Berluti x Bang & Olufsen Collaborate For Luxury Audio Visual Line

Parisian maker of fashionable leather goods, Berluti, and Danish luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen have collaborated for a limited-edition collection of products.

Perfect for urban travellers and digital nomads, Beosound A1 2nd Gen Berluti Edition, Beoplay H95 Berluti Edition, and Berluti’s Sound Pouch are ideal for carrying on the go.

Rounding off the collection are a trio of decidedly non-portable special editions in the form of the Beosound Balance Berluti Edition, Beovision Harmony and Beolab 90.

Beosound A1 2nd Gen Berluti Edition

Bang & Olufsen’s second-gen portable Bluetooth speaker is waterproof, dustproof and boasts up to 18 hours of battery play time.

The 360-degree omnidirectional speaker sports a three-microphone array and Alexa baked-in.

The minimalist design in Grey Mist features a large Berluti logo on top of the speaker, while a Berluti calf leather cord in shiny dark brown tones aids the A1’s portability. There is also an aluminium tag with the Bang & Olufsen logo laser engraved on one side and the Berluti logo on the other. The aluminium tag is completed with a mirror-polished finish, drawing inspiration from Berluti’s ready to wear accessory trimmings.

Beoplay H95 Berluti Edition

First launched in 2020, the H95 are arguably the Danish brand’s finest wireless headphones. Upgrading these comfortable noise-cancelling headphones is a headband featuring Berluti’s trademark Venezia leather with a TDM Intenso patina and the Maison’s embossed logo.

The dark brown soft lambskin ear cushions match the Berluti Venezia leather headband, creating a cohesive expression. The aluminium discs have been engraved with the Berluti logo on the left-hand side and the Bang & Olufsen logo on the right. The headphones are housed in a black aluminium case where you’ll find more laser engraved logos.

Berluti Sound Pouch

Berluti has created a dedicated pouch that can comfortably cosset either the Beosound A1 speaker or the Beoplay H95 headphones.

Made with Berluti’s Signature Canvas – a motif blending Berluti’s new logo and the undulating strokes of the iconic Scritto – and featuring a patinated Venezia leather tag, it is ideal for safe carrying.

Beosound Balance Berluti Edition

Bang & Olufsen’s home object-inspired speaker features a hidden touch interface that lights up when approached and comes with Google Assistant and supports Apple Airplay2, Spotify Connect and Google Chromecast.

Seven carefully placed speaker drivers with beam-forming technology hands you the option of powerful and room-filling sound for everyday listening and sound directivity for precise and immersive music experiences.

Patinated by hand, Berluti’s Venezia leather is wrapped around the wooden base of Balance, creating a distinct finish and manufactured with Berluti’s artisanal know-how. The fabric has a dark knit with a touch of brown to match the leather base, which has been embossed with both logos and includes fine stitching around the base’s edge to create a touch of elegance. The top plate and grill come in natural aluminium for a high contrast and exclusive highlight to the darker materials.

Beolab 90 Berluti Edition

Featuring 8,200 watts of musical power, Beolab 90 adapts to its surroundings and your preferred listening modes to create an unprecedented level of musical power and precision, says the Danish audio brand.

The base of the aluminium speaker is customised with Berluti’s Venezia leather – with a TDM Intenso patina to create a bold design statement and, funnily enough, is the perfect match for Beovision Harmony Berluti Edition.

Beovision Harmony Berluti Edition

Originally unveiled at Milan Design Week in 2019, the 77-inch TV folds down into a sculptural shape with the panels partially covering the screen. When you want to watch something, these wings fan out and elevate the screen above them to perfect viewing height.

Featuring an LG 4k resolution OLED screen and motorised floor stand, infused in Berluti’s DNA through exceptionally fine, perforated and patinated Venezia leather covering the speaker panels, it offers a unique interactive experience, we are reliably informed.

A Berluti representative told GadgetyNews:

Berluti and Bang & Olufsen are a perfect match, bringing together a common passion for excellence. Bang & Olufsen’s cutting-edge philosophy, technological innovation and state-of-the-art design run parallel to the Maison’s focus on craftsmanship and its continually evolving lifestyle collection.

Christoffer Poulsen, SVP of Product Management & Brand Partnering at Bang & Olufsen, added:

For nearly a century, Bang & Olufsen has been pushing the boundaries of audio technology, and the company continues to sit at the forefront of acoustic innovation. Together with Berluti, we are bringing the best of artisanship to the fore with our expertise in sound and design and Berluti’s knowledge in leather craftsmanship to create a truly remarkable collection.

The Berluti edition Beoplay H95 (£1,100), Beosound A1 (£320), Beosound Balance (£3,200) and Sound Pouch (£450) will be available in limited quantities from May 28th 2021 at Bang & Olufsen at Harrods, Berluti at Harrods, Berluti Conduit Street and Mr Porter, as well as online at www.bang-olufsen.com. The made-to-order Beovision Harmony (£32,800) and Beolab 90 (£97,000) will be available to order from May 28th and showcased in select Berluti and Bang & Olufsen stores.

The post Berluti x Bang & Olufsen Range of Fashionable AV Announced appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Naim’s Mu-so 2nd Generation all-in-one gets wood

Naim’s Mu-so Wood Edition promises to be a stylish addition to homes whose owners are looking for a lighter, more natural aesthetic from their audio equipment. As Spring seems to have finally sprung here in the UK, could this timber-wrapped Naim Mu-so 2nd Edition be just the thing to help lighten your musical mood?

Naim Audio’s Mu-so 2nd Generation is a great performing all-in-one wireless speaker that works great for music and also doubles up as a rather excellent soundbar to bolster audio from your TV via HDMI ARC. Understandably, then, it already has plenty of fans, but today the Salisbury-based firm has announced a rather eye-catching variant.

READ THE NAIM MU-SO 2ND GEN REVIEW HERE

The Naim Mu-so Wood Edition “blends superb performance with exquisite styling,” boasts the company. Dressed in sustainable Ayous hardwood that has been treated and lacquered to give the appearance of a Light Oak finish, this Mu-so appears a little softer than its more industrially chic siblings.

The iconic Mu-so heatsink has also been refreshed with a new anodised aluminium tint. Pulling all of this together is a neutral-toned, woven front grille.

This new Wood finish is an ideal match for lighter-look interiors – allowing you to seamlessly enjoy harmonious style and sound throughout your home, from the living room to the kitchen, home office to the bedroom.

Naim Product Manager, Stuart Brown, told GadgetyNews:

Blending class-leading performance and timeless design with a luxurious new finish, Mu-so Wood Edition is the perfect premium audio companion for homes with classic or contemporary interiors.

Business As Usual

Of course, underneath its more natural and neutral wrapping, you still get all the technology that has made the Mu-so 2nd Generation so popular such as superlative wireless streaming from your favourite music services. Using the Naim App, you have access to Spotify Connect, TIDAL and Qobuz, while Chromecast Built-in gives access to Deezer, Google Play Music and much more, including Google Assistant compatibility. AirPlay 2 support adds Apple Music streaming and Apple Home integration, including Siri voice control potential. It also works as a Bluetooth speaker.

Mu-so 2nd Generation Wood Edition is also Roon Ready adding to its already flexible multiroom skills.

Mu-so Wood Edition (Light Oak) is available now, at a suggested retail price of £1599 / €1799 / $2290. Mu-so 2nd Generation, Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation and Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition models remain in the range as additional or alternative options.

The post Naim Mu-so Wood Edition Released appeared first on GadgetyNews.

We were in Berlin for the Honor Band 5’s launch at IFA 2019, and now it’s time to see what we think about the inexpensive fitness wearable.

Looking down at my increasing waistline I for one can do with being more mobile. Most gym-dwellers, pavement-pounders, and all-round fitness types will have some sort of fitness tracker attached. Those that mean business will no doubt have one of the pro-level trackers from a big-name brand. These generally cost big bucks.

But, what if I told you that there was a nifty little device that will cover most things for most people. Even better still, thanks to a recent update, it also monitors your Pulse Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) and adds remote music control of your phone. All for under £30.

Honor Band 5 design

The Honor Band 5 boasts a 0.95-inch AMOLED full-colour display, an upgrade on the previous iteration’s OLED screen.

Now, the colours are brighter and more vivid. Furthermore, and more importantly, the screen is even easier to read.

You also get 282 pixels-per-inch, which is pretty decent and, all-in-all, everything is easy to see, even in bright sunlight (we remember summer still, right?).

As a fitness band, it is a narrow wearable as well as having a slim profile. This makes it an ideal gym partner as you are unlikely to whack it into equipment – something that more chunky designs risk.

I haven’t the thickest of wrists; however, I was pleased to see the amount of range that the molded strap allows for. From slender to giant (more-or-less). I have tested fitness bands before, but they have been much more limited in the fitting. Nice one, Honor.

The compact Band 5 is also light and will not hamper your chosen torture – errrr, fitness regime.

The Honor Band 5 is available in Midnight Navy, Coral Pink, and Meteorite Black – choose carefully as the band is not interchangeable. What you can do, however, is change the watch face design – and there are plenty to choose from. Can’t find anything that tickles your fancy from the installed selection? Well, there’s even more to download.

Overall the design has been well thought out with the textured strap and everything. However, I guess you’re also limited to what you can do and it would be difficult to pick out the Band 5 from a line-up of other sports bands, to be fair.

Honor Band 5 features

For less than thirty notes, the Honor Band 5 is packed with all kinds of fitness-focused tech. For instance, you get an always-on heart-rate monitor, sleep tracking, multiple workout modes, and so much more. 

The Band 5 links up with the Huawei Health app, which also gives you more information and a way to track your progress.

Compared to the Band 4, there are even more exercise modes. Added to the already fairly comprehensive list including favourites such as running, cycling, swimming (the Band 5 is waterproof to 50m), is Rowing Machine and Cross Trainer. 

Naturally, there is also Step tracking which features as default on most of the watch faces. As you would expect at this price, there’s no GPS.

Heart rate tracking has been made more accurate with Honor boasting that it’s almost as good as a traditional chest-mounted heart rate monitor. Not having such a monitor to compare the Band 5 with, I will have to take Honor’s word for it – although I am sure that if you are really serious about this kind of thing and its accuracy, you will be looking to spend more than £30.

Being pretty rubbish at sleeping, I like the new-and-improved sleep-tracker. It also dishes out advice, as the Honor Band 5 can identify your sleep structure and monitors your changing patterns. Additionally, this brings me on to the way the Honor Band 5 tracks your heart rate. Unlike some other monitors, the Band 5 uses non-visible light, meaning it won’t irritate you as you’re trying to nap.

Latest update

The latest update for the Band 5 has brought along Blood oxygen saturation monitoring. This measurement is a vital indicator of the oxygen supply to cells and tissues. 

Proper blood oxygenation is necessary to supply energy to your muscles to function well. Blood oxygen levels between 90% and 100% are healthy, while a SpO2 value below 89% could be a signal to stop exercising or seek medical attention. 

Additionally, Honor added Music Control. This requires you to flick the function on in the Huawei Health app. Once that is sorted, you can then use the Band 5 to view and control your music apps right from your wrist. Apps supported include Tidal (thankfully as that’s what I use), Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube, Shazam and many more.

The Honor Band 5 smartwatch skills

You can also use the Band 5 as a regular ol’ smartwatch. Yes, it tells the time but, when not working up a sweat, you can access other nifty things. Firstly, it will display the weather, notifications and that kind of thing.

As well as SMS and Facebook messages, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that you can add Twitter, Snapchat and even Discord to that list. Granted, emojis and the like won’t display so you will get the occasional blank message, but still, a handy thing to have.

I also like the fact that you can control your phone’s camera shutter from the Band 5. Whether its Star Trails or similar long-exposure shots or Selfies, having the Band 5 as a remote trigger is another bonus.

Honor Band 5 battery life

With the message notifications on, as well as the heart-rate monitor, the Honor Band 5 was clocking in about 5 days battery life from a charge. To me, that’s not bad. Naturally, if you were looking to use it purely as a fitness buddy, then some of the juice-draining options can be stopped and so increase the band’s stamina.

Still, I think a working week between charges is fair, especially when being used as a smartwatch.

Honor Band 5 review conclusion

The Honor Band 5 is undoubtedly worth your money in my opinion. It’s more than a fitness tracker thanks to all its health monitoring skills. Furthermore, it can even out-smart some smartwatches.

The screen is responsive although there were moments where I must not have been tapping the Home button in just the right way. The less said about that, the better.

Also, for £29.99, you’re risking less than a month’s gym membership and are more likely to still be using the Honor Band 5 in six months. 

The post Honor Band 5 Review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

The Optoma UHL55 LED projector was already an intelligent choice for your home, now it’s got a lot smarter.

Thanks to a whole raft of apps to stream music, movies, TV shows and clips now available on the Optoma UHL55 LED projector, the Optoma UHL55 4K UHD is now a smarter choice.

The 4K home projector already boasted Alexa and Google Assistant voice control, but Optoma has now added much more.

Optoma UHL55 New Apps

The UHL55 now has access to YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TED, Amazon Prime, MyCanal, Hulu and many more. Its InfoWall app can be scheduled to turn on at set times, display the weather, videos and social media feeds. Furthermore, TapCast allows wireless mirroring from a mobile device to share video and photos on your big screen.

Not everyone has space for a dedicated home cinema, but the UHL55 is small and light enough to move from room to room. The projector is also packing integrated speakers and a host of connection options such as WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI and MHL.

Bluetooth functionality means external speakers, headphones or a keyboard and mouse can be connected cable-free. It can even play content directly from a USB memory stick via its 4K UHD media player.

Optoma UHL55 Skills

Fitted with the latest LED tech, you get consistent brightness and colour performance. Also, the perceived brightness from LED can be twice that of an equivalent lamp-based projector, so no need for a totally blacked-out room. Additionally, the LED technology delivers 118% Rec.709 for accurate, true to life colour rendition – perfect for recreating the big-screen experience at home. Moreover, it also has a light source lifetime of up to 30,000 hours.

Set-up is simple with autofocus and auto keystone for fuss-free positioning and a host of connection options such as two HDMI 2.0 ports.

Naturally, the Optoma UHL55 boasts High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatibility, HDCP 2.2 support and PureMotion frame-interpolation technology to produce stand-out images.

Capable of decoding Dolby 5.1, it even supports pass-through via an S/PDIF out port for connection to an external surround sound system.

Price and availability

The Optoma UHL55 4K UHD projector is available now for £1,499.

The post Optoma UHL55 Now Even Smarter appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Canton has announced the Smart Soundbar 9 which they hope will become the starting point of your wireless home cinema speaker system.

German-based home cinema superstars Canton is ready to unleash its next generation of top-notch soundbars, equipped with a slew of sonic smarts including Wi-Fi streaming.

Smart Soundbar 9

First up is the Smart Soundbar 9. The slender soundbar has Chromecast built-in, allowing you to stream from Spotify, Tidal, Google Play Music, Deezer and TuneIn over Wi-Fi. Native support for Spotify Connect also enables direct streaming from Spotify.

Additionally, through the magic of Wi-Fi, you can connect the soundbar to other speakers to create a wireless multi-channel home cinema system. For instance, you could add a Canton Smart SUB 8 subwoofer to make a powerful 3.1 system. You could then add a pair Smart Soundbox 3 speakers for full 5.1 surround sound – all wirelessly.

2.4GHz and 5GHz WLAN connections are supported, while the addition of aptX Bluetooth enables you to stream directly from Bluetooth-equipped devices without connecting to the Wi-Fi network.

The Smart Soundbar 9 packs a host of high-quality audio tech including 300 watts of amplification powering eight drive units. The driver line-up includes four bass drivers and two midrange drivers – all with 50mm aluminium cones – plus two 19mm fabric-dome tweeters. A pair of passive drivers with 147x57mm diaphragms further augment the bass to deliver impressive depth and punch.

These drivers work in tandem with DTS TruSurround to deliver a spacious and immersive performance. There is also support for Hi-res audio, up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Connectivity is catered for by four HDMI ports – three inputs and one output, all HDCP 2.2-compliant and supports 4K Ultra HD video. Additionally, the HDMI output supports ARC.

Two digital audio inputs – one optical and one coaxial – provide further connectivity, together with a stereo RCA analogue input. A dedicated subwoofer output is also present.

The Smart Soundbar 9 measures 89x7x10cm (WxHxD) and is quite the looker too. The main cabinet is fashioned from reinforced MDF, embellished with a heat-treated glass top and integrated metal grille.

Price and availability

The Smart Soundbar 9 is available from late July in a choice of black or silver at an RRP of £699.

The post Canton Smart Soundbar 9 appeared first on GadgetyNews.

We are excited to finally be able to share the news with about the new KEF LSX – a fully wireless stereo music system. We were at the unveiling of the KEF LSX compact two-speaker wireless music system at an exclusive event held in central London. Even though the situation was far from perfect, the LSX both looked and sounded impressive.

KEF LSX speakers

The LSX builds upon the success of the LS50 Wireless. KEF sees the new, compact wireless speakers as part of their continued development of cutting-edge technologies and innovative, high-performance audio products.

Naturally, the speakers feature KEF’s Uni-Q driver array, a 4-inch version is found here in each speaker. Additionally, there is KEF’s highly advanced Music Integrity Engine (MIE). MIE is a cutting-edge collection of bespoke Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms that ensure accurate time alignment and phase coherence.

LSX – totally wireless

LSX is totally wireless both from source and between the speakers. Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.2 with Qualcomm’s aptX codec enable streaming from Spotify, Apple Music (via AirPlay 2, coming in the new year) and Tidal.

With Spotify Connect built in, you get access to the entire library directly from the cloud.

Furthermore, LSX is DLNA compliant and boasts TOSLINK Optical and Auxiliary connections making it ideal for use with TV. Finally, setting-up is taken care of in a few minutes thanks to KEF’s Control app, which also manages firmware updates as they become available.

LSX – packing tech

The new LSX sports four Class-D amplifiers (2 x 30W + 2 x 70W), one for each of the drive units. Also under the hood are dedicated twin DACs providing a pristine signal path of up to 96kHz/24bit (using an Etherner connection between the two speakers). Alternatively, if you go totally wire-free, you’ll get 48kHz/24bit.

The gently curved cabinets of the LSX employs extensive use of elements reserved for KEF’s high-end products. For example, you’ll find constrained layer damping, as well as the use of Finite Element Analysis.

LSX – design

The speakers are cosseted in luxury fabric by Danish textile maker, Kvadrat. The overall design was overlooked by Michael Young who’s signature is found emblazoned on the fronts of the LSX. 

The LSX is available in five colours – Black, Blue, Maroon, and Olive. There is also a striking Gloss White option.

Availability and price

The KEF LSX is available now exclusively from Selfridges for £999.

The post KEF LSX wireless music system revealed appeared first on GadgetyNews.

As well as covering the latest news and releases, including Huawei’s Mate 20 Series and the return of Palm, Gareth chats with Michelle about her tech loves and woes. Expect comparisons with the lunar landing and WiFi in Edinburgh. Also, we almost get to hear Gareth impersonate Gavin and I. A close call that one.

Tech Addicts Podcast 17 October 2018

In today’s show

• Huawei Mate 20 Pro thoughts and reactions
• Huawei Watch GT
• Razer Phone 2
• LG and Lenovo Folding Display
• Samsung Galaxy X and F thoughts
• Palm is back in town

Get involved

• Main Show URL: http://www.techaddicts.uk
• Contact:: contact@techaddicts.uk | @techaddictsuk 
  
• Gareth – @garethmyles
• Michelle – @MichelleStandup
• Jay – @GadgetyNewsCom | @JayGarrett | @StereoNETUK
  
• Web: http://GadgetyNews.com | https://StereoNET.co.uk | https://www.michellechristine.com/
• YouTube: Tech Addicts

Other ways to listen

• RSS Link: http://mobiletechaddicts.libsyn.com/rss
• Direct Download
• iTunes
• Stitcher
• Tunein
• Spotify
  

The post Tech Addicts UK Podcast #47 – Coming from Canada appeared first on GadgetyNews.

French hi-fi brand, Triangle, has announced their AIO 3. The AIO 3 is a lovely looking speaker that comes with an equally beautiful list of up to the minute features. The wooden cabinet features anti-vibration reinforcement, and the entire speaker is wrapped in a high-End finish using Scandinavian fabrics from Gabriel as well as brushed aluminium.

Triangle AIO 3 streaming speaker

You can stream music to the speaker wirelessly using aptX Bluetooth, AirPlay, wi-fi or UPnP. Additionally, you are able to access internet radio and Spotify Connect.

Also, the AIO 3 boasts physical inputs, including a USB port that both charges as well as plays from mobile devices, an optical input, and a 3.5mm analogue input. There’s also an ethernet port to go alongside the built-in wi-fi.

The optical input lends itself t the AIO 3 being used as a TV soundbar if you so desire.

Output is rated at 2×45 Watts from the 196 x 360 x 150 mm speaker. The AIO 3 weighs in at 5.1 kg.

Audio file support is extensive, including high-res 24-bit/192kHz FLAC, WAV, APE, ALAC, AAC & MP3 files.

Control of the AIO 3 comes by way of a new app for iOS and Android devices developed by LinkPlay. Through the app you can control all aspects of the AIO 3, including accessing thousands of internet radio stations, selecting a streaming service and setting alarms.

The app also offers Deezer, Spotify, Qobuz and Tidal streaming services.

Triangle AIO C

Along with the AIO 3, Triangle is also announcing its AIO C.

The AIO C is a kind of streamer that allows you to hook up your TV or amplifier and play music using the AIO 3. Moreover, the AIO C enables you to breathe life back into your old system and enjoy their music through the Triangle App.

Price and availability

The Triangle AIO C can be pre-ordered for £159 and the AIO 3 for £599.

Both are available from Elite Audio.

The post Triangle announces AIO 3 streaming speaker appeared first on GadgetyNews.

It’s how we connect. That’s what Yamaha says, and we have to agree. However, what Yamaha is talking about are their new MusicCast 20 and 50 smart speakers. It still counts, though. Both of these speakers can be used by themselves, in pairs or used to create a wireless surround-sound system. Nice.

MusicCast 20

The MusicCast 20 is a compact streaming speaker. The smart speaker uses MusicCast over WiFi and can also connect to other devices via Bluetooth. You also get Apple Airplay and Spotify.

Additionally, there’s also support for Amazon Alexa, for voice control.

The Yamaha MusicCast 20 comes with a 1-1/8-inch soft dome tweeter, a 3-1/2-inch aluminium cone woofer, and two passive radiators. If you require even more oomph, you can link two speakers together.

MusicCast50

The MusicCast 50 has a low profile oval design and features dual aluminium woofers and a pair of soft dome tweeters. You will also find analogue and digital inputs on-board.

The speakers offer a versatile listening experience with ease. As well as being able to use them as a standalone speaker or paired, you can even use them as wireless surround speakers with a compatible MusicCast AV receiver or soundbar.

The Yamaha system also takes the pain out of multi-room audio. Just connect all your equipped devices to the same network and start sharing audio throughout the home.

Price and availability

Both MusicCast speakers are available in black or white.

The 20 has an RRP of £199 and the 50, £449.

If you fancy something more high-end, check out my thoughts about the new Yamaha 5000 series.

The post Yamaha MusicCast 20 and 50 smart speakers appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Bang & Olufsen is making their Beosound 1 and BeoSound 2 speakers smarter. The company is releasing new, updated, versions of the awesome-looking speakers that feature Google Assistant.

We enjoyed having the Beosound 1 around very much. It makes us happy that both speakers are receiving updates to make them smarter.

Beosound 1 and 2 x Google Assistant

Initially released in 2016, the Beosound 1 and 2 have a cool tapering, cylindrical design. The speakers already support a range of wireless streaming options. You are able to get music via Chromecast, AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect.

The Beosound 1 is designed to be portable and features a built-in rechargeable battery, while the Beosound 2 is heftier and needs to be plugged in but produces a lush sound.

In addition to Google Assistant being baked-in, the Beosound 1 also gets a new charging dock to make it even more portable.

Price and availability

The new Google Assistant-loaded versions will be available from September. Prices are £1,250 and £1,650 for the Beosound 1 and Beosound 2, respectively.

The post Bang & Olufsen Beosound speakers get smarter appeared first on GadgetyNews.