Speakers’ Corner

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Speakers’ Corner

Words by Mr Stuart Husband

13 July 2016

From digital home systems to wireless headphones, these amped-up tech marvels are sure to make (sound) waves .

“Everywhere I go, I’ve got your music, round and round it goes, inside my head,” sang Ms Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne on “I’ve Got Your Music”, a celebration not only of music itself but also the various delivery systems that stream it into our neural pathways. The digital age means that music has never been more accessible, or more portable, while the  we deploy to experience it range from old-school/new-tech  to sci-fi hi-fi. We’ve put together a selection of gizmos that score highly on the woofer, tweeter and looker fronts – in short,  that make a statement – to ensure that, whether you’re at home, at work or at play, the music will sound better with you.

 knows a thing or two about smart design and powerful technology, and with the , the brand has produced the perfect high-summer accessory for park picnics and alfresco adventures, although its  colour scheme should tip you the wink that this is more Krug-on-a-tartan-throw than four-pack-on-the-bench. Developed by Danish industrial designer Ms Cecilie Manz, it features an innovative wraparound design offering 360-degree sound, backed up by 240W of power. It’s compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 for audio streaming without the need for Wi-Fi, and is equipped with a battery that lasts up to 24 hours – allowing that picnic to become a small-hours bacchanal.

If you think a “secure loop” is a lockdown in the centre of Chicago, you need to check out these innovative  from  and their “infinitely adjustable” coil, which promotes non-slip stability, no matter your ear size or configuration. The sleek industrial design chimes with a noise-isolating technology that produces a crisp clarity and a tight bass. They also come equipped with an Apple-friendly inline remote, a microphone for phone calls, and a smart half-moon-shaped carrying case. We don’t want to say you’ll go loopy over them, but…

All-singing, all-dancing, all-digital, the  – the flagship model in its – should be format-heavy enough for the most exacting of audiophiles. It can stream Wi-Fi internet radio, play audio from external devices, and connect to services such as . The retro-industrial stylings of the walnut and aluminium case have as much heft as the 3.5in BMR drivers and the 40W subwoofer; give it space to do its commanding thing and it’ll ensure that your bass is rich and your beats are phat.

Ah, lamb. Perfectly sweet when gambolling through the spring pastures, delicious when served with aubergine and red onion, and super-smart (not to mention super-supple) when providing the retro-tinged leather stylings for the earcups of , which  dubs “the most advanced thinking cap”. That’s quite a claim, but the ’s innovative noise-cancelling technology, a 16-hour battery life, unrivalled signal strength, and the ability to make everyone from  to Skrillex sound sublime go a long way towards backing it up.

While the curved, fabric-panelled design of  is certainly striking, older readers may be somewhat diverted by its resemblance to Zippy, the manic mainstay of the vintage kids’ show Rainbow (Google him and you’ll see what we mean). But the beguilements don’t stop there; the intuitive design facilitates volume control with a swipe of the hand, eliminating the need for remotes or excess wires, while BeoLink Multiroom technology means it can be wirelessly synced with other B&O products, enabling you to play different music in different rooms, or let one song – the theme from Rainbow, say – play on all devices throughout the house.

Of course, there’s only one artist you should drop to inaugurate this unique blimp-meets-cuttlefish , and as Led Zeppelin’s epic “Immigrant Song” thunders out, the five units within – four at 25W and one at 50W – will combine a bass of Valhalla-flattening potency with a treble of fine-tuned precision. The unit is compatible with iPhone via the dock; alternatively, use Apple’s AirPlay technology to stream music wire-free.