Hi, Captain Obvious here with a thought that is… well, obvious. Today’s totally obvious thought? No matter how good tech gets, there will always be pros and cons to any and every device. This holds for computers, it holds for tablets, and it holds for audio systems; let’s focus on audio system.
I LOVE my Sonos system. It works perfectly for me, thanks to its connection with my home WiFi network and the terrific Sonos app that works on any and all my devices. And since I subscribe to Spotify, I can have all my music anywhere there is a Sonos speaker.
But Sonos isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want to spend at least $299 per room, Sonos isn’t for you. If you don’t have a music service to which you subscribe and don’t have a music library that is always available on your network, then Sonos isn’t for you. Yes, there are pros and cons; while Sonos is for me, it might not be for you.
I LOVE the Libratone Zipp I reviewed recently. It has a small footprint, but it sounds amazing. It works with AirPlay but also offers PlayDirect. That, in conjunction with the built-in battery, means you can take the Zipp anywhere and stream music wirelessly. Elana loves it; that’s the good news. The bad news? The Zipp uses Apple’s Airplay to stream music, so if you are on another platform you lose the ability to go wireless.
If you are looking for something that is closer to universal in its ability to stream your music wirelessly, then you might want to turn to one of the small Bluetooth speakers we’ve reviewed in recent weeks. For example, the Jabra Solemate goes everywhere and has amazingly big sound for such a little speaker. And while it is a terrific device, the Solemate is still a small speaker that isn’t intended to fill a living room with sound.
Pros and cons; every device has them.
So what if I want a home audio system that can fill the room AND be as close to universal as possible; that’s what Audyssey Wireless Speakers offer. Let’s take a closer look.
From Audyssey:
A new class of desktop wireless. Our Wireless Speakers offer freedom, ease and great sound with the help of Bluetooth® wireless technology. You get all the clarity and power of Audyssey EQ, Dynamic EQ and BassXT. You just lose the wires. Bluetooth delivers the music, but Audyssey packs the power. Our Wireless Speakers use technologies like Audyssey EQ, BassXT and Dynamic EQ to bring huge, balanced sound.
Built with Brilliance: Movies, music, television, whatever you’re streaming, these speakers deliver award-winning Audyssey technology for balance and clarity. We restore bass, enhance clarity and keep your sound quality rich and full even at low volumes. Audyssey is delivering the future of home HiFi.
Wireless Connectivity: Stream to these speakers from nearly anything: your tablet, smartphone, laptop, MP3 player, etc. No matter what you’re amplifying, with the flexibility of Bluetooth, you’ll never need to worry about the wires.
Bass Lovers Unite: Audyssey’s passive bass radiators use Audyssey BassXT technology to hit those deep notes. We redefine low frequency reproduction with BassXT and leave no distortion from artificial boosting. We extend the performance of the driver to give you deeper tones. And, with our high fidelity amplifiers, you’ll have your favorite bass lines shaking the walls.
The Audyssey Journey: Audyssey engineers start by designing loudspeaker drivers, electronics and the speaker cabinets from the ground up. We optimize each of these elements behind our high power algorithms then tune and rigorously test the complete system for clear and natural playback. The speakers adapt in real time to reproduce any music or movie most accurately. From our labs to your home, Audyssey technology is building better sound.
There are two speakers to this system that are connected by speaker wire. That amused me a bit since this is a wireless system. It is… and it isn’t. The music streams from your device of choice wirelessly, but if you want left-right stereo you’ll need the speaker wire. And since the speakers are intended for home use, you’ll obviously need to make sure they are plugged in. I’m not complaining, but I did find the fact that these wireless speakers need a wire amusing.
Setting up the system was simple. I connected the speaker wire to each speaker and plugged the system in. I turned on the speakers and pressed the pairing button on the back. That put the system into pairing more. From there I went to Bluetooth on the device I intended to use and connected the system. It took all of three minutes to go from box to music. Nice.
The speakers sound good and get loud. And the bass response, that was truly impressive, especially coming from such a small pair of speakers.
Technical Specifications:
Two .75 in tweeters
Two 3 in woofers
Two 4 in passive bass radiators
Bluetooth® stereo (A2DP)
Audyssey EQ
Audyssey BassXT
Audyssey Dynamic EQ
Audyssey’s engineers worked some magic here and found a way to build small speakers that sound great GREAT!
And if you don’t need to go wireless, you can still go wired using the 3.5mm input on the back. You’ll lose some flexibility, but you’ll get audio that isn’t impacted by Bluetooth. There ARE pros and cons to everything, and that even holds true when speaking about the features on a single device.
I was really impressed with the Audyssey Wireless Speakers. From the ease of setting it up to the quality of the audio pumping out, this system is great if you want an (almost) wireless speaker system that is as close to universal as possible. You can learn more here, on the company website.
MSRP: $299.99 (You can get them for under $220 here on our Amazon Affiliate Site.)
What I Like: Easy setup; Almost universal wireless; Huge sound with good bass; Under $220 through Amazon
What Needs Improvement: Wireless but… not wireless; You will either like or hate the look of the speakers. I like. Elana, not so much.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
