30, 2013 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Speakers, USB / 4 Comments

I love listening to music or podcasts on my home PC and at my office. Sometimes you just need to tune into something upbeat to get your work done! My desk space is limited, so since I was given the opportunity to try out the Dual Sonic speakers from Satechi, I grabbed the chance.

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Bowers & Wilkins have struck Lightning… twice

By Bill Henderson / April 1, 2013 / News / Airplay, Audio, Video, TV, Dock, iOS, Speakers / Leave a Comment

Bowers & Wilkins climbed on the Apple AirPlay wagon in 2011 with their wild and wonderful Zeppelin Air speaker (with dock connector). The following year, when Apple replaced the 30-pin connector with their proprietary Lightning connector, I thought B&W would go totally wireless with the next Zeppelin, as they had with the newer – but

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