Name: Otone Audio Stilo

Type: 2.1 Desktop Speaker

Specifications: Click here for full specs

Price: £69.99 from Otone Audio

Otone Audio are the latest UK-based company to throw their hats into the home audio ring. As well as a range of 5.1 systems, they're also launching a range of desktop PC speaker set ups. Today we're taking a look at their Stilo 2.1 PC speakers. Read on for our thoughts.

Comprising two satellite speakers, a subwoofer and wired remote, the Stilo speakers are a bit of a missed opportunity when it comes to design. While the cube-shaped subwoofer is simple enough to be easy on the eye (measuring 220 x 211 x 230mm and making up a substantial portion of the package's overall  3.65kg weight), the satellite speakers, measuring  253 x 65 x 106mm , look needlessly cheap. They're a desktop friendly size, and we quite like the the cut-oval shape. However, the decision to make them from a mix of gloss black plastic and a matte silver/grey is a bit of a mess. Perhaps they'll suit the tastes of others, but we'd have preferred just the gloss black, thank you very much.

The pebble-shaped wired remote, which plugs into the back of the powered subwoofer, is a little tidier, with the mix of blacks, silvers and a green LED (indicating the speakers are on) reminiscent of the Android smartphone colour scheme. A dial controls the volume levels, clicking from a low volume setting to off at the counter-clockwise extreme. There's a little bit of a sharp spike in volume level when dialling past the halfway mark though. On the back is a handy pair of ports for auxiliary line in (letting you plug an MP3 player directly into the speakers and bypassing a PC) and a headphone port too, with a standard 3.5mm jack.

There are few other audio connectivity options on the subwoofer though beyond the 3.5mm line-in jack, so if you're looking for a more complicated set up with a high-end sound card, these probably aren't the speakers for you.

For everyone else though, they'll perform very nicely. Using a space-age sounding patented Vortex Drive system, they'll pump out 40W (2 x 10 + 20W) of power, easily reaching room-filling levels. 2 x 2" high-sensitivity twin drivers sit in the satellite speakers, and while a little lacking at the treble end, were otherwise warm and clear. We did experience a little rattling in the subwoofer cabinet at maximum volume levels and with the subwoofer itself turned to its maximum bass setting, but we're fairly sure that was down to a slightly loose fixture in our individual sample, and nothing that should worry any prospective buyers.


Verdict:

The Otone Audio Stilo 2.1 desktop speakers sound, for the most part, great, especially for the £69.99 asking price. You may need to scale the mid-levels back a little in your EQ settings, but our love of the odd spiky guitar shred and rattle of gunfire from Call of Duty wont likely line up with everyone's tastes. They're solid sonic performers either way. It's a shame then that the satellite speakers themselves looks so underwhelming. Sat on a retailer's shelf next to the sci-fi stylings of Harman Kardon's Soundsticks, it's unlikely the Otone Audio Stilo set will get a second look, which does the audio quality they're capable of something of a disservice.

Did you annoyingly pick up an iPod/iPhone dock recently, only later to realise it didn't have Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming technology onboard? Not to worry; Griffin have just unveiled their new Twenty add-on, which adds AirPlay functionality to practically any old speaker system.

The Griffin Twenty makes use of an Apple Airport Express to decode and deliver the wireless AirPlay streaming code, pushing out lossless, amplified sound through whichever speakers you connect to it.

Suitable for use with 2.1 channel sound systems, capable of 20W output per channel and hooking up an active subwoofer with automatic active crossover of 80Hz, the Twenty packs a port on which to mount the AirPort Express too.

Connecting your speakers via the AirPort Express, you can use either S/PIDF optical output with the included fiber optic cable, or spring-loaded right and left channel connectors. Subwoofers can be hooked up over an RCA connection.

No pricing news available yet, but Griffin say the Twenty will hit the UK very soon.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Here's a fairly unexpected join announcement from home audio specialists Onkyo and guitar-manufacturing gods Gibson. The two companies are to enter into a "strategic partnership", which will see Gibson acquire a majority share in Onkyo USA.

Onkyo will also make an investment back into Gibson, with both company's CEO's taking a seat on each other's board.

"This partnership has significant positive implications for Onkyo as we are always seeking ways of creating new value," said Onkyo CEO and president Munenori Otsuki.

"Gibson is a leading global company with a massive fan base, best-in-class products and superior marketing skills. Coming together in this way opens the door for amazing opportunities for both companies and, more importantly, fans of Onkyo and Gibson."

"While people may be listening to more music, they are listening to it primarily in a severely compressed format" added Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.

"The aural disparity between a real system and compressed sound is vast, and as a result, they are simply not hearing tremendously rich sounds. With Onkyo, our goal is to bring the same exceptional experience artists demand in the studio to a larger consumer base."

Though details concerning any joint hardware projects are slim on the ground, the press release does make reference to "inexpensive ear bud headsets", stating that the newly formed team will be able to deliver deliver "a far superior audio experience to the consumer who has become more and more used to hearing only inferior compressed music".

Anyone for high-end, Gibson-branded, Onkyo-built earphones?

Coming slightly out of left-field here compared to the company's usual offerings, Samsung are to be showcasing a new range of high-end speaker docks at next week's CES show in Las Vegas.

A pair of high-end systems are on the way, with Samsung claiming that they've "raised the bar in sound quality for mainstream audio products."

First up is the DA-E670 Audio Dock. It's capable of outputting 40 watts of power, as well as packing in its own subwoofer. More unusually though is its ability to support both iOS devices (iPod, iPhone and iPad), as well as Samsung's own Galaxy S line of mobiles and PMP devices. We're not sure yet whether this means the device will also be compatible with other Android mobiles, but it'll be music to the ears of the legions that bought the Samsung Galaxy S II, looking to beef up its audio output potential.

Even more exciting is the audiophile-grade DA-E750. It uses Samsung's vacuum tube amplifier technology, and looks to combine the best of digital amps with the warmth you'd find with traditional vacuum tube audio systems. As with the DA-E670, it'll support Samsung's AllShare technology and Apple's Airplay.

Looking very intriguing indeed. No word on pricing or availability on this pair yet, but we'll hopefully get some ears-on time with the kit come next week's big tech show in Vegas.

LG are already expected to wow home cinema fanatics at CES 2012 by revealing the world's biggest OLED display, and now they're ready to tout a speaker system to bring the audio/visual thrills onto an even footing.

LG's BH9420PW 9.1 surround sound system is the kit in question, equipped with LG's latest 3D sound technology.

It uses LG's 3D Sound Zooming Technology to synchronise audio output with the action on screen, with the aim being to ensure viewers always feel as thoguh they are at the heart of the scenes being displayed.

Designed to be paired with LG's Cinema 3D sets, it uses "a complex algorithm that analyses the varying depth of numerous on-screen objects displayed on the 3D TV".

As well as the unique 3D effect DSP algorithm, LG also make use of Sound Field Expansion technology in the BH9420PW, which should boost the horizontal sound field pumped out of the package's four upright 3D speakers, alongside the more traditional 5.1 set up.

"Whether it's TVs or audio systems, LG continues to offer the most immersive 3D home entertainment experience possible," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company.

"Our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs will now be accompanied by a wider variety of CINEMA 3D SOUND HOME THEATER products that offer consumers a complete 3D experience and further strengthen LG's leadership in 3D."

The BH9420PW will be shown at next week's CES in Las Vegas, before hitting stores in March 2012. No word on pricing as of yet.

8 foot wide, 4 foot tall and with no number of words enough to describe it, feast your eyes on the Behringer iNuke Boom.

The world's largest iPhone, iPod and iPad dock (not counting the iPad-only, 11ft AeroDream from electronic music legend Jean Michel Jarre) this speaker giant blasts out 10,000 watts of power, weighs 700 pounds, and will make your wallet $30,000 lighter.

Making its debut at CES in Las Vegas next January, the iNuke Boom will lead the charge of Behringer's new Eurosound home audio brand, into which the company will be launching 50 new products.

The new range will be split into four departments; "Live" for amplification devices, "Portable" for on-to-go speakers, docks and the like, "Creation" for kit to help you make tunes and "Home" for, well, home audio stuff (duh!) like large fixed speakers of the iNuke Boom variety.

It also reminds me of the £2750 Brother's Wall of Sound, which we saw way back in 2009, giving our eardrums just enough time to recover for the onslaught the Behringer boombox promises.

We'll be headed over the pond to Las Vegas in January, ear-plugs in hand ready to give the iNuke Boom a listen, so check back after Christmas for our hands-on thoughts.

Christmas, for me, means just one thing: A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector. The wall of sound maestro, for all his horrific lady-killing failings, sure knew how to craft a tight little seasonal ditty.

Scroll down to see Tech Digest's top tips for which speakers, docks and Hi-Fi systems to pop on your Christmas list this festive season.

When you're done here, be sure to check out the rest of Tech Digest's 2011 Christmas wishlists too.

Owners of Sonos wireless home audio kits who also have a Honeycomb Android tablet lying around are in for a treat today. Sonos have updated their controller app for Android to make it fully compatible with Google's latest tablet-orientated OS, making far greater use of the extra screen real-estate allowed by slates.

More detailed, larger album artwork is met with a more roomy playlist UI to make browsing the reams of music content available through the Sonos gear much easier on the eye.

The update comes alongside the Sonos System Software update 3.6, which includes among its many tweaks better Spotify integration (letting you browse the streaming service's inbox and new releases), as well as adding AAC+ codec suport and Danish and Norwegian languages.

Sonos are also introducing a new Sonos Labs programme, opening up their API and letting any music service that wants to become part of their wireless audio platform submit themselves for inclusion. Sonos users will be able to access these additional services in a Beta form.

"Today's feature update reaffirms our commitment to persistently innovate so that Sonos users continue to have the ultimate music experience in every room of the home," said John MacFarlane, founder and CEO, Sonos, Inc.

"Effortless control, endless music and constant innovation are what will keep us as the gold standard for listening out loud in the home."

Both the Android app update and the system software update are free and are available from today.

Arcam are giving UK customers added seasonal spice with £400 off the AVR400 price tag when they trade in any old AV amp.

Usually costing £1800, the Arcam AVR400 is available for £1400 with the trade in deal. Just bring any old AV receiver and pick up the stunning new AVR400 leaving extra cash ready for the Christmas shopping!

The AVR400 offers over 90 Watts per channel with enough power for even the most demanding speakers. It's 3D ready for all those great Christmas movies and comes with clever auto setup routine.

It even has an onboard network music player, which can be controlled from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using the Songbook Arcam app available from the iTunes store.

The trade in offer runs until December 31st.

http://www.arcam.co.uk/retailers/AVR400TradeInDeal

Logitech have been showing off a neat palm-sized Bluetooth speaker this morning, the Mini Boombox. Looking to rival the premium Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker with a far more affordable price tag (just short of £70), Logitech are setting their sights on those looking to beef up the sound coming form their mobile devices.

Working over Bluetooth HFP or A2DP, the Mini Boombox should play nicely with the vast majority of tablets, smartphones and a fair few laptops too.

Packing in a 10 hour battery life, Logitech are boasting of quality sound despite the diminutive size thanks to a "specially designed acoustic chamber that lets you enjoy great sound with enhanced bass".

"The Logitech Mini Boombox rises to the occasion to bring an immersive sound experience wherever you go," said Azmat Ali, vice president of tablets and mobile for Logitech.

"Now that mobile devices also act as cinemas, concert stages, game consoles, and conference centres, people want sound quality to match - and the Logitech Mini Boombox delivers."

Expect to see the Mini Boombox in stores by the end of November.

Do you remember being a kid and walking past a toy-shop, pressing your nose against the glass and staring longingly at the most expensive LEGO set in the window?

That's the memory and feeling that AKG's K3003 earphones inspire in grown adults. Totally out of reach of Mr or Mrs Average thanks to a whopping £1,000 price tag, you can't help but fantasize over what delights some extra cash would bring to your eardrums.

The justification for the steep asking price? A luxurious hand-crafted finish for starters, and some ridiculously precise audio engineering. They're the first in-ear earphones to feature a three-way driver system, utilising a combination of one dynamic and two balanced armature drivers. In other words, there is a dedicated driver for low-to-mid ranges, a driver specifically for the wider mid ranges, and one for higher, sharper frequencies too. Each pair is numbered, adding to that smug feeling of exclusivity, with a stainless steel housing on the buds themselves, a tangle-free cable, in-line iOS remote and a smart leather case rounding off the package.

Well, almost rounding it off. The AKG K3003's also allow for a little sound customisation in the shape of three interchangeable pairs of mechanical filters which screw into the headphones. The first is a standard reference pair, and the most natural sounding, the second a bass boosting set, and the last a pair that push treble frequencies.

We tried the AKG K3003's last night at an exclusive launch event, trying out both the reference filters and the bass filters, but sadly not the treble filter. The results were impressive to say the least.

Though our testing session was brief, we managed to put the earphones through their paces with a number of musical styles and artists. From the soul of Amy Winehouse to the recent headline-hogging indie legends The Stone Roses, to the brass/bass funk of Curtis Mayfield to the icy-electro sounds of Crystal Castles and 80s sheen of The Human League, the K3003's didn't disappoint.

Using the reference filters, the balance of tones was remarkable. Winehouse's "Love is a Losing Game" saw her voice smoulder at the mid levels, while the sting of the staccato guitars cut cleanly through the warm, sustained bass. Jumping to something completely different like the Human League's "Open Your Heart" and the results were arguably even more impressive. After the first few bars of arpeggiated bass synths, the song positively exploded as the shimmering keys flew around the earphones with the vocal sitting at the fore. Listening to The Stone Roses brooding "I Wanna Be Adored", and we were certain we were hearing guitar lines we never even knew were there before.

We then popped in the bass filters. We had been expecting an overwhelming, soggy jump in the low frequencies, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the filter instead softened and warmed the tone of the classical piece we were listening to (excuse our inability to name the score) and a few tracks from Daft Punk's "Homework" album. The range of tones retained a comfortable balance, tastefully and subtly shifting the lower frequencies ever-so-slightly to the front.

So, are they worth £1,000? That's not really the right question; are any headphones worth £1,000? Almost certainly not; come the inevitable nuclear zombie apocalypse it's a good fallout shelter and 20 years worth of tinned food that will seem like a good investment, not reference-grade, audiophile ear-pieces.

But that's not meant to undermine the luxurious allure of the AKG K3003 buds. They're for people who buy £1,000 items like they're buying a packet of crisps. And, to stretch the metaphor beyond its dubious limits, they're the best sounding packet of crisps that money can buy.

If you demand the very, very best from your earphones, and have a catalogue of lossless music files to fawn over, the AKG K3003s make the perfect companion. Just make sure you really think it over before you re-mortgage your house to get them.

If you've got the cash, you can pick up the AKG K3003 earphones from Harrods and select John Lewis stores.

Scroll down for some more images.

RELATED | VIDEO: £1,000 AKG K3003 in-ear headphones

From sub-woofers and surround speakers to 3D sound, the latest home system can add another dimension to your viewing experience, creating the ultimate night-in.

But it's not just about having the correct equipment; it's just as important to know how to set it up properly in your living space too, particularly if you've got a system with several speakers. Chris Moseley, AV Product Manager from Samsung Electronics, gives Tech Digest his top tips for making the most of your home entertainment.

1 - When watching a film or listening to music, the centre speaker is a very important part of a surround sound system. This is where all the dialogue will come from and can be a significant proportion of a films soundtrack. Ideally this should be at ear height, directly in front of the viewer / listener. However, this is also where the TV should be. So unless you're using a projector screen, placing the centre speaker just above or just below the TV is best

2 - Speakers should also be mounted on solid surfaces. Any flexible surfaces such as plastic or glass will absorb sound energy from the speakers and thus reduce the sound quality. If you do have to mount a speaker on a surface like this, insulate it with a small piece of rubber or even blue tack

3 - When listening to music, the front left and front right speakers should ideally be positioned so the sound comes from the centre (i.e. from the middle of the TV). To position them, try listening to a song with a single voice singing it. If the voice sounds like it's not central, move the speaker it's coming from most slightly backward (or the other speaker forward) until the desired effect is achieved. Please note that this may mean the speakers are not positioned symmetrically (and it is also unlikely that the furniture in your room isn't either), meaning the speakers are not likely to behave the same on different sides of the room

4 - Ideally, speakers should not be placed against walls. In practice this isn't always possible, but if you can place the speakers away from the outer wall you will get less reflected sounds and a clearer bass

5 - Subwoofers can also be hidden out of sight. Low frequency sound carries a lot of energy so can be heard through objects like sofas and other furniture

6 - Rear surround speakers should also be placed at ear height, directly opposite the front pair (or 15 - 20 degrees outside of them if possible). Sound will come from these to enhance effects such as moving vehicles, fast action or explosions

7 - Samsung 3D sound can further improve your surround sound experience. This is a Samsung technology that enhances the surround effects based upon the 3D effect being shown on the TV. The result is total immersion in the films picture and sound

Did you know?

So you've got it all in place, it looks good and you're ready to watch and listen. But is there anything you can do to enhance the experience? Well, soft furnishings, such as cushions, sofas, rugs etc can actually help to improve the sound quality, especially if your room has hard floors, plain walls and lots of windows.

Soft surfaces won't reflect the sound, reducing any potential echoing, giving the listener better clarity and able to hear more details.

Bose have wowed us in the past with their stereo systems, and now the audio specialists are looking to make an equally big impact in the compact home cinema space. Today they've announced the launch of the Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR soundbar systems for those looking to add a bit of audio grunt to their flatscreen set-ups.

"Most conventional soundbars are bulky and hard-to-place, or thin but unable to deliver lifelike sound," said Doug Lankford, Bose director.

"The new Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems deliver a powerful audio experience that defies their size and elegant design - whether you're watching a movie, playing a video game, or listening to music."

The soundbars both achieve this thanks to Bose's proprietary PhaseGuide sound radiator tech and TrueSpace digital processing. Despite being single speaker set-ups, audio image width is given a boost through FlexMount placement technology that compensates for speaker positioning.

As for the differences between the two systems, the CineMate 1 SR is a one-cable entry-level soundbar speaker, whereas the Lifestyle 135 is the complete system that includes a 4X HDMI console, iPod dock and radio tuner.

Both systems use the same 6.1x 93.5 x 12.4cm speaker bar, which can be table or wall mounted.

Out now, pricing for the Lifestyle 135 home entertainment system is £2,400 and the CineMate 1 SR is £1,300.

Bose may be best known for going bigger and better when it comes to their audio products, but they're going for a slightly different tact with their new SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker. A portable, durable unit, it's designed to bring high quality sound into an "on-the-go" form factor. We went hands-on at a preview event last night. Read on for our initial thoughts.

The SoundLink looks a treat. Available in two builds (one with a range of leather finishes and chrome edging, and a cheaper version with a nylon cover in a range of colours with matte edging), it's a neat speaker that has a slight retro feel to it. It's a little bit bigger than your average portable sound box, and a little bit on the heavy side too, but with quoted playback times of 8 hours from a single charge at average volume levels, it seems most of the weight may be down to a sizeable rechargeable battery on the inside.

It's also incredibly durable according to the Bose reps we spoke to. Though we didn't put it through the same rigorous tests Bose claim to have, the SoundLink can apparently survive hundreds upon hundreds of drops, and can take a soaking if left out in the rain for a short while. In a smart move, the front coloured covering also contains a sheet of aluminium to help protect the speaker grille when it magnetically snaps shut. The cover also folds back to act as a stand for the SoundLink, and even automatically swtiches the speaker off when it is closed.

A Bluetooth speaker, pairing your smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled device with the speaker is a piece of cake. It's simply a matter of hitting the Bluetooth button on the speaker and scanning for local Bluetooth devices on your mobile, and will work just as well with an Android, BlackBerry or Nokia phone as it would an iPhone. Surprisingy, there's no AirPlay support, though the Bluetooth pairing itself is more-or-less just as simple. There's no docking station here, and thus no charging of your music player, but even older, non-Bluetooth devices can be hooked up through a 3.5mm aux port on the back.

Most important of course however is the sound quality. For the most part this seemed very good indeed. Despite its size, the SoundLink can be cranked up to high volume levels using digital signal processing to avoid distortion. The trade off here is that compression becomes evident at higher volumes, capping the dynamic range of tracks somewhat. However, it was good to hear the super lows of Daft Punk's "Da Funk" blare out without clipping, and likewise the sharp highs of Del Shannon's "Runaway" surviving without too much scratching.

High performance then, but also at a high price; £259 for the nylon-covered model, and £299 for the premium LX version.

We'll have a full review shortly, so keep your peepers peeled.

Logitech are having a bit of a wireless frenzy at the moment. Just yesterday they brought their Wireless TouchPad to PC owner's attentions, and now they're also launching the Wireless BoomBox speaker system and Wireless Headset too.

The Wireless BoomBox is a portable player with its sights set on your smartphone or tablet. It's got Bluetooth connectivity for streaming your tunes from a distance of up to 10 metres, 8 custom designed sound drivers and a built-in battery good for 6 hours per charge.

Moving onto the Wireless Headset and again Logitech appear to be aiming for your mobile devices thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity, though any computer or games console that can use Bluetooth headsets will probably play nicely with it too. Laser tuned drivers, a noise cancelling microphone and another 6 hour battery round off the headset's feature list.

Both set for an October street date, the headset will cost you £54.99 and the BoomBox £129.

Name: Rocketfish Rocketboost Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit

Type: Wireless bridge for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound speakers

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £159.99 from Best Buy

Home cinema kits are all well and good for delivering that booming Hollywood sound, but they also cause more headaches than they're sometimes worth when it comes to leaving lengthy trails of unsightly wires around the room as you try to set up rear surround speakers. This Best Buy exclusive, the Rocketfish Rocketboost Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit, may however have an affordable answer to your wireless speaker woes.

Wireless home cinema systems seemed the future for surround sound in the home a few years back, but latency issues, high price tags and overall poor audio quality has made them on the whole somewhat rare relics these days. That's not to say that the demand for wireless speakers has declined, which is where the Rocketfish solution comes in.

The Rocketfish Rocketboost Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit (AKA the RF-RBKIT ) is made up of a sender and a stereo amp receiver, which Best Buy also sell as separately with the model number RF-RBREC.

Essentially, the two units create a wireless bridge between your home cinema receiver and the rear surround channels. Hookup the Rocketboost sender to the terminal posts in your AV receiver and switch both on after connecting the rear speakers themselves to the powered Rocketboost receiver at the rear of your viewing area. After a quick and painless pairing procedure, you're 5.1 surround speakers are blaring out audio without being directly connected to the main AV receiver you already own.

Now of course, this isn't truly wireless speaker territory here; you still need a power supply for the rear channel Rocketboost receiver, not to mention speaker cabling too. But what you are removing is the pain of running lengthy wires from the front of your home cinema gear to the rear of the 5.1 soundscape. You no longer have to hide leads under carpets, or pin them to the edge of skirting boards, instead just hiding it all instead (in what we'd assume is the usual viewing environment) behind the sofa.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that there'd be a considerable audio quality drop as a result of using such a system, but the undesirable effects are extremely minuscule. Set the sender to "HD" mode for Blu-ray flicks and you're still getting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD system audio with latency issues so minimal you'd have to be a bat (or the most demanding of audiophiles) to notice the difference. Audio is sent across the wireless bridge at 16-bits, 48 KHz, uncompressed PCM audio, and with the RF-RBREC being a 50W x 2 (into 6 ohms) amp, it'll pump out audio at a healthy level with great calrity. Grab another RF-RBREC unit and you're good to go for 7.1 surround, with a handy channel-lock switch setting the gain levels from each separate amp equally for a balanced sound.

The only potential issue is that each unit uses the 2.4GHz wireless channel, a pretty crowded frequency that tends to be interfered with easily by microwaves and cordless telephones. Though we had no issues during our testing, it's a problem that may rear its head in other households.

Overall it's a relatively simple concept that works very well, but the potential for the Rocketfish gear doesn't end there. The wireless audio line is fleshed out further by a handful of other products that you can pair with the Starter Kit and each other to create a full wireless audio network.

For starters, there's the RF-RBWS02 speaker. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, it's a bi-amplified speaker with both woofer and tweeters, rated at 22 Watts. Working as a standalone mono speaker, you can add another RF-RBWS02 and pair the two together for true stereo sound, receiving audio from any source connected to your newly-set up Rocketfish wireless network. They'll work from an AC power supply or from batteries. They're not reference-grade speakers, but offer a surprising punch, especially when in a pair as we heard at a preview event earlier in the year, and make for a particularly effective audio solution for barbecues and parties spilling outside.

The RF-RBWS02 speakers come packaged with the RBAUX wireless audio sender/receiver, which itself can also be bought individually. It can take line input stereo and transmit it wirelessly, but also has a line output, allowing it to serve a "Zone B" powered speaker system by pairing it with the RBKIT sender, or serve as a loop back to the line input.

If you've got the dough, your home can be turned into a wireless audio workhorse with the Rocketfish gear.

Verdict:

OK, so the "wireless" part of the Rocketboost kit might be a bit of a fib as technically you're going to need power and speaker cables for your surround channels. But the flexibility and scalability of the Rocketboost range is excellent, and comes as a highly recommended alternative to snaking lengthy cabling across your living room.

5.1 systems give a great cinematic boost to the audio of your flatscreen TV, but they're often big enough to dwarf the slimline-chic of modern paper-thin TVs. Wharfedale's DX-1 HCP 5.1 system promises big sound from a small, stylish package.

Size wise, you're getting four 19cm tall satellites, a 29cm long centre channel and a 335 x 285 x 320mm subwoofer.

Each satellite has a 19mm silk dome tweeter and 75mm mid and bass driver with a polypropylene cone, while the centre offers two 75mm woven PP cones.

The subwoofer houses a 200mm long-throw bass cone alongside a new-generation, 150W Class D amplifier.

"In the UK and around the world, there is high demand for compact 5.1 speaker systems that combine crisp, modern aesthetics with high-quality sound," said Peter Comeau, director of acoustic design for Wharfedale parent company IAG.

"In the DX-1 HCP we have incorporated elements from Wharfedale's award-winning Diamond 10 Series to deliver a high-value package that is not only a delight in the home, but also extremely enjoyable to listen to. Modern movie soundtracks are exceptionally demanding, but we've made sure that this package is tailor-made for the job."

Available in black or white, the Wharfedale DX-1 HCP is yours for £399.99 from the end of the month.

The annual IFA tech show in Berlin has come to a close for yet another year, after bringing plenty brand new gadgets and gizmos to the table to start saving for. It's a massive show, packed with everything from AV gear to mobile phones and home appliances, but we've sifted the wheat from the chaff to give you our highlights from Europe largest electronics expo. Here's Tech Digest's IFA Best in Show for 2011.

BEST TV: Sharp 8K4K Super High-Def TV

The TV that Tech Digest shall set as the high-watermark all others must aim for for the forseeable future, Sharp's 8K4K prototype was by far the most stunning screen we've ever seen, and our favourite item overall at this year's show. Though it's not going to be commercially available for at least the best part of a decade, we were treated to a jaw-dropping presentation of footage 16-times the pixel density of full HD 1080p. We felt sorry for all the TVs we had to check out at the show after seeing this one so early on, as none of the others stood a chance in comparison.

BEST SMARTPHONE/TABLET: Samsung Galaxy Note

Not a great show for tablets or smartphones, with Sony's offerings a little underwhelming and few other manufacturers making a splash. Samsung's Galaxy Note, while not everyone's cup of tea, at least attempted something slightly different, with its massive screen and stylus input. Jobs may have delcared the stylus dead with Apple's touchscreen devices, but Samsung quite rightly still see a place for digital note taking with an input pen.

BEST PROJECTOR: Epson EH-T9000W

If you've got a few grand to spare, Epson proved that having your very own 3D cinema experience in your living room is a relatively affordable reality this year. Showing off their first line of 3D projectors, the stunning visuals were made all the sweeter thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi smarts in the EH-T9000W top-end model.

BEST LAPTOP: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Who said Windows machines couldn't be as good-looking as Apple devices? Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook paired great looks and portability with supercharged power in a laptop that offered both i7 and SSD high-end configurations.

MADDEST GADGET: Jean-Michel Jarre's AeroDream One 11ft iPad dock

Jean-Michel Jarre; a man known equally for his pioneering electronic music and dazzling live light shows. He'll now also be known as the man behind the world's most ridiculous iPad dock, the 11ft tall AeroDream One. Tech Digest had the pleasure of talking to the French musical legend at IFA 2011 in the video above, where Jarre explains the inspiration behind his designs.

For more coverage from IFA 2011, click here.

JBL have updated their iPad speaker the system, the OnBeat, with the new OnBeat Xtreme dock. Showcased at IFA 2011, the OnBeat Xtreme lets you dock an iPad in either landscape or portrait angles, and offers crisp, room filling sound.

The OnBeat Xtreme also caters for wireless audio over Bluetooth, perfect for gamers looking to boost their iPad gaming audio while still holding the tablet in both hands. There's also a built-in speakerphone for giving FaceTime calls an extra volume injection.

Check it in action in the video above.

For our review of the earlier JBL OnBeat model, click here.

French electronic music maestro Jean-Michel Jarre had one of the most space age stands at this year's IFA 2011, showing off his latest range of Jarre Technologies Apple docks. Though the star of the show was the gigantic AeroDream One, he was also displaying his eqaully stylish AeroPad One and AeroPad Two docks.

Both are iPod, iPad and iPhone compatible, and each features the same chrome finishing as see in the larger dock. The AeroPad Two is the more powerful of the pair (pushing out 200W compared to the AeroPad One's 120W output) and is resultingly the more expensive of the pair at €699 with the AeroPad One €499.

Once you're done checking out Jarre's space-age docks, check out his truly mad AeroDream, 11ft iPad dock in our video interview with the electro pioneer himself.