The original KEF Muo launched back in 2015 and felt like a turning point in portable hi-fi. Serious, designer Bluetooth speakers from a respected hi-fi brand were rare back then-with only a few brands like Bang & Olufsen and Loewe interested in combining pretty and portable. These early designs were still given the side-eye by most traditional audio.
Rather than use Wi-Fi to get multiple speakers playing the same audio, though, the Marshall Heddon uses Auracast. The hub connects to services like Spotify Connect or Tidal over Wi-Fi, or other devices through Google Cast and AirPlay, and then shares that audio over Auracast to the Marshall Acton III, Stanmore III and Wobrun III speakers. You can control playback over a connected Marshall app and the Heddon also has RCA ports to connect other speakers or a record player to the system.
This week, I've been reading about gerrymandering and watch conventions and John Ternus, watching F1 and Roofman and half the Mission: Impossible series on plane rides, starting and then immediately failing a daily journaling habit, getting super into the Debt Heads podcast, learning fun facts about mail processing, buying a bunch of old gadgets on eBay to fill up my video call background, and barely escaping the CES flu. So far.
First up is a line of Bluetooth speakers dubbed the ELIE (Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive). The lineup includes two models, the E6 and E12. The speakers leverage a combination of DSP and system-on-a-chip processing, which Fender says can deliver more volume while maintaining greater power efficiency. Each speaker can handle up to four audio channels at once, including a Bluetooth source, a wired XLR or 1/4-inch input and two additional wireless channels with compatible Fender Audio accessories.
There are a lot of ways to be loud and annoying. For example, there's snoringa timeless classic that is not only loud, but also deprives you and others of sleep, killing two very depressing birds with one stone. Then there are more vestigial and niche forms of being obnoxious, like yodeling, which, if done outside of the Swiss Alps, feels like more of a cry for attention than anything else.
The PartyBox 720 measures 16.4 x 37.1 x 16 inches, compared to 15.7 x 35.6 x 17.2 inches for the smaller 710, and expands the two 8-inch subwoofers to 9 inches. Unlike the 710, the 720 can also run on battery power, so users don't need to hunt for an outlet. It comes with two of JBL's rechargeable 600 batteries, which provide up to 15 hours of playtime, according to the company's press release.
Teufel Audio challenges the disposable Bluetooth speaker trend with the MYND, a device emphasizing repairability, sustainability, and open-source accessibility for end-users.
