Altec Lansing today added to its already impressive portable party speaker lineup with a trio of new offerings.
“Our mission is to create exceptional experiences for music lovers and keep every event vibrant by continuously introducing new features without compromising on top-tier sound,” Ike Franco, founder and CEO of Infinity Brands, the parent company of Altec Lansing, said in a press release. “Building on the success of its predecessors, the new party speakers offer refined features tailored for unforgettable events and uninterrupted listening experiences.”
As is the usual for this sort of thing, that exceptional experience includes LEDs and strobes, in addition to sounding good. The new speakers range from $150 at the low end to $230 on the high end.
The SoundRover Pro is a big boy, with 650 watts of peak power. That kind of output also means no battery — you’ll have to plug this one into the wall. But that also means you shouldn’t have to worry about it giving out just as the party’s getting going.
The SoundRover Pro 650 has what Altec Lansing calls a “pro grade” 15-inch woofer and horn-loaded tweeter. It’s bi-amplified and has a pair of inputs — one for a microphone, the other for a mic or guitar. It also sports quarter-inch and XLR connects, has an aux input, and can play from USB or an SD card.
This is the sort of thing you’ll see in use by DJs or for karaoke You can also pair multiple speakers together via TWS Pairing or with line out. Its lighting modes include dynamic, chase, and beat-driven.
The SoundRover Pro 650 retails for $230.
The Sonic Boom 180 (seen at top) is more of the portable variety, as evidenced by its 14-hour battery life and IP67 waterproofing. You won’t want to take it into the pool or anything, but theoretically, it’ll survive just fine for 30 minutes in the shallow end. But really, that’s more about getting caught in a rainstorm.
As the name implies, the Sonic Boom 180 features up to 180 watts peak power, driving a single 10-inch woofer with four bass modes and a single compression driver.
You’ll also find wireless charging on board, so you can keep your phone topped up (at the expense of the speaker’s battery). You’ll also get a pair of microphone inputs, an aux input, and USB-C and USB-A. And there’s a built-in trolley handle to make lugging it around a little easier. And if all else fails, you’ll also find an FM radio on board.
The Sonic Boom 180 retails for $200.
If you’re fine with a little bit less of … most everything, the Sonic Boom 120 might well be an option. It’s got 120 watts of peak power for a single 8-inch woofer with four bass modes and a single compression driver. You’ll have to make do with just 12 hours of runtime and the same IP67 water rating.
Inputs are limited to a pair of mics, aux in, and USB. And you still get a trolley handle.
The Sonic Boom 120 shaves $50 off its big brother and retails at $150.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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