PARIS, Nov 28 — Why not treat music lovers to one of the latest-gen wireless speaker this holiday? This season’s crop promises 360-degree audio, portable designs and support for voice assistants.
Bose SoundLink Revolve+
The SoundLink Revolve+ is Bose’s highest-performance portable Bluetooth portable speaker to date, promising 360-degree audio. Compared to the SoundLink Revolve, the “Plus” model gets boosted power, longer-lasting battery life (up to 16 hours of music) and a practical carry handle for easy transportation. The speaker weighs less than 1kg and is also splashproof and resistant to shocks and falls, according to the manufacturer’s specs.
The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is priced US$299.95 (RM1,235) from bose.com.
UE Megaboom
The Ultimate Ears Megaboom is another wireless Bluetooth speaker with 360-degree sound and a portable design making it easy to move around at home or out and about. This water-resistant speaker can even be rinsed with warm water and soap. The manufacturer announces up to 20 hours of battery life within a maximum radius of 30m from the music source. It’s even possible to use the accompanying mobile application to stream to two Megaboom speakers for a more powerful sound.
The UE Megaboom is priced US$299.99 from ultimateears.com.
Denon Envaya
This stylish speaker is resistant to water (up to 1m deep) and dust. The Denon Envaya also features advanced audio processing technology, with powerful amplification modules for optimal sound quality. It promises 13 hours of battery life and two Envaya speakers can by synced via the pairing mode for a stereo effect. A built-in microphone can be used to make calls or use the “Siri” personal voice assistant on iPhone.
The Denon Envaya DSB-250BT is priced US$199 from usa.denon.com.
Sonos One
The latest wireless speaker from Sonos offers WiFi connectivity only, which means that music playback isn’t interrupted when you get a call, for example. The One can connect to all the other Sonos speakers in a home, bringing music to any room of the house, and can pair with another device for a stereo effect. In certain regions, it can even be used with a voice assistant (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant coming soon) to manage music with simple voice commands.
The Sonos One is priced US$199 from sonos.com.
JBL Link 20
This speaker does more than just play music — it also works with Google Assistant via compatible smartphones. Voice controls can be used to ask Google about the news or tomorrow’s weather, for example, as well as to control other smart devices in the home or to play music from a favourite streaming service. In this set-up, the Link 20 offers an alternative option to Google Home. Note that, unlike many competitors, this model is also a stereo speaker.
The JBL Link 20 is priced US$199.95 from jbl.com. — AFP-Relaxnews
