Speakers don’t have to look like speakers to get their work done. Take the Libratone Beat, which looks like a random piece of gorgeous tabletop accessory, but is actually a portable wireless speaker with pretty impressive credentials.
Clad in a simple yet elegant design, a speaker is probably one of the last things you would expect it to be when you first catch it resting atop the patio table. But, alas, it is and a damn fine one at that, from the sound of the specs.
The Libratone Beat is a wireless speaker that can work with a whole spate of devices using two types of transmitters – one for USB ports and another for the iPod’s 30-pin connector (yes, it can work with iPhones and iPads too). There’s a 3.5mm connector too, in case you have your music source on hand. It features one 5-inch bass, two 3-inch midrange drivers and two 1-inch ribbon based tweeters, pumping out 50W of bass output and 2x25W at the midrange.
Measurements are 47 x 19.5 x 15 cm, making it easy to carry around the room using the integrated handle. Extra features include digital signal processing, digital amplification and Libratone’s patented FullRoom acoustic technology for 360-degree sound.
Slated for availability beginning October, the Libratone Beat is currently on pre-order for $595. Only folks in Germany, U.K. and Scandinavia can get their hands by then, though, with folks in the US and the rest of Europe getting theirs by January 2011. It will come in four colors – slate gray, blueberry black, vanilla beige and blood orange.
[Libratone]