Ruark are looking to resurrect the retro stylings of the radiograms of old with the Ruark Audio R7.

Taking its cues from the 1960s audio gear that can still be found collecting dust in nans' houses up and down the land (and worth a pretty penny if found in top-notch condition on the second hand market), Ruark have brought the concept up to date by adding wireless streaming into the mix.

An all-in-one 2.1 stereo system that can be either set standing on its supplied legs up popped onto a table of into an audio cabinet with the included puck feet, the R7 supports aptX Bluetooth, DLNA streaming, integrated Wi-Fi, DAB, FM and internet radio, as well as having a disc drive for CD playback. Rounding off the modern-day features is a charge port for tablets and smartphones, while standard dual stereo analogue inputs, digital optical and digital coaxial input connections are also included.

Finished with real walnut wood, the R7's speaker system makes use of two 5.5-inch dual concentric drivers, with a centrally mounted tweeter within the mid-bass driver, alongside an 8-inch subwoofer. Ruark's Class A-B amps complete the system, delivering 160 watts of power.

Looking very stylish, the R7 is inevitably pretty pricey too. Ruark will be selling the system for around £2,000 when it launches in Autumn. And remember to factor in the price of some formica furniture and a mirrored drinks cabinet if you're looking to complete the 60's chic look too.

High-end audio manufacturers Bang & Olufsen have launched their first dedicated 5.1 surround sound system, the BeoLab 14.

Consisting of a subwoofer and five satellites, they're primarily made from aluminium, giving the round speakers (sitting on the end of aluminium poles) a retro sci-fi aesthetic. Those poles can be adjusted in height, while the speaker units themselves can be detached for wall mounting or even hung upside down from the ceiling.

The system will be sold in two separate packages, one intended for owners of Bang & Olufsen televisions that comes with only four satellites and the sub (with the B&O TV's own built-in audio making up the centre channel) and a package intended for all other AV enthusiasts, with a standard 5.1 configuration. "It's a balance between the fight between the designer and the sound engineer," said CEO Tue Mantoni at the system's launch in London.

"It's for someone who want's great sound, but does not want technology to take over their home. It's been a wish for the designer side of our team to create a product that is well designed, without any seams or join lines, and without comprising on audio quality. In terms of manufacture we start with a solid piece of aluminium and are able to avoid welding lines as a result."In terms of tech specs, the system makes use of a 280-watt subwoofer with a downward-facing 8-inch driver, housed in a cone-like casing, with five separate 140-watt amplifiers for the satellites. Low-end frequencies hit 26hz. Each satellite is houses 2.5-inch active treble and midrange drivers, with the whole unit measuring just 16-cm in diameter. As you'd expect from Bang & Olufsen, a selection of different coloured speaker grilles allow you to customise the look to suit your home preferences.

In typical Bang & Olufsen fashion, the systems don't come cheap. Starting at £2495 for the 4.1 system and rising to £2,795 for the full 5.1 set-up, they become available as of today from Bang & Olufsen dealerships. The optional stands themselves cost an additional £190 a pair, so start saving those pennies.

Creative Labs want to be at the centre of your picnic party this summer, toady revealing a new line of wireless speakers. Both the Creative Airwave HD and Airwave speakers offer NFC connectivity, allowing music fans to pair their NFC-enabled devices to the speaker units simply by tapping the two gadgets together.

Available in a range of colours (red, blue, pink, green and black) and coming with a distinctive triangular design there's a number of small but significant details separating the two.

Despite being the smaller of the pair, the Creative Airwave HD is the larger of the two speakers, thanks to its Creative Super Charged Amplifier (SCA), giving it output and quality "superior to speakers twice its size". Supporting aptX and AAC codecs, it's good for 7 hours from a single charge of its built-in Li-Ion battery pack.

The larger Creative Airwave uses two full-range drivers without the SCA, and has a beefier battery life of 12 hours.

"Here at Creative, we take a total design approach that encompasses both audio and aesthetics," said Mac Aw, Director for Worldwide Marketing at Creative Technology Ltd.

"In keeping with modern trends in industrial design, we've incorporated a bold triangular design into this year's product lineup. We also understand that in today's fast-paced world, the average consumer can be stressed and pressed for time. That's why with the introduction of the Creative Airwave HD and the Creative Airwave wireless speakers, we paid special attention to ensure the speakers are the simplest, most hassle-free companions for any phone or tablet."

Launching in June, expect to pay £129.99 for the Creative Airwave HD speaker, and £89.99 for the Airwave unit.

Sony have launched a pair of angular new speakers today, in the shape of the Sony CMT-BT80WB and CMT-BT60B.

Though both offer standard Bluetooth wireless connectivity, each also houses an NFC connections, allowing you to simply tap an NFC-enabled music device against the speaker in order to initiate pairing.Each also offers DAB and FM radio tuners, USB input and mobile device charging ports and a 3.5mm jack, with the apt-X codec and AAC music files supported by the 40W speakers. Measuring 481 x 202 x 86mm each also boasts audio boosting technologies including Bass Boost and DSEE.

What seperates the two? Wi-Fi and Airplay connectivity, which are available on the CMT BT80WB only, adding easy Apple device syncing and DLNA connectivity into the mix.

Hitting stores in May, there's no pricing yet to share. We'll keep you posted.

LG are set to add Spotify music streaming to their connected home cinema systems.

Plenty of LG's web connected Blu-ray players and speaker systems from 2013 will be getting the new Spotfy app, set to launch in April. No word yet however on whether it will hit the company's Smart TV line up too.

The Spotify app joins BBC iPlayer, Netflix, LoveFilm and a host of other web services on the company's ever-growing smart platform.

Craig West, Head of Marketing, LG Consumer Electronics UK, said:

"LG's Smart platform provides unparalleled choice for consumers and the addition of Spotify demonstrates LG's continued commitment to growing the brand's Smart offering for consumers. We are confident that LG Smart media owners will enjoy these latest services, as well as the fantastic updates we have planned for the rest of the year."

"It's our mission to make all the world's music available instantly to everyone, everywhere, so we're delighted to partner with LG to make our music service available on their smart media devices", added Kate Opekar, Director, hardware business development at Spotify.

"Spotify wants to be at the heart of the home entertainment experience, so it's a natural fit to make our music service available on blu-ray players and home cinema systems."

The LG products set to get the Spotify update are the BH9430PW, BH7530TW, BH7430P, BH7130C, BH6730S, BH6430P, BH6230S, BP730, BP630 and the BP530R.

Those looking to use the Spotify app will need to be signed up for a premium account, which will set you back £9.99 a month and offer unlimited mobile and desktop streaming of Spotify's music catalogue, as well as the ability to download albums as offline playlists.

Bowers & Wilkins have lifted the covers off two wireless music systems today, the brand new Z2 and a revamped Zeppelin Air model. Both support Apple's Wireless Airplay streaming standard, and include the new Lightning connector dock for the iPhone 5

Looking first at the Z2 (pictured above), it'll be available in black and white and is the more compact of the two, supporting the latest generation iPhone, iPod touch and iPod nano devices, as well as older iOS kit including all iPads through its wireless streaming tech.

A curved metal grille lends the device a subtle design that should fit in almost anywhere around the house, while B&W's proprietary Flowport tech helps the unit deliver satisfying bass.

The Z2 in black will launch in April, while the white version touches down in June. Both will cost £329.99.The refreshed Zeppelin Air is more or less identical to its predecessors, though now sports the Lightning connector dock rather than old-style 30-pin connector.

That blimp-like shape is still present, and with the circuitry and drivers from previous generations of the Zeppelin Air apparently left untouched, it looks set again to deliver solid audio performance.

The revamped Zeppelin Air will become available in June, priced at £499.99.

For more on the Bowers & Wilkins range, click here.

Name: Orbitsound M9

Type: Wireless Bluetooth soundbar

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: Available from March 2013 at £299.99 direct from Orbitsound

Orbitsound pop wireless Bluetooth streaming into the new M9 soundbar, just one of many new improvements made to the company's already-excellent soundbar range. But can the tweaks and new features of the M9 justify a price tag 50% more expensive than its predecessor? Read on to find out!

Orbitsound blew us away last year with their diminutive T9 soundbar, which achieved a perfect score in our review. A compact speaker unit that was just as well suited to supporting a home cinema set up as it was blasting out your favourite tunes from its iPod dock, it was a real bargain at £199. Orbitsound has now followed it up with the new-and-improved M9 speaker, which irons out the few kinks that were present in the T9 whilst adding a few brand new features too.

Pairing both a soundbar and subwoofer together again, at first glance the M9 looks very similar to its T9 predecessor. Only marginally bigger at 300mm x 90mm x 100mm for the soundbar and 345mm x 140mm x 230 mm for the subwoofer, it's again an all-black finish (gloss on the soundbar, matte on the subwoofer), with a pop-off front metal grille exposing the soundbar's speakers if you prefer. Though pre-production units don't have it, the M9 will ship with an LED light behind the grille to help indicate power state and remote control inputs.

However, there's a significant and notable difference with the M9. The new model has ditched the T9's iPod dock in favour of a wireless Bluetooth connection. This means that any device with a Bluetooth connection can quickly be paired with the M9 and stream audio wirelessly to it. While the T9 was great for iPhones and iPods thanks to its dock, users of other smartphones or MP3 devices had to make do with the 3.5mm jack. Though that 3.5mm port is still present, Bluetooth support makes the M9 far more flexible overall, especially for tablet users.On top instead of the dock then is a new control panel, with buttons which let you switch audio sources (the active source is indicated by a light next to its name), activate Bluetooth pairing, control volume and put the soundbar into standby mode.

If Bluetooth streaming isn't an option for you, Orbitsound still squeeze in a number of other connections on the rear of the M9 soundbar, including optical, AUX and the aforementioned 3.5mm. That optical port will be useful for anyone looking to hook up a digital audio source such as a Blu-ray player, but we still miss the presence of a HDMI pass-through. You'll also find a power switch on the back.Likewise, the subwoofer is now a 2.4GHz wireless unit too (aside from its power cable, of course), meaning it can be popped anywhere in a room. It's also now an active side-firing subwoofer unit compared to the T9's passive sub, giving it a bit more oomph than its predecessor and a more stable sound at higher volume levels. With the wireless support allowing the subwoofer to sit around 15 metres from the M9 soundbar, Orbitsound have sensibly put an independent volume knob on the back of the subwoofer, letting you tweak its output to be appropriate to its surroundings and distance from the soundbar. A "normal" setting is marked too however, which should be suitable for most scenarios, though we wish the dial had this off-centre point notched so that we could find it without having to get behind the subwoofer. There's also an independent power switch for the subwoofer on the back too.Even the remote control is improved, feeling weightier than its predecessor, and offering track selection controls and play/pause control over connected Bluetooth devices. We still find the buttons themselves a little cheap, and would rather had a remote that matches the feel of the soundbar's new top-mounted control panel, but it's still better than what went before.

There are a handful of other improvements over the T9 too. The M9 now saves fine-tuned audio tweaks to treble and bass settings (carried out by the remote control) when the power is switched off, something the T9 annoyingly didn't. Also, if you've been blasting out tunes for a party at a ridiculous volume the night before, the M9 will now sensibly dial back the volume to a more gentle level the next time its switched on. It'll even go into a low-power standby mode automatically if it's left switched on for a time without outputting any sound.Sonically, the M9 continues to impress. Like its predecessor it is able to hit ridiculously high volumes regardless of its compact size. Packing in twin 2.5-inch mid-high drivers, two full range "spacial generators" (we'll talk about them in a second), a single 1-inch tweeter and a new digital amp capable of 200W output, it uses new programming to reduce distortion even at the highest volume levels. Also, despite being wireless, the use of high-gain antennas mean there's next to no delay, with the soundbar and subwoofer staying in sync between an inaudible 10ms delay. The sub's 6.5-inch driver also delivers meaty low levels, staying composed even at higher volumes.

The Orbitsound brand's key audio draw though is its patented Spatial Stereo technology, again present in the M9. As well as speakers housed in the soundbar facing forwards, there are two more "spatial generators" placed in the sides pointing left and right. Along with some clever audio processing, they give the effect of a stereo sound no mater where you are in relation to the soundbar. It's a system we've praised in the past, and it continues to impress here.Listening to a range of music, the Orbitsound M9 handles all genres magnificently. From the crashing drums of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead's 'Worlds Apart' album to the shimmery electro of Crystal Castles and onto the subtle piano runs of Debussy, it's a warm, evenly balanced sound with detailed highs and comfortable, enveloping lows. If you prefer a little more bass or more treble, the hardware knob on the back of the subwoofer and fine-tuning tweaks offered by the remote will suit your needs well. It's also a great unit for beefing up TV and movie output. That subwoofer adds some real punch to explosive action scenes, while voices sit clearly at the front.

Verdict

Orbitsound continue to impress with the M9 soundbar. Wireless technologies are implemented well, while numerous other small improvements over last year's T9 model, including saved audio preferences and an improved remote, along with the consistently superb Spatial Stereo technology, make it easy to recommend. Its significantly higher price tag of £299 (£100 more expensive than the T9 launched at), means that the outgoing T9 isn't made obsolete yet, and will likely now drop to bargain prices. However, the convenience and flexibility of a Bluetooth connection will certainly make the new M9 highly sought after, and it'd still be £299 well spent when compared to the competition.

Name: JBL Soundfly Air

Type: AirPlay wireless speaker

Specifications: Click here for full specs

Price: £159.95 from the Apple Store

The JBL Soundfly Air is one of the only truly wireless speakers out there, plugging directly into a wall without a power cable. It's a unique speaker, but will its niche design limit its appeal? Read our full review to find out!

At first glance, the Soundfly Air seems like the ideal compact home speaker. Plugging directly into a wall socket, it does away with a universal hate of all gadget fans: the untold wires that have to trail around a house. Here, there's no power cable, nor any speaker cabling or exposed ports to attach iPods or other MP3 players. It's all housed within the speaker itself, with music streamed over Wi-Fi and Apple's AirPlay wireless standard.

It's a positive start that extends to the Soundfly Air's aesthetics. Relatively compact in size and looking a bit like a large glasses case for a Star Wars Stormtrooper, the speaker has curved white casing and a black fabric covered speaker grille, a subtle design that should see it fit in nicely in most home decor situations. An illuminated JBL logo on the speaker grille glows white while the speaker is switched on, and a subtle touch-sensitive Wi-Fi logo sits embedded in the white plastic shell, used in the set-up process and glowing green or amber depending on whether or not its paired with an Apple audio device.Set up is simple. Plug the Soundfly Air into a spare wall socket and then leave your finger on the flashing Wi-Fi logo for a few seconds. This then makes the speaker discoverable to Apple products, letting you connect to the JBL speaker's own network. From here, you enter a URL provided with the speaker into your browser to load up a settings page, pair the speaker with your personal home Wi-Fi network and then select the speaker through the AirPlay menu of your chosen Apple device. If that two minute set-up process sounds like hard work (and it really isn't), JBL also have provided a set-up app to make things even simpler, requiring you only pop off the speaker grille and plug your iPod, iPhone or iPad into the USB port underneath and then follow a series of prompts on your iDevice screen. Once set up, you can wirelessly stream songs from iTunes or apps like Spotify without a hitch, with the speaker's wireless range good for around ten metres.

Sonically, the speaker performs relatively well. It's not a match for a dedicated Hi-Fi system, but holds its own against the likes of the Jambox, making it well suited for a bedroom or kitchen set up. It goes incredibly loud though too, meaning it'll serve a party well enough in a fix. Though a little flat and heavy on the mid ranges, the speaker handles most types of music well. From the electro, bass heavy synth sounds of Kavinsky's Nightcall to Dusty Springfield's Son of a Preacher Man, what the Soundfly Air lacked in detail it made up for with punch.However, this is a speaker that certainly won't fit the needs of everyone. For starters, though small for the sound it produces, the Soundfly Air juts out a few inches from a wall, meaning it won't fit tucked away in discrete places. More importantly perhaps is the fact that its width is such that it'll almost certainly cover a second plug socket if it is sat in a double wall fixture. It means you may need to attach an extension plug in some scenarios, somewhat defeating the point of the "no leads" design.

The upward-facing speakers also mean that you'll want to place the Soundfly Air in a position where there's no obstructions above or to its sides in order to project the sound most effectively. Considering most UK plug sockets sit in the corner of rooms (or below kitchen counters, with the kitchen being the room we see this speaker best suited for) it may dampen how expansive the Soundfly Air's audio can get.

Verdict:

There's something about the unique design of the Soundfly Air that we really love. It's a compact, tidy home speaker system that has decent sound and a simple set up process with reliable AirPlay connectivity. The problem is going to be finding someone with the niche need for a wall-mounted speaker when there are so many more flexible options out there. At its £160 price point, there are many similar wireless speakers that offer the added flexibility of a rechargeable battery, not to mention line-in support for older music devices. If it suits your needs, the Soundfly Air will be a great addition to your home audio line up, but we feel there will be few who will match its narrow user criteria.

Beats, quickly becoming the most-recognisable (and most visible) headphones brand on the market, have been branching out of the headwear game since breaking from their partners at Monster. The latest fruits to come forth from the Dr Dre-endorsed brand is the Beats Pill portable wireless speaker, set to go toe-to-toe with the Jambox and Bose Soundlink for space in your picnic basket as the summer months approach. We had a quick play at an Amazon Summer Wish List event held in London earlier today. Here's our initial thoughts.

As its name suggests, the Beats Pill shares similar looks with any painkilling capsule that we all become all-too-well acquainted with on a Saturday morning after a heavy night on the town. A mixture of white plastics with red highlights, and with a white metal grille covering the speakers themselves, it's an attractive speaker that sticks with the Beats brand's signature aesthetics. It also comes with a form-fitting carry case, protecting the speaker should you be dragging it around carelessly in a bag.

Roughly the same size as a remote control (though built in a more cylindrical shape), it's surprisingly weighty in the hand, giving it a reassuringly sturdy feel.
The Beats Pill can connect to a smartphone or other audio source in one of three ways. Firstly, there's the standard Bluetooth connection, activated by hitting the Beats logo on the speaker's front. Secondly, there's a 3.5mm audio-in jack on the back for hooking up devices without Bluetooth (accompanied by an audio-out port). Thirdly, and most excitingly, is NFC support. Hit the Beats button on the front to activate Bluetooth, then tap your NFC-enabled device against the Beats Pill and you'll instantly pair the two together - no need to dig around in Bluetooth pairing menus.

On the rear you'll also find a USB charging port, as well as a power button. The Beats Pill is said to be good for around 7 hours of use per charge - not bad for a portable speaker this size, but not class leading either. Keep in mind that this is the manufacturer's quoted battery lifespan - we're looking to do a full review of the Beats Pill soon and we'll be able to confirm or dismiss these claims then, so check back soon.

Of course, being a 2.1 speaker, the Beats Pill will need to impress on the audio front, and our short time with the speaker was a positive initial listen. Hitting surprisingly loud volume levels for a device so small, the Beats Pill seems tuned slightly more neutrally than Beats headphones. A portable speaker this size will always struggle to produce bass to match larger home speakers or over ear cans, but with the Beats Pill it results in a sound more flexible than its over-ears stable mates. The speaker looks to be just as good a fit for softer, folkier music and guitar-based sounds as well as the hip-hop and dance genres that Beats devices are usually tuned for.

Available now from Amazon.co.uk in white, black and red, the Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker costs £169.95. We'll be looking to conduct a full in-depth review in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled for our final verdict and score.

Name: Onkyo CR-N755 networked Hi-Fi receiver

Type: Networked Hi-Fi receiver

Review Model Specifications: Click here for full specs

Price: Around £250

Moving swiftly with the times, Onkyo's CR-N755 Hi-Fi receiver offers a full suite of online audio sources to enjoy. Read on to find out exactly why this forward-thinking receiver should be on your wishlist.

From smartphones to tablets to computers to games consoles, we're spoilt for choice as to where to play our tunes from these days. And with so many of these devices being web connected, there's no end of music streaming and online radio services to take advantage of too. Whereas some home audio brands seem lost in this deluge of networked options, Onkyo has thrown itself headfirst into the new networked era, and the company's CR-N755 is all the better for it.

The CR-N755 ticks pretty much every box you'd want ticked by a modern receiver. As well as standard functionality like a CD player and FM and AM radio tuners, its networked capabilities open up access to all manner of online streaming services, with the receiver also playing nicely with files loaded onto USB sticks or those piped over the air from a DLNA compatible device. Though not included out of the box, you can add on additional Bluetooth and iPhone/iPod docking modules too if your wallet allows for it, letting you blast tracks from all sorts of mobile devices through the CR-N755 too. It's a comprehensive offering.

Though we reviewed the CR-N755 as a standalone unit (priced in the region of £250 depending on the retailer), Onkyo also package the receiver with a pair of their D-055 speakers too for an extra £150 as the CS-N755 mini Hi-Fi system. If you've got a pair of speakers from another brand you're happy with though there's nothing stopping you hooking them up to the lone receiver and saving yourself a bit of cash.Onkyo get things off to a good start with the impressive build quality of the CR-N755. Sturdy and stylish (available in both black and brushed aluminium finishes), there's a large volume knob on the left hand side and sizeable scrolling LED display panel to the right, with the slide-out disc tray sitting flush underneath the display. Playback, tone, input and return buttons click satisfyingly in the chassis, while a smaller dial lets you toggle through menu options. Alongside these front-facing controls is also a headphone jack and a USB port (which can also be used for hooking up an iPhone or iPod if you don't fancy nabbing the dock).

Spin the CR-N755 around and you'll find a wealth of connection options including two analogue stereo inputs and a single stereo output, coaxial and optical digital audio inputs, a subwoofer pre-out and a 3.5mm minijack input. A second USB port also sits on the back, presumably intended for Onkyo's UWF-1 wireless LAN adapter or the UBT-1 Bluetooth adapter, seeing as these would likely be left connected rather than having you reach behind the unit every time you're looking to plug a storage device in.

Also on the rear can be found an Ethernet port, which represents our one main gripe with the CR-N755. It's the only out-of-the-box way to get the receiver online, other than grabbing the sold-separately and aforementioned UWF-1 wireless LAN adapter. For a receiver that sees its main draw as internet audio services, we'd have been happy to pay an extra premium for built in Wi-Fi rather than be tethered to a wired connection.

But what a wide selection of internet audio services they are! Onkyo have offered a fine array of tune providers here, including Last.fm, Spotify, Simfy, AUPEO! and MP3tunes, not to mention vTuner which opens the receiver up to untold internet radio stations. Though DAB is omitted, there's little there that isn't covered by this plethora of other services and online stations.What does become a bit of a problem though is menu navigation and text input for these online services. Though all menus can be navigated and login details entered through the receiver's dials and buttons, it's a laborious process. The included remote control is sturdy, comfortable to use and superb for controlling playback, but little better when it comes to setting up the likes of Last.fm. Thankfully, Onkyo offer a free, clean and simple-to-use smartphone app for Android and iPhone users which removes any control clunkiness, making the set-up and browsing processes of internet services much, much more intuitive. However, if you've still yet to jump onboard the smartphone revolution, you're going to have a headache controlling some of the elements on offer here.

Sonically, the CR-N755 is just as impressive as its feature list is long. Packing in a Three-Stage Inverted Darlington amp (the same circuitry found in their A/V kits) the CR-N755 can blast out two 22w channels at incredibly high volume without distorting. A 192kHz/24-bit audio DAC, symmetrical channel layout and gold-plated speaker posts all work together to keep interference to a minimum and to deliver a clear sound, while Phase-matching Bass Boost and Advanced Music Optimizer capabilities mean even compressed digital files sparkle. This all comes together wonderfully, resulting in a deep and warm bass response, dynamic mids and highs that are detailed without ever being harsh and smooth vocals from the default EQ settings. It's a nice, balanced mix, meaning that you'll be unlikely to need to tinker with the tone settings too much.

Verdict:

The CR-N755 is the modern Hi-Fi receiver done right. Oozing with features and countless audio source options, it's let down only by its lack of a built-in wireless connection. It's only a slight hiccup though in an otherwise comprehensive package, a receiver that sounds and looks as good as it is flexible. Great stuff.

Bang and Olufsen, purveyors of audio gear for those with gold-plated ears, have revealed at CES 2013 their new BeoLab 15 and BeoLab 16 speakers and Amplifier 1, which sit embedded inside a wall to finally physically deliver Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound".

Each BeoLab 15 uses a pair of motorised midrange and tweeter units that can move in and out of their wall placements, as well as a 3-inch midrange and 3/4-inch twetter. The whole unit can be tilted up by 45-degrees mechanically, letting you direct sound to specific parts of the room, though a cheaper alternative may be just to buy some regular speakers and, you know, move them with your hands.

The BeoLab 16 acts as the system's subwoofer, with four 4-inch woofers, while the Amplifier 1 has six separate amps.

When switched off, the new Bang and Olufsen units look simply like a few UFO toys stuck to the wall, and it's certainly a snazzy bit of kit. Whether "snazzy" is worth the $4595 asking price however is a question that someone of my meagre means is unqualified to answer.

Click here for more news from CES 2013

Tis the season to be jolly, and nothing makes us happier than some cracking festive tunes blaring out of soe top-notch audio gear.

We've been trawling through the Tech Digest archives from the past twelve months to help pick out some of our favourite home audio gear from 2012. There's plenty to pick from here for all sorts of situations and prices to match all wallet sizes. If you're looking for a gift for a music lover this Christmas, you're sure to find something that fits the bill here!Orbitsound T9 SoundbarOrbitosound's tiny T9 soundbar was one of our audio highlights of the year at Tech Digest. In our full five star review's final verdict, we said that:

The Orbitsound T9 ticks almost every box for a soundbar. Room-filling, crystal-clear and spacious sound is complemented by a balanced subwoofer, all in a package small enough to fit into even the most cramped of AV set-ups. The Spatial Stereo technology continues to impress, and though it's a shame that high-quality Blu-ray sources aren't better catered for through HDMI, there are plenty of connectivity options to counteract that. Take into account the relatively low £199.99 price too and the T9 quickly climbs to the top of the soundbar pile. Great stuff.

Pick it up for £199 direct from Orbitsound.

Sonos SUB wireless subwooferIf you're already the lucky owner of one of Sonos's superb wireless music systems, and are looking to boost the speaker set's bass performance, look no further than their SUB wireless subwoofer. A monolithic, stylish beast finished in gloss black, it looks like its landed straight out of a sci-fi flick and delivers stomach rumbling bass levels. It's expensive, and it only works with other Sonos gear, but it's the best upgrade owners of the wireless gear can make. We awarded it four stars in its full review back in June.

Grab it here.

Otone Audio Aporto portable speakersIf you need a pair of speakers to beef up your laptop's audio capabilities, but are also in the market for a portable speaker set, check out the Aporto speakers from Otone Audio. Working off batteries or powered by USB in a desktop set-up, they feature a really smart design that sees the two speakers and central control unit combine into a baton shape, or separate up for a wider stereo effect through the use of a spring-back bungee cable.

Cheap as chips at £34.99 direct from Otone Audio.

Sennheiser RS 220 wireless headphones
If it's a wireless headphone set-up you're looking to bestow upon someone this Christmas, make sure you've got the Sennheiser RS 220 wireless headphones on your shopping list. In our five star review back in April, we said that:

Everything about the Sennheiser RS 220 wireless headphones oozes quality. From the smart design to the comfortable weight and fit, they're a product very much worthy of their premium pricing. Sounding just as great as they look, with clever features like the charging station built into the base, they're a joy to use. It's not a particularly cluttered market when it comes to wireless headphones, but the RS 220s would shine even if it were. If you're after both convenience and superb sound quality, Sennheiser's latest effort should be at the top of your wish list.

They're priced at £349.99 from Audio Affair.

Klipsch Image S4i Rugged sports earphones
If you're buying a gift for a marathon man or fitness freak, Klipsch's Image S4i Rugged sports earphones offer both a hard-wearing build quality and a defined, pleasurable sound. In our four star review back in September, we said that:

Though they lack the aural subtlety of previous Image line earphones, Klipsch's latest rugged earphones offer both a sturdy sound and sturdy finish, making them ideal work-out fodder. They'll take more of a beating than your average earphones and, with a sound quality fitting of their £90 pricing, will feel like a marked upgrade on the bargain-bucket earphones you may otherwise chose to face the rigours of your exercise regime. A revised model with a more refined sound and smaller remote would be welcome, but they're small faults in the Image S4i Rugged earphones that otherwise deliver on their promises.

Click here for more info.

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay B9 speaker
If you're after something for the music fanatic who has everything, and have cash to burn, check out the $2,699 Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay B9 speaker.

Shaped like a giant satellite dish, it crams in a 2.1 bass reflex loudspeaker alongside five dedicated speaker units for a room-filling 480 watts of power.Breaking those audio components down, the BeoPlay A9 uses two 3/4-inch tweeters and two 3-inch midrange units. These are driven by 80-watt class D amplifiers, while a sizeable 8-inch, 160 watt bass unit, powered by its own class D amplifier, provides rumbling lows.

Controlling the speaker is as stylish as its design is, with a simple swipe across an edge-placed sensor adjusting volume levels. Placing a hand on the top of the speaker mutes the device.

Visit the Bang & Olufsen website for more info.

Bose SoundLink Air

Bose's first Apple AirPlay-enabled device, the SoundLink Air lets you stream music directly from Apple devices, including iPods, iPhones, Macs and iPads. Using Bose's waveguide speaker technology to deliver punchy-but-detailed sound, it can also be used on-the-go thanks to a rechargeable battery pack, though it's a sold-separately add-on.

£299.95 direct from Bose.

Onkyo CR-N755 Mini Hi-Fi
Onkyo's latest networked Mini Hi-Fi has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. As well as playing back CDs, tracks stored on USB thumbsticks and FM, AM and online radio stations, its web connected capabilities allow it to access Spotify playlists, Last.fm, AUPEO!, and vTuner as well as MP3s, FLAC and other lossless audio files through DLNA support. Onkyo offer free Android and iOS apps to make controlling the stereo easy as pie too. Looking more closely at its audio specifications the CR-N755 is also kitted out with 96 kHz/24-bit optical and coaxial digital inputs and a 192 kHz/24-bit DAC for high-resolution audio, perfect for hooking up a laptop or TV, as well as WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology), the Three-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry and VLSC noise-mitigation technology for the best possible audio playback quality.

Onkyo also offer optional D-055 2-way speakers to go with the Hi-Fi. They're fitted with high quality N-OMF (Onkyo Micro Fibre) speaker cones, with moulded layers of aramid and lightweight non-woven cotton to provide "the perfect balance of stiffness and sensitivity required for fast and accurate response."

You can grab the CR-N755 in either silver or black for £300, or cough up an extra £150 to have the D-055 2-way speaker pair thrown in too. Grab one from this Amazon seller for the slightly cheaper price of £275.

Sonos have updated their controller app for iOS devices to improve its wireless streaming capabilities.

iPhone, iPod and iPad users running iOS 6 will be able to stream tracks direct from their devices iTunes library. Prior to the update, users either had to invest in a £100 iPhone dock to access tracks on their iDevices, have tracks stored locally on a networked hard drive or use Sonos's cloud-based music streaming providers such as Spotify or Napster.

Now, so long as the songs you're looking to play aren't DRM protected, you'll be able to fire them over the air straight to your Sonos speaker systems. The same goes for podcasts, bringing Sonos up to Apple AirPlay-like standards for iOS users.

"Simple, clean, and seamless, favourite tracks and artists are available instantly in multi room Hi-Fi sound, putting an end to situations where music may sometimes never leave an iPhone or iPad," reads the Sonos press release.

No word yet on whether Android users will get similar features added, but we'll keep you posted. The new iOS update however should be rolling out now.

Never ones to shy away from making a "tech as fashion statement" piece, Bang & Olufsen have just revealed their most space-aged speaker yet, the B&O BeoPlay B9.

Shaped like a giant satellite dish, it crams in a 2.1 bass reflex loudspeaker alongside five dedicated speaker units for a room-filling 480 watts of power.

Breaking those audio components down, the BeoPlay A9 uses two 3/4-inch tweeters and two 3-inch midrange units. These are driven by 80-watt class D amplifiers, while a sizeable 8-inch, 160 watt bass unit, powered by its own class D amplifier, provides rumbling lows.

Controlling the speaker is equally stylish, with a simple swipe across an edge-placed sensor adjusting volume levels. Placing a hand on the top of the speaker mutes the device.

Keeping cabling to a minium, the BeoPlay B9 is fully compatible with AirPlay and DLNA wireless streaming standards, though there are also line-in and USB ports for connecting devices without wireless functionality.

A few customisation options are available too, letting you swap out the leg stands for either oak, beech or teak finishes, while fabric coverings for the dish itself are available in brown, green, silver, white and black shades.

You're looking at around $2,699 for this premium speaker set from the Bang & Olufsen store.

Ah; Jarre Technologies. If there's one audio gear manufacturer you can rely upon to deliver something truly outlandish, it's them. Headed up by French electro pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, they're today showing off their Jarre Aeroskull.

And yep, as their name suggests, they're shaped like a creepy, sunglass-wearing skull.
Available in 11 colours including red, silver and purple, each houses two 15 Watt speakers behind the lenses of the skull's eyewear, and a 40 Watt subwoofer around the back. Enough to rattle one's bones, presumably.

Offering Bluetooth connectivity, a 3.5mm jack and an Apple dock for iPhones and iPods (though you'll need a Lightning connector adapter for iPhone 5 and 2012's iPod line up), each skull weighs 4.5KG and comes with an IR remote.Priced at £349, the Jarre Aeroskull speakers hit the UK in October, just in time for Halloween!

We caught up with Jean-Michel Jarre at IFA last year in Berlin, where he was showing off his insane, 15-foot AeroDream iPad dock. Check out the interview in the video below:

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Onkyo have revealed their DS-A5 dock, which allows you to add Apple's AirPlay media streaming capabilities to old home cinema receivers and Hi-Fi kits.

The DS-A5 has an Ethernet port for cabled internet connectivity, as well as Wi-Fi options, letting you stream content from both mobile Apple devices and PCs or Macs with iTunes.

Stereo phono audio outputs, optical audio out and a composite video out socket also allow for standard definition video to be pumped to a big screen.

There's also a direct digital connector for iPhones (but not the iPhone 5), iPad and iPod touch (again, not this month's recent updated ones).

An RI connection on the dock also allows compatible Onkyo kit to connect to iPhone's iPads and iPod Touch devices, letting you boot up your audio gear from standby by tapping the AirPlay icon on the iGadgets. A dedicated remote lets you control docked Apple devices too.

The dock can also be hooked up to non-Onkyo home cinema kit, but you loose the benefits of RI connectivity.

Available now, you can pick it up for £150.

Apple's new iPhone 5 and iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle models for 2012 were revealed last night, and all proved super-slim thanks to the use of a new Lightning connection for data transfer and charging.

Smaller than the standard 30-pin connection that's been a standard on Apple products for a decade, many feared that the Lightning connection would make their old stereo docks and accessories obsolete due to the size difference, but Apple promised that a £25 adapter for older kit would prevent such woes.

It now seems as though that may not be the case. Even if you do buy the 30-pin-to-Lightning adapter, some docking stations and accessories will not be compatible.

The problem lies with the way the Lightning connection handles signals. Lightning isn't capable of outputting an analogue signal, meaning that any kit that takes an analogue signal won't work. Worryingly, that's quite a large number of them.

The Apple website itself states that "some 30-pin accessories are not supported", and outright admits that "video and iPod Out [are] not supported" by the adapter.

The only possible solution would be that tucked away inside that tiny adapter is an even tinier DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Convertor). But at just £25, we think that's unlikely.

We're reaching out to Apple about this now, and will update when we hear word back.

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Philips have ben making radios since way back in the 1920s, and they're putting all those years of audio experience to good use in the retro-inspired Original Radio series, revealed at IFA 2012 today.

In terms of design, they take their cues from the Philips range of the 1950s, albeit with all the 21st century bells and whistles you'd expect. Available in red, cream and dark wood finishes, they feature chunky aluminium dials and two 10-watt speakers.

Five different models will be available. Alongside the iPhone/iPod docking smarts of the ORD7300, ORD7100C and ORD 7100R, the OR7200 and ORD7300 also squeeze in DAB+ digital radio. The OR7000 keeps things cheaper and simpler with just FM, LW and MW stations.

We'll bring you pricing and availability details as they are revealed.

Click here for more news straight from the IFA 2012 technology show

Scosche Industries have released their BoomStream Bluetooth 2.1 portable speaker.

The speakers pack a down-firing passive subwoofer to ensure a good deal of super bass wherever you are, 40mm dual drivers and its Bluetooth capabilities work for up to 33 feet away.

Additionally the BoomStream comes with a microphone built-in which will be usable with both iOS and Android devices. Perhaps the most impressive feature of these portable speakers is their 1200 mA lithium polymer battery which will grant you constant playback for up to eight hours which can be charged by USB.

A statement from Kas Alves, Executive VP of Scosche Industries reads:

"With the overwhelming success of our BoomCan portable speaker, we knew we had to offer a wireless option."

You can pick up these BoomStream speakers for a tidy $99.99.

Check out the video below :

Denon have today unveiled two new speaker docks that are happy to play your tunes wirelessly, no matter which of the three leading smartphone platforms you're using.

Both the Denon Cocoon Home and Cocoon Portable speaker docks are optimised for iPhones and iPods, with the usual docking connection and AirPlay functionality. However, Android and Windows Phone users can download a Denon app which adds wireless streaming functionality for their devices too.Despite the portable speaker being slightly smaller, both Denon docks offer two-way speaker system, large acoustic chamber and four 25W Class D amps as well as Denon's advanced DSP technology. Internet radio stations can be accessed too, with the Denon app for iOS devices letting the touchscreen phones act as a station browser when docked.

The main difference between the two is with the Denon Portable's dust and water resilience, as well as housing a five-hour internal battery. Considering both are priced at £499, it may make the portable option the slightly more attractive device.

It's the second impressive range launch from Denon in as many weeks. Just a few days ago we saw their nifty, mahogany built £1,000 premium headphones revealed too.