Speaker

Rumor: iPhone 7 has a thinner Lightning port, flush camera and stereo speakers

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 1, 2016

The fairly reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara today shared some new details pertaining to Apple's iPhone 7 refresh, which we're expecting around its usual September timeframe.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Mac Otakara says that the next iPhone will be 1mm thinner than the current iPhone 6s, which measures 7.1mm in depth, making the new phone the same 6.1mm thickness as the sixth-generation iPod touch.

Somewhat surprisingly, the iPhone 7 won't be waterproof after all and should also incorporate a thinner Lightning port. The camera bulge on the back will be gone because the phone's iSight camera is now flush with the chassis. Oh, and the new iPhone will come outfitted with stereo speakers—for the first time in iPhone history.

Apple Music now available on Sonos wireless speakers worldwide

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

As of today, owners of Sonos systems around the world can stream Apple Music directly through their wireless speaker hardware, the company announced. Anyone with an Apple Music subscription, or even a free trial, can stream any song from Apple's catalog to their Sonos speakers.

Just choose Add Music Service in Sonos's companion iPhone app, scroll down to the Apple Music icon and log into your account.

New iPad Air 3 design drawing reaffirms quad speaker and Smart Keyboard rumor

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 1, 2016

Another iPad Air 3 design drawing, published Monday by Engadget, seems to support the thesis that the forthcoming device refresh will be outfitted with four speakers and include support for the Smart Connector. As you know, both of these features have made their debut with last fall's release of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The alleged design drawing follows a similar image which the French blog NowhereElse.fr posted a week ago. That drawing gave us our first glimpse into the Smart Connector and four speakers, both of which are now believed to be in tow for the iPad Air 3.

Leaked iPad Air 3 design drawing points to four speakers and LED flash

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 25, 2016

A purported drawing published Monday by French blog NowhereElse.fr indicates that Apple's third-generation iPad Air might borrow the iPad Pro's four-speaker setup for better audio reproduction.

In addition, the tablet could sport a LED flash. The site has obtained the design drawing from a fairly reliable source though it couldn't vouch for the veracity of the leaked image.

Several House of Marley Bluetooth speakers and headphones are on sale right now

Cody Lee ∙ January 15, 2016

We are big fans of House of Marley gear here at iDB. I recently reviewed the Chant Mini Bluetooth speaker, praising it for its sound and portability, and we have highlighted several of their other products over the years. So naturally, when we found out that many of their Bluetooth speakers and headphones were on sale, we just had to share it with you.

In my Chant Mini review, I noted that House of Marley products are unique in that they are built using earth-friendly materials like Hemp, bamboo and recycled plastic, and thus look very different than other consumer electronics. But, if you can get past the unorthodox aesthetics, my experience with HoM gear is that it sounds great and is very well made.

House of Marley Chant Mini review: the little speaker that could

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

House of Marley has built up a solid reputation among consumers and reviewers for delivering products with unique, eco-friendly designs, great-sounding audio and affordable prices. So of course I jumped at the chance to check out their Chant Mini Bluetooth speaker.

I’ve been playing with the Chant Mini for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I've been impressed. The speaker sounds great for its size—at just 4.25"x5.5"x4.35" this thing is incredibly portable—and I have to admit that the unconventional design has kind of grown on me.

Check out Pavilion, a high-performance, gorgeously designed wireless speaker

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 7, 2016

If you're in the market for a great-looking wireless speaker for your desktop that packs some rather advanced audio technology in a sleek frame, look no further than the Pavilion, a new project that recently launched on Kickstarter and has already raised almost $50,000 funding out of the $70,000 target.

The Pavilion is a high-performance wireless speaker that looks gorgeous. It has a unique D-spiral acoustic system and definitely feels luxurious thanks to the clever use of different materials.

House of Marley’s Chant Sport is a speaker that fits in your cup holder

Lory Gil ∙ December 29, 2015

Welcome to another edition of our accessory spotlight series. We want to present you with a well-rounded variety of accessories for your iPhone or iPad so you can find what is just right for you. Many of these products are not new, but are spotlighted here because of their high consumer ratings. Today's category is portable mini Bluetooth speakers.

This year, speaker maker House of Marley launched a new cylindrical speaker that packs a punch for its diminutive size and costs much less that others in its category. It is shaped like a soda can and blasts your tunes in multiple directions.

Mass Fidelity Core portable wireless Bluetooth speaker review

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

I love connecting my iPhone to my little portable speakers so I can bring my music to any party. The technology is great, and the convenience is awesome. But, oftentimes, the sound quality suffers. There are a handful of portable wireless speakers that perform exceptionally well, but none of them provide that true stereo sound that I'm looking for.

So, when I heard about Mass Fidelity's claim that the Core portable wireless speaker simulates stereo quality sound I thought, "yeah right." The company sent us two Core speakers to test out (for the purpose of multi-room use). Frankly, my opinion has changed. We've got a hands-on review of the Core by Mass Fidelity for your reading pleasure today.

Apple Music integration with Sonos now available as public beta

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 15, 2015

As promised, Apple Music is available on Sonos wireless speakers from today, marking the first official third-party integration of Apple's subscription-based music service.

Available as a public beta, the feature lets you access select Apple Music features on wireless speakers by Sonos, including custom playlists through the For You and New features and Beats 1 radio. Of course, you can also play any song from your Apple Music catalogue through your Sonos speakers.

The Yamaha YAS-203 delivers great sound at a great price

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Whether you are watching Star Wars on Blu-Ray or listening to Drake in iTunes, you want your audio to be at its best. Having a home theater system that also lets you play music from your iPhone 6s is even better.

Yamaha's YAS-203 sound bar with subwoofer is a top-of-the-line home theater audio connector with the added benefit of having Bluetooth support, so you can watch movies with full power and switch over to listening to music on your iPhone 6s without skipping a beat.

Grain Audio PWS.01 is a portable speaker with depth and style

Lory Gil ∙ November 3, 2015

When it comes to portable speakers, a lot of times, convenience trumps sound quality and you end up with a device that you can take anywhere, but doesn't really provide the best listening experience.

Grain Audio has added MaxxAudio sound processing, created by GRAMMY award-winning Waves Audio, to a walnut speaker shell with two two-inch loudspeakers and a bass isolation system that does not compromise sound quality for portability.