There are plenty of portable headphone amps out there that plug directly into instruments like electric guitars and basses, but Boss just kicked things up a notch. The company has announced the Katana:GO headphone amp and it’s a doozy, with a combination of features I’ve never seen together in one little box.
Just like rival products, this thing plugs into the input jack of a preferred instrument and includes a headphone jack to hear what’s going on. Guitar players can choose from ten amp models and bassists get three amp models, each pulled from the pre-existing Katana line of modeling amplifiers. Boss Katana amps are known primarily for their surprisingly great selection of tones, and it looks like the company managed to squeeze those same models into a headphone amp. Rival products are certainly convenient, but don’t always sound that great.
There are 60 effects to choose from, with all of the reverbs, delays and, of course, choruses musicians have come to expect from Boss. These are also the same effects featured in the larger and pricier combo amps.
So, there are good amp tones and a robust lineup of effects. What sets the Katana:Go apart from, say, the Mustang Micro? First of all, there’s a built-in tuner, which is always a welcome addition. The Katana:GO also includes spatial audio tech to mimic a live setup, further enhancing its usefulness as a practice amp. It remains to be seen how realistic this sounds, but Boss says it lets users position a virtual amp in different locations to give the impression of playing on stage or “jamming in a room with friends.” I’ve used many of these amps before and have found the “in your face” nature of the headphone signal rather off-putting, so I’m intrigued by this feature.
The amp has 30 preset slots, for creating and saving unique tones, and integrates with the company’s Tone Exchange service. This allows users to trade presets like Pokémon. Okay, not quite like Pokémon, but you get the gist.
Boss
The Katana:GO even doubles as an actual USB audio interface. Just plug it into a computer, smartphone or tablet and record straight into a DAW. Finally, there’s a dedicated mobile app, with the ability to jam along to songs from streaming sites or a personal library. This is especially handy for getting that daily practice session in, and there’s a looping feature for nailing down difficult segments.
Just like the other headphone amps on the market, it folds up neatly and easily fits into a standard gig bag. The Boss Katana:GO costs $120 and, incidentally, is the same price as the Mustang Micro, which doesn’t double as an audio interface or include a built-in tuner. It’s available to purchase right now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pocket-sized-boss-katanago-headphone-amp-doubles-as-an-audio-interface-163901677.html?src=rss
“When you think about the history of Bluetooth, and specifically about audio, you really have to go back to the mid-to-late ’90s.”
Chuck Sabin is a Bluetooth expert. As a senior director at Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), he oversees market research and planning as well as business development. He’s also leading the charge for emerging uses of Bluetooth, like Auracast broadcast audio. In other words, he’s an excellent person to speak to about how far Bluetooth has come — from the days of mono headsets solely used for voice communication to today’s devices capable of streaming lossless-quality music.
In the mid ’90s, mobile phones were starting to become a thing, and of course so were regulations about hands-free use of them in cars. Sabin previously worked in the cellular industry, and he remembers how costly and intrusive the early hand-free systems were in vehicles. Bluetooth originated from cell phone companies working together to cut the cord to headphones since using those not-yet-wireless audio accessories in the car was cumbersome. One of the first mobile phones with Bluetooth was from Ericsson in the late ’90s, although an updated model didn’t make it to consumers until 2001. That same year, the IBM ThinkPad A30 became the first laptop with Bluetooth built in. At that time, the primary intent of the short-range radio technology was for voice calls.
The Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2
Bose
“You had a lot of people who ended up with these mono headsets and boom mics,” he explained. You know, the people we all probably made fun of — at least once. Most of these things were massive, and some had obnoxious blinking lights. They’re definitely a far cry from the increasingly inconspicuous wireless earbuds available now.
Bluetooth as a specification continued to evolve, with companies leveraging it for music and streaming audio. To facilitate music listening, there had to be faster communication between headphones and the connected device. Compared with voice calling, continuous streaming required Bluetooth to support higher data speeds along with reduced latency. Where Bluetooth 1.0 was call specific, version 2.0 began to achieve the speeds needed for audio streaming at over 2 Mb/s. However, Sabin says, the 2.1 specification adopted by Bluetooth SIG in 2007 was when all streaming audio capabilities were implemented in automobiles, phones, headphones, headsets and more.
Of course, it would still be a few years before wireless headphones were mainstream. In the early 2000s, headphones were still directly connected to a mobile phone or other source device. Once Bluetooth became a standard feature in all new phone models, as well as its inclusion in laptops and PCs, consumers could count on wireless connectivity being available to them. Even then, music had to be loaded onto a memory card to get it on a phone, as dedicated apps and streaming services wouldn’t be a thing until the 2010s.
“The utility of the device that you carried around with you all the time was evolving,” Sabin said. “Bluetooth was ultimately riding that continued wave of utility, by providing the opportunity to use that phone as a wireless streaming device for audio.”
Bragi Dash true wireless earbuds
Photo by James Trew/Engadget
About the time wireless headphones had become popular, a few companies arrived with a new proposition in 2015: true wireless earbuds. Bluetooth improvements meant reduced power requirements leading to much smaller devices with smaller batteries — and still provide the performance needed for true wireless devices. Bragi made a big splash at consecutive CESs with its Dash earbuds. The ambitious product had built-in music storage, fitness tracking and touch controls, all paired with a woefully short three-hour battery life. Perhaps the company was a bit overzealous, in hindsight, but it did set the bar high, and eventually similar technologies would make it into other true wireless products.
“Companies that were building products were really starting to stretch the specification to its limits,” Sabin explained. “There was a certain amount of innovation that was happening [beyond that] on how to manage the demands of two wireless earbuds.” Bluetooth’s role, he said, was more about improving performance of the protocol as a means of inspiring advances in wireless audio devices themselves.
He was quick to point out that, for the first few years, true wireless buds accepted the Bluetooth signal to only one ear and then sent it to the other. That’s why the battery in one would always drain faster than the other. In January 2020, Bluetooth SIG announced LE Audio at CES as part of version 5.2. LE Audio delivered lower battery consumption, standardized audio transmission and the ability to transmit to multiple receivers — or multiple earbuds. LE Audio wouldn’t be completed until July 2022, but it offers a lower minimum latency of 20 to 30 milliseconds versus 100 to 200 milliseconds with Bluetooth Classic.
“All of the processing is now done back on the phone itself and then streamed independently to each of the individual earbuds,” Sabin continued. “That will continue to deliver better performance, better form factors, better battery life and so on because the processing is being done at the source level versus [on] the individual earbuds.”
The increased speed and efficiency of Bluetooth has led to improvements in overall sound quality too. Responding to market demands for better audio, Qualcomm and others have developed various codecs, like aptX, that expand what Bluetooth can do. More specifically, aptX HD provides 48kHz/24-bit audio for wireless high-resolution listening.
“One of the elements that came into the specification, even on the classic side, was the ability for companies to sideload different codecs,” Sabin explained. “Companies could then market their codec to be available on phones and headphones to provide enhanced audio capabilities.”
LE Audio standardizes Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids, leading to a larger number of supported devices and interoperability. The use cases range from tuning earbuds to a user’s specific hearing or general hearing assistance needs, with or without the help of active noise cancellation or transparency mode, to simply being able to hear valuable info in public spaces via their earbuds or hearing aid.
“Bluetooth is becoming integral for people with hearing loss,” he explained. “Not only for medical-grade hearing aids, but you’re seeing hearing capabilities built into consumer devices as well.”
Sony's CRE-E10 OTC hearing aids
Sony
Sabin also noted how the development of true wireless earbuds have been key for people with hearing loss and helped reduce the stigma around traditional hearing aids. Indeed, companies like Sennheiser and Sony have introduced assistance-focused earbuds that look no different from the devices they make for listening to music or taking calls. Of course, those devices do that too, it’s just their primary aim is to help with hearing loss. The boom, which has been going on for years, was further facilitated by a 2022 FDA policy change that allowed over-the-counter sale of hearing aids.
One of the major recent developments for Bluetooth is broadcast audio, better known as Auracast. Sabin described the technology as “unmuting your world,” which is exactly what happens when you’re able to hear otherwise silent TVs in public spaces. You simply select an available broadcast audio channel on your phone, like you would a Wi-Fi network, to hear the news or game on the TV during your layover. Auracast can also be used for things like PA and gate announcements in airports, better hearing at conferences and sharing a secure audio stream with a friend. Companies like JBL are building it into their Bluetooth speakers so you can link unlimited additional devices to share the sound at the press of a button.
“You’re seeing it in speakers, you’ll see it in surround sound systems and full home or party-in-a-box type scenarios,” he said. Sabin also noted that applications beyond the home could simplify logistics for events, since Auracast audio comes from the same source before it’s sent to a PA system or connected earbuds and headphones with no latency. Sabin said the near-term goal is for Bluetooth audio to be as common in public spaces as Wi-Fi connectivity, thanks to things like Auracast and the standard’s constant evolution.
Even after 20 years, we’re still relying on Bluetooth to take calls on the go, but both the voice and audio quality have dramatically improved since the days of the headset. Smaller, more comfortable designs can be worn all day, giving us constant access to music, podcasts, calls and voice assistants. As consumer preferences have changed to having earbuds in at all times, the desire to tune into our surroundings rather than block them out has increased. “Unmuting your world” is now of utmost importance, and the advancement of Bluetooth technology, from the late ’90s through LE Audio, continues to adapt to our sonic preferences.
To celebrate Engadget's 20th anniversary, we're taking a look back at the products and services that have changed the industry since March 2, 2004.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/from-mono-to-mainstream-20-years-of-bluetooth-audio-153031600.html?src=rss
“When you think about the history of Bluetooth, and specifically about audio, you really have to go back to the mid-to-late ’90s.”
Chuck Sabin is a Bluetooth expert. As a senior director at Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), he oversees market research and planning as well as business development. He’s also leading the charge for emerging uses of Bluetooth, like Auracast broadcast audio. In other words, he’s an excellent person to speak to about how far Bluetooth has come — from the days of mono headsets solely used for voice communication to today’s devices capable of streaming lossless-quality music.
In the mid ’90s, mobile phones were starting to become a thing, and of course so were regulations about hands-free use of them in cars. Sabin previously worked in the cellular industry, and he remembers how costly and intrusive the early hand-free systems were in vehicles. Bluetooth originated from cell phone companies working together to cut the cord to headphones since using those not-yet-wireless audio accessories in the car was cumbersome. One of the first mobile phones with Bluetooth was from Ericsson in the late ’90s, although an updated model didn’t make it to consumers until 2001. That same year, the IBM ThinkPad A30 became the first laptop with Bluetooth built in. At that time, the primary intent of the short-range radio technology was for voice calls.
The Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2
Bose
“You had a lot of people who ended up with these mono headsets and boom mics,” he explained. You know, the people we all probably made fun of — at least once. Most of these things were massive, and some had obnoxious blinking lights. They’re definitely a far cry from the increasingly inconspicuous wireless earbuds available now.
Bluetooth as a specification continued to evolve, with companies leveraging it for music and streaming audio. To facilitate music listening, there had to be faster communication between headphones and the connected device. Compared with voice calling, continuous streaming required Bluetooth to support higher data speeds along with reduced latency. Where Bluetooth 1.0 was call specific, version 2.0 began to achieve the speeds needed for audio streaming at over 2 Mb/s. However, Sabin says, the 2.1 specification adopted by Bluetooth SIG in 2007 was when all streaming audio capabilities were implemented in automobiles, phones, headphones, headsets and more.
Of course, it would still be a few years before wireless headphones were mainstream. In the early 2000s, headphones were still directly connected to a mobile phone or other source device. Once Bluetooth became a standard feature in all new phone models, as well as its inclusion in laptops and PCs, consumers could count on wireless connectivity being available to them. Even then, music had to be loaded onto a memory card to get it on a phone, as dedicated apps and streaming services wouldn’t be a thing until the 2010s.
“The utility of the device that you carried around with you all the time was evolving,” Sabin said. “Bluetooth was ultimately riding that continued wave of utility, by providing the opportunity to use that phone as a wireless streaming device for audio.”
Bragi Dash true wireless earbuds
Photo by James Trew/Engadget
About the time wireless headphones had become popular, a few companies arrived with a new proposition in 2015: true wireless earbuds. Bluetooth improvements meant reduced power requirements leading to much smaller devices with smaller batteries — and still provide the performance needed for true wireless devices. Bragi made a big splash at consecutive CESs with its Dash earbuds. The ambitious product had built-in music storage, fitness tracking and touch controls, all paired with a woefully short three-hour battery life. Perhaps the company was a bit overzealous, in hindsight, but it did set the bar high, and eventually similar technologies would make it into other true wireless products.
“Companies that were building products were really starting to stretch the specification to its limits,” Sabin explained. “There was a certain amount of innovation that was happening [beyond that] on how to manage the demands of two wireless earbuds.” Bluetooth’s role, he said, was more about improving performance of the protocol as a means of inspiring advances in wireless audio devices themselves.
He was quick to point out that, for the first few years, true wireless buds accepted the Bluetooth signal to only one ear and then sent it to the other. That’s why the battery in one would always drain faster than the other. In January 2020, Bluetooth SIG announced LE Audio at CES as part of version 5.2. LE Audio delivered lower battery consumption, standardized audio transmission and the ability to transmit to multiple receivers — or multiple earbuds. LE Audio wouldn’t be completed until July 2022, but it offers a lower minimum latency of 20 to 30 milliseconds versus 100 to 200 milliseconds with Bluetooth Classic.
“All of the processing is now done back on the phone itself and then streamed independently to each of the individual earbuds,” Sabin continued. “That will continue to deliver better performance, better form factors, better battery life and so on because the processing is being done at the source level versus [on] the individual earbuds.”
The increased speed and efficiency of Bluetooth has led to improvements in overall sound quality too. Responding to market demands for better audio, Qualcomm and others have developed various codecs, like aptX, that expand what Bluetooth can do. More specifically, aptX HD provides 48kHz/24-bit audio for wireless high-resolution listening.
“One of the elements that came into the specification, even on the classic side, was the ability for companies to sideload different codecs,” Sabin explained. “Companies could then market their codec to be available on phones and headphones to provide enhanced audio capabilities.”
LE Audio standardizes Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids, leading to a larger number of supported devices and interoperability. The use cases range from tuning earbuds to a user’s specific hearing or general hearing assistance needs, with or without the help of active noise cancellation or transparency mode, to simply being able to hear valuable info in public spaces via their earbuds or hearing aid.
“Bluetooth is becoming integral for people with hearing loss,” he explained. “Not only for medical-grade hearing aids, but you’re seeing hearing capabilities built into consumer devices as well.”
Sony's CRE-E10 OTC hearing aids
Sony
Sabin also noted how the development of true wireless earbuds have been key for people with hearing loss and helped reduce the stigma around traditional hearing aids. Indeed, companies like Sennheiser and Sony have introduced assistance-focused earbuds that look no different from the devices they make for listening to music or taking calls. Of course, those devices do that too, it’s just their primary aim is to help with hearing loss. The boom, which has been going on for years, was further facilitated by a 2022 FDA policy change that allowed over-the-counter sale of hearing aids.
One of the major recent developments for Bluetooth is broadcast audio, better known as Auracast. Sabin described the technology as “unmuting your world,” which is exactly what happens when you’re able to hear otherwise silent TVs in public spaces. You simply select an available broadcast audio channel on your phone, like you would a Wi-Fi network, to hear the news or game on the TV during your layover. Auracast can also be used for things like PA and gate announcements in airports, better hearing at conferences and sharing a secure audio stream with a friend. Companies like JBL are building it into their Bluetooth speakers so you can link unlimited additional devices to share the sound at the press of a button.
“You’re seeing it in speakers, you’ll see it in surround sound systems and full home or party-in-a-box type scenarios,” he said. Sabin also noted that applications beyond the home could simplify logistics for events, since Auracast audio comes from the same source before it’s sent to a PA system or connected earbuds and headphones with no latency. Sabin said the near-term goal is for Bluetooth audio to be as common in public spaces as Wi-Fi connectivity, thanks to things like Auracast and the standard’s constant evolution.
Even after 20 years, we’re still relying on Bluetooth to take calls on the go, but both the voice and audio quality have dramatically improved since the days of the headset. Smaller, more comfortable designs can be worn all day, giving us constant access to music, podcasts, calls and voice assistants. As consumer preferences have changed to having earbuds in at all times, the desire to tune into our surroundings rather than block them out has increased. “Unmuting your world” is now of utmost importance, and the advancement of Bluetooth technology, from the late ’90s through LE Audio, continues to adapt to our sonic preferences.
To celebrate Engadget's 20th anniversary, we're taking a look back at the products and services that have changed the industry since March 2, 2004.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/from-mono-to-mainstream-20-years-of-bluetooth-audio-153031600.html?src=rss
Sony's 1000XM-series headphones have topped our list of the best wireless headphones you can buy for a couple years running. The current top pick is held by the WH-1000XM5 ANC headphones and right now they're $72 off at Amazon, making them $328 instead of their $400 list price. That's not an all time low — we saw them dip to $250 just before the holidays last year and this year they've gone for $300 and $280 at different retailers. But if you don't want to wait and see if those discounts come back, $72 represents a decent savings on a pair of highly recommended over-ear speakers. The sale comes as part of a larger sale on Sony audio at Amazon.
Even at full price, the WH-1000XM5 are a wise buy if you're looking for superior audio, excellent noise cancellation and an enduringly comfortable fit. Our audio expert, Billy Steele, said these are in a league of their own in his review. The audio is an improvement over the previous generation — which was already great — but now the bass is punchier and the clarity is even more finely tuned. They pack a long, 30-hour battery life and the noise cancellation is adept at blocking human voices, TV sounds and various other environmental noises. There are plenty of easy-to-suss out onboard controls, letting you do things like skip tracks and answer calls. There's even a feature that pauses what you're listening to when you start talking.
While these are an improvement over the prior model, Sony's WH-100XM4 headphones, those are still a compelling option with great sound and a comfortable fit. They're on sale for a much lower $248. That's $100 off the list price and about $20 more than the all-time low they hit for Black Friday last year.
Sonos has been excluding its first music speaker designed for spatial audio from previous sales events since it was released last year, so listen up: The company is selling refurbished units of the Era 300 for $359, or $91 less than retail. Yes, it's not brand new, but Sonos' refurb program has a good track record. At the moment, only the white Era 300s are available at a discount — the black version is sold out — but if you don't care about color, then you will get three free months of Apple Music with your purchase.
We found the Era 300 to be one of the best-sounding speakers Sonos has made when we reviewed it. The model's spatial audio experience can be a hit or miss in that sometimes, the Atmos versions of songs could sound like they have too much reverb that the vocals get lost in the mix. But overall, it exhibited excellent sound quality and can make songs shine by reproducing bass, vocal and instrumentation in great detail. It makes songs sound rich, crisp and vibrant. We advised not buying the Era 300 only for the sake of spatial audio in our review, since the library of tracks that support the feature remains quite small. That could change in the future, though, especially if Apple truly does start rewarding artists for offering their music in spatial audio.
It's worth noting that Sonos recommends pairing two Era 300 speakers for "mind-bendlingly realistic surround sound," and getting the cheaper versions would make that a more affordable prospect. The model is pretty easy to set up anyway — just add the speaker to your Sonos app and then pair it with your music services of choice — so having two or more won't be an issue. In case you're looking for something else, though, Sonos is selling more refurbished devices on its website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/refurbished-sonos-era-300-speakers-are-90-off-in-a-rare-deal-120057132.html?src=rss
Sonos has been excluding its first music speaker designed for spatial audio from previous sales events since it was released last year, so listen up: The company is selling refurbished units of the Era 300 for $359, or $91 less than retail. Yes, it's not brand new, but Sonos' refurb program has a good track record. At the moment, only the white Era 300s are available at a discount — the black version is sold out — but if you don't care about color, then you will get three free months of Apple Music with your purchase.
We found the Era 300 to be one of the best-sounding speakers Sonos has made when we reviewed it. The model's spatial audio experience can be a hit or miss in that sometimes, the Atmos versions of songs could sound like they have too much reverb that the vocals get lost in the mix. But overall, it exhibited excellent sound quality and can make songs shine by reproducing bass, vocal and instrumentation in great detail. It makes songs sound rich, crisp and vibrant. We advised not buying the Era 300 only for the sake of spatial audio in our review, since the library of tracks that support the feature remains quite small. That could change in the future, though, especially if Apple truly does start rewarding artists for offering their music in spatial audio.
It's worth noting that Sonos recommends pairing two Era 300 speakers for "mind-bendlingly realistic surround sound," and getting the cheaper versions would make that a more affordable prospect. The model is pretty easy to set up anyway — just add the speaker to your Sonos app and then pair it with your music services of choice — so having two or more won't be an issue. In case you're looking for something else, though, Sonos is selling more refurbished devices on its website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/refurbished-sonos-era-300-speakers-are-90-off-in-a-rare-deal-120057132.html?src=rss
Tidal is condensing its plans in a bid to compete with fellow music streamers. The platform is removing its HiFi Plus and HiFI tiers to create one individual plan, aptly called Tidal. The new option will offer everything Plus users paid $20 monthly for but for $11— the same price as Spotify and Apple Music's one-person plans. It seems Tidal could no longer justify asking people to pay an extra $9 when its competitors offered similar perks for less (the company notably laid off 10 percent of its employees in December).
The new solo tier will include Dolby Atmos, HiRes FLAC and lossless audio for over 100 million songs. Apple Music also offers lossless audio, but this puts Tidal ahead of Spotify, which has yet to roll it out. There is a small catch for current HiFi Plus subscribers: Tidal's DJ integration feature is becoming a DJ Extension — which will cost subscribers another $10. Anyone who has used DJ integration in the last 90 days will automatically have the extension added to their new plan when the tier overhaul takes effect on April 10. Notably, Tidal's family plan will also condense into just one option, a $17 offer rather than the HiFi Plus' $30 a month price tag.
While the changes are overall a good deal for Tidal subscribers, the music streamer is getting rid of multiple options — including its free tier. As of March 4, Tidal also removed its discount for newly subscribing military personnel and first responders. Existing free tier subscribers will have to pay full price starting April 10, while military personnel and first responders who already use Tidal will have to make the switch starting June 10. Students who use Tidal will keep their $5 monthly rate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tidal-cuts-9-from-the-price-of-its-hi-fi-audio-streaming-plan-101301143.html?src=rss
Tidal is condensing its plans in a bid to compete with fellow music streamers. The platform is removing its HiFi Plus and HiFI tiers to create one individual plan, aptly called Tidal. The new option will offer everything Plus users paid $20 monthly for but for $11— the same price as Spotify and Apple Music's one-person plans. It seems Tidal could no longer justify asking people to pay an extra $9 when its competitors offered similar perks for less (the company notably laid off 10 percent of its employees in December).
The new solo tier will include Dolby Atmos, HiRes FLAC and lossless audio for over 100 million songs. Apple Music also offers lossless audio, but this puts Tidal ahead of Spotify, which has yet to roll it out. There is a small catch for current HiFi Plus subscribers: Tidal's DJ integration feature is becoming a DJ Extension — which will cost subscribers another $10. Anyone who has used DJ integration in the last 90 days will automatically have the extension added to their new plan when the tier overhaul takes effect on April 10. Notably, Tidal's family plan will also condense into just one option, a $17 offer rather than the HiFi Plus' $30 a month price tag.
While the changes are overall a good deal for Tidal subscribers, the music streamer is getting rid of multiple options — including its free tier. As of March 4, Tidal also removed its discount for newly subscribing military personnel and first responders. Existing free tier subscribers will have to pay full price starting April 10, while military personnel and first responders who already use Tidal will have to make the switch starting June 10. Students who use Tidal will keep their $5 monthly rate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tidal-cuts-9-from-the-price-of-its-hi-fi-audio-streaming-plan-101301143.html?src=rss
The Marshall Middleton Bluetooth speaker has a list price of $300, but right now Amazon is selling it for $236. That's a 21 percent discount and the lowest price we've tracked since it's launch last March, beating the former low of $260 it hit last December. It's also on sale for $250 at B&H Photo. We named the Middleton one of the best mid-range ($200 to $400) Bluetooth speakers you can buy in our guide. It combines good sound quality with a IP67 rating, meaning it's dust-tight and can survive a dip in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Plus there's a handy carry strap to drag it around.
Marshall markets the Middleton as their flagship Bluetooth speaker — and the company's largest portable with a waterproof rating. At four pounds, it's still small enough to toss in a backpack, but large enough to house three battery cells adding up to 9,600mAh of charge to enable a 20-hour run time. You can even siphon off some of that juice to charge a phone thorough the USB-C port.
It puts out 360-degree sound from two 15-watt woofers, two 10-watt tweeters and a pair of passive radiators. We found the output to be respectable, handling low frequencies well. Marshall's sound tends to have a good dynamic range combined with significant depth, and that's what you get here.
The Middleton is also the biggest model to support Stack Mode which lets you pair up with another Middleton or the smaller Emberton II or Willen. Pairing happens using the app and double pressing the speakers' Bluetooth buttons.
Speaking of other music boxes, the Emberton II speaker, which we named one of the best picks under $200 in that same speaker guide, is also on sale. It's 21 percent off and down to $134, which isn't an all-time low — it went for $14 less last Black Friday. It's not the loudest speaker in it's size range, but the sound is pleasantly balanced and a good accompaniment to small gatherings.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-marshall-bluetooth-speakers-has-dropped-to-a-record-low-price-171504625.html?src=rss
The Marshall Middleton Bluetooth speaker has a list price of $300, but right now Amazon is selling it for $236. That's a 21 percent discount and the lowest price we've tracked since it's launch last March, beating the former low of $260 it hit last December. It's also on sale for $250 at B&H Photo. We named the Middleton one of the best mid-range ($200 to $400) Bluetooth speakers you can buy in our guide. It combines good sound quality with a IP67 rating, meaning it's dust-tight and can survive a dip in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Plus there's a handy carry strap to drag it around.
Marshall markets the Middleton as their flagship Bluetooth speaker — and the company's largest portable with a waterproof rating. At four pounds, it's still small enough to toss in a backpack, but large enough to house three battery cells adding up to 9,600mAh of charge to enable a 20-hour run time. You can even siphon off some of that juice to charge a phone thorough the USB-C port.
It puts out 360-degree sound from two 15-watt woofers, two 10-watt tweeters and a pair of passive radiators. We found the output to be respectable, handling low frequencies well. Marshall's sound tends to have a good dynamic range combined with significant depth, and that's what you get here.
The Middleton is also the biggest model to support Stack Mode which lets you pair up with another Middleton or the smaller Emberton II or Willen. Pairing happens using the app and double pressing the speakers' Bluetooth buttons.
Speaking of other music boxes, the Emberton II speaker, which we named one of the best picks under $200 in that same speaker guide, is also on sale. It's 21 percent off and down to $134, which isn't an all-time low — it went for $14 less last Black Friday. It's not the loudest speaker in it's size range, but the sound is pleasantly balanced and a good accompaniment to small gatherings.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-marshall-bluetooth-speakers-has-dropped-to-a-record-low-price-171504625.html?src=rss