You probably haven’t heard of Raumfeld, but our guess is that you’ll be hearing plenty about the German audio brand very soon.
A division of the high-end German audio outfit Teufel, Raumfeld was developed as a new speaker line aimed at German audio enthusiasts who wanted all the benefits of wireless whole-home audio, without giving up on the sound quality they got from their conventional wired speakers and outboard amplifiers. We got a chance to check out Raumfeld’s entire line while in Berlin for IFA 2015, and we walked away very impressed — so much so that we wanted to introduce our readers to the brand ahead of their U.S. debut at CES 2016.
The first thing you need to know about Raumfeld is that its products aren’t chasing after Sonos like so many other brands. It’s true that Raumfeld does make some single-box speaker solutions, but that’s not the company’s focus. Rather, Raumfeld is about delivering high-end stereo audio from a wide array of speaker options, as well as some recent additions to its line that appeal to home-theater enthusiasts.
Like many other wireless speaker systems, Raumfeld’s wares work over Wi-Fi for better range and less latency. Raumfeld’s app for smartphones and tablets runs the entire system and organizes all music from any source. For instance, suppose you have music in an iTunes library, a Spotify offline playlist, and a thumb drive plugged into one of your Raumfeld speakers: Raumfeld’s app pulls it all together and puts it at your fingertips, able to send any song to any speaker or all speakers at once.
The app also allows extremely easy control over which speakers in the home are active, and how loud they are. And since they all work over Wi-Fi, they play in concert, so there are no delays. You can walk from one room to the next and hear the same song or podcast in perfect synchrony.
What makes Raumfeld’s speakers truly stand out, however, is how they sound. They are designed to satisfy the extremely picky tastes of audio enthusiasts without the outrageously high price tags that often come with high-end speakers. Outside of just one model, all of Raumfeld’s speakers can be used as a stereo pair, allowing for excellent stereo spacing, soundtage, and imaging. And unlike other wireless multi-room speaker systems, Raumfeld makes large monitor and tower speakers for those that crave a robust, live sound that just can’t be attained from smaller speakers.
Of course, as is the case with any high-quality speaker, you’ll want to hear Raumfeld’s products before you decide if they’re right for you, and Raumfeld makes that extremely easy. As a direct-to-consumer brand, Raumfeld offers a free eight-week in-home trial period. That means the speakers ship at no additional cost, you live with them for up to two months, and if you decide they aren’t right for you, you return them with no shipping costs involved and get a full refund. Seriously, it’s a no-brainer.
Frankly, the U.S. doesn’t really have anything exactly like this yet, and that’s why we think Raumfeld is going to receive a warm reception in the U.S. Check out our video to see the entire series of products, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.