Notebook with digital music connection–check. Xbox 360–check. Internet connection for listening to Pandora and Last.fm–check. Flat-screen television–check. So that dorm room or apartment is all set up right? You may have all the hardware, but don’t forget about one of the most important components: what’s actually pumping out those sounds.
All too often speakers are overlooked while all our money is put into other components. Boston Acoustics has some ideas on how to get around that situation and they have produced a few products that are designed to put out great sound while fitting into our spaces (not having our spaces work around them). These products are also colorful and affordable making them even more attractive to their target audience, the college-bound segment. Even so, with their color, power, and obvious style, they could appeal to anyone.
The SoundWare speakers are very cool looking cube-like speakers built to live on your desktop or mounted on a wall. They come in 7 different colors and they are indoor/outdoor safe, so you know they can take a beating. Think high performance in a small package, for under $100 per. For someone on a limited budget without any room to spare, they could be ideal. They are not PC speakers though, so you’ll need something to power them.
Even cooler than the SoundWare speakers, is the TeeVee Model Two kit. It runs a costly $399 (MSRP) but you get a speaker designed to work in tandem with your flat-screen television and a wireless bass speaker. So after an easy hook up to your television you can go from something that is barely loud enough to be heard with more than two people in the room to a serious sound station. The soundbar speaker fits right under the television (ideally) and the wireless bass speaker goes anywhere within range. The main speaker is built for televisions 32-inches and up so it will be a bit wide for anyone running a smaller television (26-inch pictured), but a little extra sound can’t hurt.
So while these solutions might be a bit over budget for some students, the chance to find quality sound equipment that fits in their lifestyle will no doubt be appealing. Neither are PC-based solutions, which is going to be an issue, so these are aimed at audio fans, but the chance to turn a TV into a serious home theater experience will be worth investigating for anyone who wants their room to be a place to go for videogames or watching an away game on Saturday.
Tags: gadgets, speakers, hdtv, ipod
