Category — Speakers

Recognizing that there are simply too many speaker brands and models out there for general consumers to be able to make any sense of, Sound & Vision Magazine recently evaluated a huge selection of speakers, and named their “Top Speakers in Every Class”.  Among the included categories are 5.1 home theater systems, compact home theater, stand alone subwoofers, and two channel holdouts.

Update: Check out this guide for noise canceling headphones.

Read Top Speakers In Every Class.

What do you get when you try to combine eco-consciousness, a speaker system, and Japanese design?  Well, you  get this weird Sound Garden concept from JVC.

Aside from the obvious plant growing out of the top of the speaker, the concept features a full hi-fi speaker system with bass-reflex ports, and is made entirely of “eco-plastic”.  It was also designed to allow you to connect several of them together to make some sort of eco-music-garden of sorts.

AVWatch via Gizmodo

If for some odd reason you need to carry around a speaker the size of your cell phone, then I suppose this Zumreed Turntable Speaker would be a good choice.  The volume is controlled by turning the platter, and the speaker has a battery which can be recharged via USB.

It comes in three colors, black, white and orange, and is available for about $32 from Dreams6.

As most mobile DJ’s know, the JBL EON portable loudspeaker series have been the dj speakers of choice for those looking for the perfect combination of good sound and affordability for the last decade. Well today JBL unveiled the next generation of the lightweight speakers, the EON500 series.

There are three models in the new EON product range. Each of the full-range EON500 series compact, lightweight models features an on-board mini-mixer with loop-thru or mix-out capability, allowing for greater control of the loudspeaker’s output. The EON500 series loudspeakers also offer selectable EQ, multiple suspension points, soft-grip handle and a full screened backed grille for extra component protection.

To check out the full spec sheets head on over to the JBL website.

I’m digging this Nomad Travel Speaker, which was apparently inspired by vintage luggage.

It comes with a dedicated Aux input, and a built in AM/FM tuner, and is available online for $72 from Urban Outfitters.

Here’s another set of stupidly overpriced speakers for all you rich audiophiles out there.

For a mere $180,000 you can solidify the destruction of your eardrum with the Grande Utopia EM speakers, which can be mechanically adjusted to point in whatever direction you want without having to move them at the base. While the price may be outrageous, these look pretty bad ass.

Grande Utopia EM via BornRich

These speakers dubbed the Speaker Buddies were created by Alex Underwood as an homage to a often neglected material: Expanded Polystyrene, a lightweight material that is often regarded as useless.  The speakers work in pairs, and depict child-like postures, meaning certain bedroom dj’s will finally have an audience.

via Home Tone

Opting not to follow the traditional route of installing obnoxiously loud sub woofers into the trunks of their cars, this group of Trinidadian teenagers from Queens, NY instead chose to modify their bikes with several massive speakers.

The bikes range in size and have fierce names such as “Tinnitus Rex”, or the above pictured “Basszilla”. There’s even a movie about these kids called Made In Queens thats directed by Nicholas Randall and Joe Stevens. Check the trailer:

via The Tastemakers Society

I just discovered that there is a new Flickr group dedicated to Audio Art. It’s basically a nice collection of artistic pictures of audio equipment, and there’s actually some pretty good looking pics.

Feel like nerding out?  Check out the Flickr Audio Art Gallery

If you’ve been trying to give your studio a more modern look, then the DMT-100 speakers by Proclaim Audio should definitely do the trick. The design features a stationary woofer pod, as well as treble and midrange pods that rest on adjustable arms that can be moved to achieve optimal sound quality based on the shape of the room they are in. However, unless you happen to have bags of money sitting around, they might be slightly out of purchasing range with their $25,995 price tag.