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Speakers Headphones

MH40 Over Ear Headphones

It is all but de rigueur to have a proper pair of headphones on your head, whether at work or at home. And, let’s clarify, by ‘proper’ I mean premium leather, perhaps some steel components, an aluminum body, and maybe some 45mm neodymium drivers for high performance. Memory foam lambskin ear pads might also be nice, right? The MH40 has all that and more- take a look at Master & Dynamic for more specs.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $399.00
Available from: Master & Dynamic

Libratone Zipp Speaker

There’s a pretty significant savings on the Libratone Zipp Speaker– it’s $279.95 down from $449.95. If you’re not familiar, the Libratone Zipp is super portable thanks to its leather handle and compact size, and it streams music wirelessly from whatever device you prefer using Apple’s AirPlay technology. You’ll get 360-degree sound thanks to Libratone’s patent-pending FullRoom™ technology, and, if you’re concerned about color, don’t worry, it comes with three sleeves so you can switch them out as you wish.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $279.95
Available from: DWR

Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone

Gramophones made in the 1920s did a couple of things really well; they distributed sound and made a big visual impact with their curvy, horn speakers. Considering we are all about streaming music from our devices nowadays, it’s good to see that Gramovox has married the old Gramophone design with bluetooth technology, giving us the Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone, a sort of nostalgic filter in which to play our tunes.

The solid walnut base houses the brains, putting the rest of our focus on the larger steel horn. No cords means less clutter, but it also means batteries, though 15+ hours is a good span of play time, and no big deal when you rely on rechargeables. It’s Android™/IOS® compatible, of course, and has a micro USB & stereo input. It’s not the first modernization of the iconic gramophone shape, but this version certainly has an authentic and minimal edge over any competition.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $399.99
Available from: Gramovox

Proper Audio 2

Remember the PA1 Bluetooth Speaker? Well, Studio Proper had decided to make some small changes to make it better, and now there’s the Proper Audio 2, ready for your pledge. The PA2 is a wall mount and portable speaker, giving you some much-needed flexibility when it comes to listening to your music. A quick turn releases or mounts the Proper Audio 2, so there’s little fuss when moving it from room to room, or from home to office or outside.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $89.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Cone

The Cone portable speaker learns what music you like, and how and when you want to listen. Use voice commands to find music, podcasts, and radio stations, or just turn the dial to play or skip to another song. It has a 3″ woofer on board, dual tweeters, and a 20w amplifier to keep your audio experience pristine. And did I mention that it looks appropriately sleek? It’s easy on the eyes, that’s for sure.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $399.00
Available from: Aether

Stellé Audio Bluetooth Speaker by DwellStudio

What in the world is this thing, you ask? Well, put on a decorator’s/designer’s hat and admit that some speakers are not very pleasing to the eye, and, in fact, a bit of an eyesore at times. If you’d rather a speaker blend in amongst your other items in a bookcase or tabletop milieu, then take a look at the Stellé Audio Bluetooth Speaker by DwellStudio. Maybe it’s not perfect for your interior- or maybe it is- but I think we can all agree we like the idea of improving technology so that it may blend into a room when desired instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $399.00
Available from: Stellé Audio Bluetooth Speaker by DwellStudio" target="_blank">DwellStudio

Grain Audio PWS Wireless Speaker

Another wireless speaker, yawn… but wait, the very fact that it’s not neon orange or some other outrageous color makes it seem more grown up and mature, and that certainly won’t hurt your image, am I right? Solid walnut wood helps deliver a warmer sound than other plastic speakers, and, with the addition of neutral graphite speaker grills and buttons, you have an altogether pleasing package. The Grain Audio PWS measures in at 7″ long, 2.345″ wide, and 3.125″ high, so it’s the perfect portable size.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $249.00
Available from: Dwell Store

Studio 5 Sound Dock

There’s a ton of choices for Bluetooth speakers nowadays, so how do you choose one right for you? Well, first off, what size do you need? If you need one that will be at home on a desk or countertop, or your bedside table, be sure to consider the Studio 5 Sound Dock, which offers Lightning compatibility, dual-pairing Bluetooth, auxiliary input, and bass control. Dual Bluetooth will be especially handy, as you and your friend’s/roomate’s/lover’s/partner’s music libraries can be paired to the speaker simultaneously, thus eliminating going back and forth pairing each device as needed.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $179.00
Available from: Grand St.

The Dash: Wireless Smart Headphones

Wow. That’s one word to wrap up my impression of these in-ear headphones. Let’s cover the basics: The Dash is a pair of completely wireless stereo earphones. You can play music through a Bluetooth connection or use the embedded 4GB/1000 song music player. They can also keep track of distance traveled, steps taken, cadence, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc. Want to talk on your phone through the headphones? Sure, they do that with an ear bone microphone. And, if you feel safer with a little ambient sound while you’re out running, you can choose to reduce the noise isolation with a quick swipe on capacitive touch surface.

There’s a little bit of the future as imagined in the movie Her, but I’d say in this case, that’s a good thing. Learn more over at Bragi’s website or their Kickstarter page.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $199.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Wood Speaker

Nothing fancy, just a wood speaker. Made of beech wood, this little speaker has a built in amplifier and rechargeable battery to keep things simple. It’s compatible with the majority of your devices and connects with a red, braided cloth covered cable. Consider it as an alternative to the other plastic, colorful options available in the marketplace.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $50.00
Available from: Kikkerland

earHero Earphone Kit

These headphones slide under the radar as far as design aesthetic, and that’s okay, as they win top marks for safety. EarHero headphones lets you listen to your music or phone conversation without blocking ambient noise. Ambient noise just like trucks, cars, and bicycles, all of which could flatten you like a pancake if you’re deaf to warning sounds.

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Purchase Information:

Price: $149.00
Available from: earHero Store

Source: NYTimes

Proper Audio PA1 Bluetooth Speaker

What? There’s an amazingly minimal bluetooth speaker on Kickstarter and I’m not going to show it to you? Puh-lease. You can at least count on me for that every once in a while. The PA1 is a wired Bluetooth speaker with a smart mount that allows you to move it around easily.

The very word ‘wired’ might upset you, but do know that portable battery speakers sacrifice some amount of quality, and the PA1 designers wanted to run more power to larger drivers, which means fuller, well balanced audio. Take a look at the video below for more info, or visit StudioProper’s Kickstarter page to back the project.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $150.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Monocle by Native Union

This looks like one half of a pair of headphones, doesn’t it? It appears to be so at first glance, though after further inspection, you’ll find a few bells and whistles to enhance its appeal. It’s a speaker, handset, and speakerphone. Listen to music while on the go and receive calls without digging around in your bag for your phone. You can even daisy-chain up to 10 Monocles together to create a surround-sound experience.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $49.99 - 59.99
Available from: Native Union

NudeAudio Speakers

After you watch NudeAudio’s video, you’ll wish you could juggle, because these portable speakers are just begging to be thrown around. Super simple with premium quality acoustics, the speakers feature a thick, protective silicon sleeve with a wrist strap for easy handling. And, don’t worry, there are various sizes to suit your needs. See below for product options and pricing.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $29.99 - 99.99
Available from: DigitalFix

Libratone’s Loop Wireless Speaker

There’s a never ending stream of new wireless speakers, and we’ll all just have to deal with it, whether we’re still searching for the perfect audio experience or have respectfully decided to be happy with what we’ve got. I belong to the latter group, so it’s hard to get too excited by any wireless speaker nowadays, but this Loop Wireless Speaker is slim, round, and has changeable wool covers, which is useful if you’re into switching up your interior design colors every now and then. You can mount it on the wall or position it on a table or bookshelf with its kickstand support. But what are the audio specs, you ask? Follow the link to the retailer, or read some of them below, because there’s a lot of data that’s better left untouched by the likes of (unexcitable) me.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $499.95
Available from: A+R Store