Author Archives: Jon Turi

Orange Amps offers analog warmth with its first line of Bluetooth speakers

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It seems that guitar amp companies making Bluetooth speakers could be the newthing. UK-based Orange Amps has just launched a duo of Bluetooth speakers called the Box and Box-L. The first is a battery-powered portable model, while the latter is a wired option that’s more of a homebody. Both echo the design of this iconic brand’s guitar amplifier and speaker series, using the same colors, logo and control panel style. The specs hint at decent stereo sound in the $300-$350 price range with Bluetooth 5.0, aptX support, a Class D amp for the subwoofer and Class AB analog amplifiers to help the full-range drivers produce a warmer sound. There are some deviations from what you'd expect, however, like the absence of USB charging, a front-facing only design and the lack of any weatherproofing or IP rating.

The Orange Box is the slightly smaller of the two models at 11 x 6.9 x 6.7-inches and 6.6 pounds with a vegan-leather carrying strap. You can choose between the classic orange exterior or a black version and it's priced at $299 (£275). There’s a 4-inch subwoofer powered by a 30W Class D amp and a pair of 2-inch full-range drivers powered by dual 10W Class AB analog amplifiers for a warmer sound.

A cropped image shows someone in jeans and wearing chunky rings holding the Orange Amps Box portable Bluetooth speaker by its carrying strap.
The Orange Box portable Bluetooth speaker.
Orange Amps

The specs for the battery-powered Box list a charging time of three hours until full and a runtime of 15 or more hours. It also lists a 2,600mAh li-ion battery, so we’re interested in a real world test. There’s no USB port, so you’re stuck with the DC19.5V charging cable that comes in the box.

The wired model is called the Box-L and it’s slightly larger at 13.8 x 7.9 x 7.9-inches and 9.6 pounds. It’s also available in orange or black and priced at $345 (£315). As mentioned, there’s no onboard battery, so it’s more of a sedentary beast. You can expect a slightly beefier sound, however, with a larger 5-inch subwoofer powered by the Class D amp and two 2-inch full-range drivers powered by dual 10W analog Class AB versions.

An Orange Amps Box-L wired Bluetooth speaker with a black exterior sits on a granite kitchen countertop.
The Orange Amps Box-L wired Bluetooth speaker.
Orange Amps

Both models have a 50W RMS output and a frequency range of 35Hz - 20kHz, so we expect they’ll probably have a decent amount of bass. They also support Qualcomm aptX for high resolution audio, alongside AAC and SBC.

The general physical design is the same for both the Box and Box-L. The core framework is made of wood, with a tolex (vinyl) covering. At the top you get a control panel with knobs and switches, much like those found on the brand’s line of guitar amps. There’s a power toggle, battery indicator light, knobs for bass, treble and volume adjustment, as well as a 3.5mm aux input. In addition, there’s a Bluetooth pairing button that does double duty as a play/pause control and a small audio limiter light to let you know if you're driving the system too hard. The company claims to support the right to repair and will offer replacement parts in case you just can’t help yourself from pushing the speaker too hard and break something.

Both models should be available today in the USA, UK and the rest of the world at the Orange Amps website as well as Amazon shortly thereafter. Although, in Australia you may have to stick with ordering through either Amazon or the company’s regional distributor Australis Music Group. The portable Orange Box is priced at $299 (£275) and the wired Orange Box-L is $345 (£315).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/orange-amps-offers-analog-warmth-with-its-first-line-of-bluetooth-speakers-110058439.html?src=rss

Marshall’s Middleton Bluetooth speaker is the company’s new weatherproof flagship

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Marshall already launched a few rugged, weatherproof portable Bluetooth speakers, but so far they’ve been relatively small. That changes today with the launch of the Middleton. It’s still portable enough to chuck into a backpack, but has an IP67 rating, 20+ hours runtime at mid-volume, dual woofers and tweeters pushing out 50-watts of 360-degree sound and moves into the bassier 50hz to 20kHz frequency range. It’s available in black starting today and priced at $300.

The Middleton is being pitched as the new flagship for Marshall’s portable Bluetooth speaker line and rightly so. Aside from the Tufton, which isn’t all that rugged and is significantly bigger, the Middleton is now one of the more powerful portables in the company’s stable. It’s the largest IP67 rated speaker they have on offer, measuring 4.3 x 9 x 3.75 inches, and one of the first to pump out sound from all four sides. It also ditches the rubber port stopper seen on other models, since the company has already waterproofed the components.

As mentioned, the Middleton is rated for more than 20 hours of playtime on a single charge, at low to mid volume of course. I haven't had the chance to test this on full blast for long periods of time, but the charge does seem to hold up well. The speaker has three battery cells totaling 9,600mAh, and you can use the speaker as a USB-C power bank if needed. Also, if your charge is running low while you're jamming out, you can always use it while its charging.

The 360-degree sound is driven by two 15-watt woofers, two 10-watt tweeters and a pair of passive radiators that serve to pump music out of the smaller ends of this chunky rectangle. The output from this four-pound device is respectable and it handles low frequencies well. You also get the trademark Marshall sound that gives you a good dynamic range and provides significant depth to whatever sounds you're vibing on.

Just like the Emberton and Willen, the Middleton has a soft-touch exterior composed of 55-percent post-consumer recycled plastic and is 100-percent PVC free. It also has a carry strap you can easily fit your hand through. On the top, you’ll find onboard controls that provide more hands-on adjustment than its siblings. There’s a Bluetooth button (which doubles as the Stack Mode control) and a multi-use joystick for power on/off, volume control and track selection (forward or back). You also get bass and treble controls, which are a welcome addition and a first for one of Marshall’s speakers without physical knobs. The level indicator works in conjunction with most of the above. It displays battery level, but also indicates volume, bass and treble levels all with backlit red lighting.

This speaker is also the biggest model to support Marshall’s Stack Mode feature. You can start a session using the Marshall Bluetooth app and pair with any other Middleton, Emberton II or Willen speakers using a double press of their Bluetooth buttons to join. It helps if you aren’t already paired with speakers joining the session. Like most Bluetooth portables, two (or more) sound much better than one and a double dose of the Middleton sound is a pleasure. The company claims you can pair a good deal of compatible speakers together, having tested up to 60 at one time. I've "stacked" two Middletons, an Emberton II and a Willen which worked well — once I unpaired all but the main speaker from my phone, that is.

For reference, the UE Megaboom 3 ($200) and JBL Charge 5 ($180) are good models for comparison in terms of scale, although they all have unique sound profiles. As usual, this puts the Middleton in a slightly higher price bracket than some others out there in its size, but Marshall products have usually been priced at a slight premium. The excellent sound quality and decent low-end capability definitely makes this model worth checking out.

You can order the Marshall Middleton in black from the company’s website starting today for $300. If you prefer the cream-colored option, you’ll have to wait until around Spring this year.

Specifications

  • Frequency Range: 50Hz-20kHz

  • Drivers: Two 15-watt woofers, two 3/5-inch tweeters, two passive radiators

  • Amplifiers: Two 20-watt class D amps for the woofers, Two 10-watt class D amps for the tweeters

  • Battery Type: Built-in rechargeable Li-ion 

  • Power Bank: Charge devices from the speaker with USB-C

  • Play Time: 20+ hours

  • Quick Charging: 20 minutes gives you two hours of play

  • Charging Time: 4.5 hours for a complete charge

  • Weatherproof: IP67

  • Aux: 3.5mm input

  • Bluetooth Version: 5.1

  • Range: 30 feet

  • Size: 4.29 x 9.06 x 3.74 inches

  • Weight: 4LBs

Serato Studio 2.0 gets stem audio separation

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Serato launched DJ Pro 3.0 in December last year with new stem separation tools and it was only a matter of time until the company's DAW would follow suit. It’s only about a month later and already stems have arrived with the latest update dropping today: Serato Studio 2.0.

The sampler section of Studio now includes small buttons above the waveform that allow you to target the vocals, melody, bass or drums from any track using Serato's own machine-learning algorithm. It does a great job isolating the respective stem segments quickly, at least once the system has a few seconds to analyze a track. You can then try out variations on-the-fly while a song is playing.

The company recommends an M1 MacBook or higher for the best performance when using stems on Serato DJ and that should certainly carry over here. Although Studio is less of a live-performance tool than the DJ app, it helps to have software that allows relatively seamless adjustments as you go — especially processor-intensive stuff like this.

Stem separation has been a trend over the last year or two and Algoriddim's djay Pro, one of the other leading apps in the market, has had a version of this in its own DJ app for a few years. The company even spun the tools off into a standalone app called Neural Mix Pro. That lets you extract stems for use in other apps, but isn’t a complete workstation for making beats on its own.

Serato has been growing Studio’s toolset into a more comprehensive DAW over time. It's a helpful tool for pros who want a way to sketch out track ideas quickly and it's an approachable introduction for those just getting started with beat making. The addition of stems makes this an especially useful complement to Serato DJ, rounding out the ecosystem to include a DAW and DJ app with deeper customization abilities than ever before. 

Serato Studio 2.0 is available today on the company's website with options including a free limited account, a $10 per-month subscription or you can purchase a full app license for $249.

Serato Studio 2.0 gets stem audio separation

Posted on by

Serato launched DJ Pro 3.0 in December last year with new stem separation tools and it was only a matter of time until the company's DAW would follow suit. It’s only about a month later and already stems have arrived with the latest update dropping today: Serato Studio 2.0.

The sampler section of Studio now includes small buttons above the waveform that allow you to target the vocals, melody, bass or drums from any track using Serato's own machine-learning algorithm. It does a great job isolating the respective stem segments quickly, at least once the system has a few seconds to analyze a track. You can then try out variations on-the-fly while a song is playing.

The company recommends an M1 MacBook or higher for the best performance when using stems on Serato DJ and that should certainly carry over here. Although Studio is less of a live-performance tool than the DJ app, it helps to have software that allows relatively seamless adjustments as you go — especially processor-intensive stuff like this.

Stem separation has been a trend over the last year or two and Algoriddim's djay Pro, one of the other leading apps in the market, has had a version of this in its own DJ app for a few years. The company even spun the tools off into a standalone app called Neural Mix Pro. That lets you extract stems for use in other apps, but isn’t a complete workstation for making beats on its own.

Serato has been growing Studio’s toolset into a more comprehensive DAW over time. It's a helpful tool for pros who want a way to sketch out track ideas quickly and it's an approachable introduction for those just getting started with beat making. The addition of stems makes this an especially useful complement to Serato DJ, rounding out the ecosystem to include a DAW and DJ app with deeper customization abilities than ever before. 

Serato Studio 2.0 is available today on the company's website with options including a free limited account, a $10 per-month subscription or you can purchase a full app license for $249.

The best Bluetooth speaker for 2024: 15 portable options for every price range

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One thing became apparent after testing dozens of Bluetooth speakers: there are plenty of good options out there for most people. While that variety is great to have, it can also lead to confusion and overwhelm when you go to buy a new one ahead of your next camping trip, beach outing or backyard barbecue. I set out to try some of the best Bluetooth speakers available now, at all different price points, to see which are worth your money. I’m happy to report that most of them sounded pretty good upon first listen. But in comparing them head-to-head, that’s when I began to suss out the nuances among the best-sounding ones. Ultimately, out of all of the portable speakers out there, you won’t find a single “best” one. But there are a number of solid choices out there that should fit most use cases. These are our favorites.

Factors to consider

Weather-proofing

IP ratings (Ingress Protection) are the alphanumeric indicators you often see in a product’s spec sheet that define water and dust resistance. It’s usually a combo of two numbers with the first indicating solid object ingress and the second being water. The former goes from 0 (no protection) to 6 (dustproof). The water-resistance rating goes from 0 (no protection) to 9 (protected against immersion and high pressure jets). When an X is used instead of a number, that means the product wasn’t tested for resistance. If it’s waterproof, it may have some innate resistance to solids, but there’s no guarantee.

IP67 is a common rating these days indicating highly resistant and potentially rugged speakers suitable for outdoor adventures. These are safe for quick dunks in the pool or tub and should be more than OK in the rain or in the shower. They’re also good options for the beach, playground and other rough environs.

Additionally, speakers with ports and a high rating will often include a tight-fitting cover over the charging or auxiliary ports. If you plan on using the ports, that may limit the product's rated ability to fend off the elements.

Consider the IP rating and also how you plan to use your Bluetooth speaker when making your decision. It may be worth splurging on a better sounding model with a lower IP rating if you’ll mostly be using it indoors, for instance.

Battery life

The focus of this guide is on portable Bluetooth speakers, and while “portable” can be a relative term, these devices are generally for people who are likely to find themselves far from a power outlet. These days, around 12 hours of runtime seems to be the baseline but obviously, the more battery life you can get out of a speaker, the better.

That said, be careful when looking at battery specs, as they frequently list a maximum runtime (“up to” x amount of hours). This usually means they tested at a low to mid volume. If you like your tunes loud, it can often end up cutting the expected usage time in half or more. Luckily, some manufacturers also list the expected hours of battery life when used at full volume and that transparency is appreciated.

Additionally, if your Bluetooth speaker also happens to have WiFi connectivity, they're usually designed for always-on functionality. Unlike normal Bluetooth speakers that go to sleep after a short period without use, these will usually stay awake (to listen for your commands) and slowly run down the battery. If you're out and about, you'll want to remember to turn these speakers off manually when not in use to maximize battery life.

Range

Bluetooth range is tricky business. Some companies list their product’s longest possible range, usually outdoors and in an unobstructed line-of-sight test environment. Other companies stick with a 30-foot range on the spec sheet and leave it at that, even though they may be running Bluetooth 4.x or 5.x. That’s likely underselling the speaker's potential, but unpredictable environments can affect range and there’s little point in promising the moon only to get complaints.

I’ve seen signal drop issues when crouching down, with my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, and barely 30 feet away from a speaker inside my apartment. I ran into this issue across several devices regardless of their listed Bluetooth connectivity range.

If you’re hosting a patio party and duck inside, it’s wise to keep any wireless Bluetooth speakers relatively close by just in case. It’s hard to gauge what aspects of any environment may interfere with a Bluetooth signal. In general, take range specs around 100 feet or more as a perfect-world scenario.

Latency

This is a minor mention for those out there who use a speaker for their computer output, or as a mini soundbar solution for setups like a monitor and streaming box. It’s annoying to find that your speaker’s latency isn’t low enough to avoid lip sync issues. Luckily, it seems that most speakers these days don’t often have these problems. Only a handful of the few dozen speakers I tried had persistent, noticeable lip-sync issues. Aside from occasional blips, all of our picks worked well in this regard.

If you plan to frequently use a speaker for video playback, look for devices with the most recent Bluetooth versions (4.x or 5.x) and lower latency codecs like aptX. Also make sure the speaker is close to the source device as distance can be a factor. To avoid the issue altogether, though, consider getting one with a wired auxiliary input.

Best Bluetooth speakers: $50 to $200

Best Bluetooth speakers: $200 to $450

Best high-range portable bluetooth speakers: $450 and higher

Other portable Bluetooth speakers we tested

Sonos Roam

While there's a lot to like about the Sonos Roam, there are plenty of other Bluetooth speakers with more features and better battery life. In our review, we gave the Roam a score of 87, praising it for its good sound quality, durable waterproof design and ability to work well within an existing Sonos speaker ecosystem. But the price is just fine at $180, and we found Bluetooth speakers that offer more at lower price points. Plus, the Roam taps out at 10 hours of battery life, and all of our top picks can run for longer than that on a single charge.

Monoprice Soundstage3

The Monoprice Soundstage3 offers relatively big sound at a midrange $250 price, with a variety of inputs rarely found on a portable Bluetooth speaker. The boxy, minimalist design is no nonsense, even if it's more of a less-rugged, bookshelf-styled homebody. While the speaker puts out crisp highs alongside booming lows, we found the bass can overpower the rest of the output, so it's not for everyone. And after using the speaker for many months, we also found the low-slung, poorly labeled button panel along the top can be a bit annoying to use. If you want a speaker for road trips, favor mids and highs, and plan on using physical buttons for volume control and input selections, there are better options out there.

JBL Boombox 3

Fans of JBL’s bluetooth speaker sound profile who want to crank up the volume, but also want a rugged and portable option, may enjoy the JBL Boombox 3. It’s a decent grab-and-go speaker with a very loud output, although it's not as good as some of the loud-speaker styled options for long-throw sound and big outdoor areas. However, the price for this speaker line remains prohibitively expensive compared to other options with big sound that cover a bit more ground. If the JBL brand is your thing and you like the rugged, portable form factor, we recommend looking for discounts, or shopping around and exploring the available options including the (less portable) JBL PartyBox series.

Soundcore Motion X500

Soundcore speakers have generally been good and often reasonably priced. The Motion X500 loosely falls into that category. It has a tall, metallic lunchbox vibe with a fixed handle and pumps out a respectable 40 watts of crisp, clear sound for its size. It can get pretty loud and serves up a good dose of bass, although its primarily a front-facing speaker.

There’s LDAC hi-res audio support for Android users, but the main selling point on this is spatial audio. This is done through an EQ change and the activation of a small, up-firing driver. There’s a slight benefit from this if you’re up close and directly in front of it, but it’s not a total game changer for your listening experience. The original pre-order price of $130 made it a decent option in terms of bang for your buck. But it went up to $170 at launch, making it less appealing even if it’s still a good middle-of-the-road option if you want small-ish, clear and loud. If you can find one on sale for the lower price, it’s definitely worth considering. There’s also the larger and louder X600 ($200) if the overall concept is working for you.

FAQs

How does a Bluetooth speaker work?

Bluetooth technology lets devices connect and exchange data over short distances using ultra high frequency (UHF) radio waves. It’s the frequency range that’s carved out for industrial, scientific and medical purposes, called the 2.4GHz ISM spectrum band. This range is available worldwide, making it easy for companies to use with devices for global markets.

Bluetooth speakers include this tech, which lets them communicate with source devices like smartphones, tablets or computers in order to exchange data. The two devices pair by sharing a unique code and will work within the proscribed range for the device and Bluetooth version. 

Ever since Bluetooth 4.0 was released over a decade ago, new iterations usually improve on range, use less power and offer expanded connectivity with features like multipoint (allowing more than one device to be connected at the same time, for instance).

Who should buy a Portable Bluetooth speaker?

If you want to play music while you’re out-and-about on something other than headphones, a portable Bluetooth speaker is probably what you want. There’s a broad range of devices for all types of circumstances. Many adventurous people will want a relatively lightweight portable that’s rugged enough to handle the elements while also packing enough charge to play for hours on end. Others may simply need a speaker they can move around the house or use in the backyard. In this case, you can choose larger less rugged models that may offer better sound. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-portable-bluetooth-speakers-133004551.html?src=rss

Serato adds on-the-fly stem isolation and effects to its DJ app

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If you’ve been following the progression of DJ apps lately, you’ve probably noticed that extracting stems on-the-fly from your existing library seems to be trending. Serato DJ has now joined the game, offering its own tool for doing just that: Serato Stems. While the final product is slated for a release later this year in both Serato DJ Pro Lite 3.0 and DJ Pro 3.0, existing users can test drive it with the public beta that’s available now. This lets users kick the tires on the upcoming release and provide feedback to help improve the final result.

Serato DJ’s stem-isolating tools are similar to other offerings, letting you separate vocal, melody, bass and drums from any track. Additionally, you get effects including a vocal echo, instrumental echo, instrumental braker and drums echo. These can be accessed directly in the desktop app or assigned to the slicer or sampler performance pads on supported controllers. As you use these tools, you’ll see grayed out or highlighted portions of the waveform corresponding to your selections.

The stem analysis does take a fair bit of processing power, so it’s ideal for users with an M1 or M2 Mac. However, for those on slower laptops, you can pre-analyze select files by dropping them into a “Stems” folder in the crates sidebar. This can take care of the heavy lifting in advance so you don’t have to worry about analyzing tracks as you go during a live set.

Serato has said the company didn't use AI for their results. Instead, it developed its own algorithm to handle the audio separation. We had a chance to briefly test the new Serato Stems feature and the results are promising. They do vary depending on the tracks you're using, but even on muddled tracks the quality of isolated segments sounds good and any sound leakage for the various channels seems minimal.

Overall, the Serato Stems feature is fun and easy to use. Plus, it opens up lots of creative opportunities when you consider both the stem isolation and the related effects. There will be more information about this new feature when it's officially launched later this year. For now, existing Serato DJ users can find the public beta on the company's website.

Serato adds on-the-fly stem isolation and effects to its DJ app

Posted on by

If you’ve been following the progression of DJ apps lately, you’ve probably noticed that extracting stems on-the-fly from your existing library seems to be trending. Serato DJ has now joined the game, offering its own tool for doing just that: Serato Stems. While the final product is slated for a release later this year in both Serato DJ Pro Lite 3.0 and DJ Pro 3.0, existing users can test drive it with the public beta that’s available now. This lets users kick the tires on the upcoming release and provide feedback to help improve the final result.

Serato DJ’s stem-isolating tools are similar to other offerings, letting you separate vocal, melody, bass and drums from any track. Additionally, you get effects including a vocal echo, instrumental echo, instrumental braker and drums echo. These can be accessed directly in the desktop app or assigned to the slicer or sampler performance pads on supported controllers. As you use these tools, you’ll see grayed out or highlighted portions of the waveform corresponding to your selections.

The stem analysis does take a fair bit of processing power, so it’s ideal for users with an M1 or M2 Mac. However, for those on slower laptops, you can pre-analyze select files by dropping them into a “Stems” folder in the crates sidebar. This can take care of the heavy lifting in advance so you don’t have to worry about analyzing tracks as you go during a live set.

Serato has said the company didn't use AI for their results. Instead, it developed its own algorithm to handle the audio separation. We had a chance to briefly test the new Serato Stems feature and the results are promising. They do vary depending on the tracks you're using, but even on muddled tracks the quality of isolated segments sounds good and any sound leakage for the various channels seems minimal.

Overall, the Serato Stems feature is fun and easy to use. Plus, it opens up lots of creative opportunities when you consider both the stem isolation and the related effects. There will be more information about this new feature when it's officially launched later this year. For now, existing Serato DJ users can find the public beta on the company's website.

BioLite adds portable power stations and a solar array to its charging lineup

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After years of providing off-the-grid camping, cooking and pocketable charger tech, BioLite has moved further into the genre with its newest and more robust power-backup solutions. The company just announced the BaseCharge 600 and BaseCharge 1500 portable power stations, along with an accompanying SolarPanel 100. As with most products of this type, they’re great for powering entertainment tech, appliances and workspaces when you’re far from an outlet. They’re also helpful in the home when the electricity goes out.

Both power stations provide an LCD dashboard with power metrics, system notifications, temperature alerts, port activations and battery life status. You can also view cumulative usage over time and reset the counter as needed. They should hold a charge for quite a while, but its recommended to top these up every six months, so they're ready when you need them.

Each device is encased in a hard plastic shell with small rubber feet on the bottom. There are inset areas on each side to help carry these relatively heavy devices. As for ruggedness, they’re not exactly built for big drops considering the weight. And while they’re great for bringing along as off-the-grid power backups, there’s no IP rating or weather protection to speak of, so you’ll want to keep them out of rain.

BaseCharge 600

The BioLite BaseCharge 600 power station.
BaseCharge 600
BioLite

The more affordable of the power station pair is the BaseCharge 600 ($699). This has a Li-ion battery capacity of 622 Wh, with three types of inputs: a combo wall and solar charger input, plus a port for USB-C PD input. Charge times range from seven hours via wall charger, three and a half hours with both wall and USB-C PD charging and six hours using a SolarPanel 100 at peak sunlight. It weighs 13 pounds and measures 12.2 x 7.9 x 7.9 inches.

There are ten outputs:

  • 2 - 110V AC (600W up to 1,000W surge)

  • 1 - Wireless charging for Qi and related devices on the top platform (10W)

  • 2 - 12V DC barrel ports (120W)

  • 1 - 12V car port (aka cigarette lighter port - 120W)

  • 2 - USB-A (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C PD (5V / 100W)


BaseCharge 1500

The BioLite BaseCharge 1500 power station.
BaseCharge 1500
BioLite

The larger, heavier and more powerful model is the BaseCharge 1500 ($1,699). It has a Li-ion battery capacity of 1521 Wh and the same three inputs as the 600 model. Charge times range from 13.5 hours using the wall charger, eight hours with wall charger and USB-C PD, and four hours at peak sunlight if you have four SolarPanel 100 units. This larger device weighs 26.5 pounds and measures 14.4 x 12.2 x 8.2 inches.

There’s a total of 12 outputs on this device:

  • 3 - 110V AC (1,200W up to 2,400W surge)

  • 1 - Wireless charging for Qi and related devices on the top platform (10W)

  • 2 - 12V DC barrel ports (120W)

  • 1 - 12V car port (aka cigarette lighter port - 120W)

  • 2 - USB-A (5V)

  • 2 - USB-C (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C PD (5V / 100W)


SolarPanel 100

The BioLite SolarPanel 100.
SolarPanel 100
BioLite

If you want to turn your portable power station into a solar generator, there’s the new SolarPanel 100 ($400). This is a single foldable unit, with four panels that offers a power output of 100 watts in peak sunshine. You can also pretend you’re Astronaut Mark Watney and daisy chain up to four SolarPanel 100s to quadruple the wattage.

These panels are rated IPX4 making them relatively durable and resistant to water, such as a continuous light rain. There’s no onboard battery, but you can charge two devices directly from the panel as it soaks up the sun via two USB-A ports and one USB-C PD.

All the panels fold into one 20.1 x 14.3 x 1.5-inch rectangle, with a built-in carrying handle so you can lug around all 9.5 pounds of panel. The backside of the unit, which is the only exposed side when folded, is a gray fabric-like material. There’s also a zippered pouch for storing cables.

When expanded, there’s a surface spanning 20.1 x 57.5 inches and a shallow depth of about one inch, plus two relatively low-slung legs when fully extended. The “optimal sun system” is the same as you’d find on BioLite’s previous solar panels, consisting of a small target and a recessed white area so you can track the angle of the sun by its shadow.

Customers can sign up on a waiting list starting today on the company’s website, with pre-orders opening up on September 7th for all three new products. They’re scheduled to hit retail outlets including Amazon and REI in October 2022.

BioLite adds portable power stations and a solar array to its charging lineup

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After years of providing off-the-grid camping, cooking and pocketable charger tech, BioLite has moved further into the genre with its newest and more robust power-backup solutions. The company just announced the BaseCharge 600 and BaseCharge 1500 portable power stations, along with an accompanying SolarPanel 100. As with most products of this type, they’re great for powering entertainment tech, appliances and workspaces when you’re far from an outlet. They’re also helpful in the home when the electricity goes out.

Both power stations provide an LCD dashboard with power metrics, system notifications, temperature alerts, port activations and battery life status. You can also view cumulative usage over time and reset the counter as needed. They should hold a charge for quite a while, but its recommended to top these up every six months, so they're ready when you need them.

Each device is encased in a hard plastic shell with small rubber feet on the bottom. There are inset areas on each side to help carry these relatively heavy devices. As for ruggedness, they’re not exactly built for big drops considering the weight. And while they’re great for bringing along as off-the-grid power backups, there’s no IP rating or weather protection to speak of, so you’ll want to keep them out of rain.

BaseCharge 600

The BioLite BaseCharge 600 power station.
BaseCharge 600
BioLite

The more affordable of the power station pair is the BaseCharge 600 ($699). This has a Li-ion battery capacity of 622 Wh, with three types of inputs: a combo wall and solar charger input, plus a port for USB-C PD input. Charge times range from seven hours via wall charger, three and a half hours with both wall and USB-C PD charging and six hours using a SolarPanel 100 at peak sunlight. It weighs 13 pounds and measures 12.2 x 7.9 x 7.9 inches.

There are ten outputs:

  • 2 - 110V AC (600W up to 1,000W surge)

  • 1 - Wireless charging for Qi and related devices on the top platform (10W)

  • 2 - 12V DC barrel ports (120W)

  • 1 - 12V car port (aka cigarette lighter port - 120W)

  • 2 - USB-A (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C PD (5V / 100W)


BaseCharge 1500

The BioLite BaseCharge 1500 power station.
BaseCharge 1500
BioLite

The larger, heavier and more powerful model is the BaseCharge 1500 ($1,699). It has a Li-ion battery capacity of 1521 Wh and the same three inputs as the 600 model. Charge times range from 13.5 hours using the wall charger, eight hours with wall charger and USB-C PD, and four hours at peak sunlight if you have four SolarPanel 100 units. This larger device weighs 26.5 pounds and measures 14.4 x 12.2 x 8.2 inches.

There’s a total of 12 outputs on this device:

  • 3 - 110V AC (1,200W up to 2,400W surge)

  • 1 - Wireless charging for Qi and related devices on the top platform (10W)

  • 2 - 12V DC barrel ports (120W)

  • 1 - 12V car port (aka cigarette lighter port - 120W)

  • 2 - USB-A (5V)

  • 2 - USB-C (5V)

  • 1 - USB-C PD (5V / 100W)


SolarPanel 100

The BioLite SolarPanel 100.
SolarPanel 100
BioLite

If you want to turn your portable power station into a solar generator, there’s the new SolarPanel 100 ($400). This is a single foldable unit, with four panels that offers a power output of 100 watts in peak sunshine. You can also pretend you’re Astronaut Mark Watney and daisy chain up to four SolarPanel 100s to quadruple the wattage.

These panels are rated IPX4 making them relatively durable and resistant to water, such as a continuous light rain. There’s no onboard battery, but you can charge two devices directly from the panel as it soaks up the sun via two USB-A ports and one USB-C PD.

All the panels fold into one 20.1 x 14.3 x 1.5-inch rectangle, with a built-in carrying handle so you can lug around all 9.5 pounds of panel. The backside of the unit, which is the only exposed side when folded, is a gray fabric-like material. There’s also a zippered pouch for storing cables.

When expanded, there’s a surface spanning 20.1 x 57.5 inches and a shallow depth of about one inch, plus two relatively low-slung legs when fully extended. The “optimal sun system” is the same as you’d find on BioLite’s previous solar panels, consisting of a small target and a recessed white area so you can track the angle of the sun by its shadow.

Customers can sign up on a waiting list starting today on the company’s website, with pre-orders opening up on September 7th for all three new products. They’re scheduled to hit retail outlets including Amazon and REI in October 2022.

Marshall widens the soundstage on its new home speaker lineup

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Marshall has made some seemingly minor changes for its third-generation of home speakers, but there’s a hint they’re angling to be a soundbar competitor. The Acton III, Stanmore III and Woburn III have all been tweaked so the tweeters are angled outwards to provide a larger, more immersive soundstage than the forward-facing earlier models. They’ve also been upgraded to Bluetooth version 5.2 and we’re told their builds consist of 70 percent recycled plastic and use only vegan materials, similar to what they did with the recent Emberton II and Willen models. The other major update is for the higher-end Woburn III, which gets a new HDMI input, suggesting a more inclusive role for modern media consoles. You can pre-order the Acton III ($279), Stanmore III ($379) and Woburn III ($579) starting today.

These speakers are more powerful than their portable counterparts, although only the Woburn III includes a full-range driver alongside the woofer and tweeters. Interestingly, the press release appears to show that while the Acton III and Stanmore III gained 5Hz in low-end (50Hz to 45Hz) over the previous models, the Woburn III lost 5Hz (30Hz to 35Hz). 

On the exterior, there are plenty of physical controls to be found, although little has changed since the previous generation except for the addition of a previous and next function to the play/pause button. A 3.5mm aux input can be found on the top panel of all models, with the Stanmore III and Woburn III have RCA inputs on the back. While only the Woburn III includes an HDMI input next to the RCA port.

As for the wider soundstage, it can definitely be useful when you have a single speaker for your room, especially if you plan to use it as a soundbar for your viewing and listening pleasure. (Although the company stated their speakers aren't necessarily built for TV listening, but rather more specifically for music.) Marshall also notes that there’s a Placement Compensation feature to correct for nearby reflective surfaces that can affect sound output, and a built-in Dynamic Loudness feature to keep things sounding good at all volumes.

To be clear, this third-generation update of Marshall's "home" lineup doesn’t include any smart features and only supports Bluetooth or hardwired connections (3.5mm, RCA, HDMI depending on the model). Smart speaker functionality is currently exclusive to the smaller Uxbridge models with WiFi support and Google Assistant or Alexa. The updated lineup also doesn’t include batteries or IP ratings, since they’re built for indoor use and we assume are expected to be placed in static locations… like your media console.

While these aren’t purpose built as soundbars, I imagine they’ll do well in this regard. The Woburn III with its HDMI input supports ARC and the overall dynamic range and instrument separation that makes Marshall’s sound unique also works well for TV listening. Plus, there's a Night Mode feature to help keep the sound at a normal level even if there are spikes in volume.

One feature I like on the home models that was lacking on the Bluetooth portables is the inclusion of LED highlights on the physical controls, which helps you see them in low light. This isn’t new, but a notable feature nonetheless. The home speakers were also early adopters of the Marshall Bluetooth app, and that continues with these new models, letting you adjust EQs, wake or sleep the devices and also get OTA (over the air) updates. The new Stack Mode feature launched with the Emberton II and Willen isn’t present for these speakers, although given their use-case, it seems of little importance.

Although I haven’t heard this new lineup, the spec lists seem to place the portable Tufton model ($450) that we liked so much in the same range as the Stanmore III, if not slightly ahead given it includes a full-range speaker in the mix along with its higher price tag. That means, while you may not be able to carry these new models around, they’ll likely provide a more robust output to compensate.

The Marshall Acton III, Stanmore III and Woburn III are all available for pre-order today and should be regularly available to order and ship around June 23rd.