Product: Libratone Lounge
Price: $1,299.95
Rating: Recommend*

While the market is already crowded with a glut of small wireless speaker solutions, both Airplay and an even greater selection using Bluetooth to connect the audio dots, the options for larger, full-bodied sound speakers is slim. Danish audio manufacturer Libratone has waged war against small sound with a sizable flagship speaker armed with Airplay connectivity and a wooly warm exterior to match.

Founded by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen with the introduction of their first radio back in 1925, Danish Bang & Olufsen continues defining high end audio design (with prices to match) with the introduction of their latest amplifiers and powered speakers system, the BeoLab 14, dialed in with a custom tailored bass reproduction feature...

From what I've seen at garage and yard sales, bookshelf speakers are amongst the most common audio gear components readily available for DIY projects on the cheap. And how many of us have old audio speakers gathering dust in a closet or in the garage? Perhaps it's time to give them a dusting off and reconsideration inspired by this simple upgrade project...

A few years back...ok, make more than a decade ago, I purchased my first dedicated home theater audio system. It was a glorious behemoth of a system, with left, right, satellite surrounds, center, and get this...two discrete subwoofers. It was fine and dandy when I was sharing a large home with a then girlfriend. But then we broke up right before I moved from LA after accepting a job in San Francisco where I found myself in a 300 sq. ft. studio, situating such a system proved challenging... 

Awhile back, I reached out to audio designer Victor Johansson after seeing some enticing preview images of an audio solution he was developing, a design-tantalizing ceramic stereo system utilizing wireless connectivity, all contained within a vessel of smooth earthenware and warm wood. He's finally finished his project to share with us...

Big Jawbone
• $299.99
• Jawbone 

The larger, younger sibling of the original Jambox wireless speaker, one of our favorite outdoor audio options, has expanded its wardrobe of color combinations to include 9 grill and 13 cap colors (including new Purple, Dark Green, and Crimson Red), allowing buyers to mix and match to their color-loving content. The color customization option joins last month's 2.0 software update, which optimized battery life two additional hours and fixing dropouts and interruptions at greater distances while streaming from an iOS 6.1 device. Sounds like the perfect audio companion for a picnic or dining al fresco now warm weather has become the rule, not the exception.

Product: Belkin Thunderstorm
Price: $199.99
Rating: Recommend*

There's really no way around the fact the built-in speakers of the Apple iPad are tiny and anemic. Movies, games, and music require plugging in a pair of headphones for clear dialogue and an immersive experience. Belkin's aptly named Thunderstorm was designed to eliminate the need for headphones or Airplaying to an external source by augmenting output with a miniature sound bar design. Using my iPad 3, I took this hybrid case/speaker for a high-fidelity test drive.

Geneva Model S Wireless
• $299.00
• Geneva Sound System 

We've been longtime fans of the lovely lacquered pedestal display Geneva Sound System's Model S. The only real knock we could really assess upon reviewing the iPod/iPhone speaker dock was its lack of wireless connectivity. You can cross that out now: Geneva has added Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP for wireless audio streaming. It's the same 2010 I.D. International Design Magazine Consumer Products Award winning design, updated to play nice with any Bluetooth device sans cords, cables, or dock. *Note: you can get the previous non-wireless model on sale right now before this updated model becomes available later this month.

If you're a home theater enthusiast, a decent 5.1 speaker setup partnered with a receiver is a given. But what happens when theaters start upping their game? Sound engineers report the human ear is capable of discerning sounds well beyond what a 5.1 system can offer: 7.1, 9.1, 10.1 and even 11.1 surround sound setups are here, bringing home viewers closer to the movie theater experience one extra speaker at a time.

The era of setting up a home theater is changing: wired connections between speakers to a receiver and to an audio or video source is becoming hopelessly outdated. There are now so many easier ways to attain home theater sound and now even video, and none of them involve little white, red, and yellow cables, let alone speaker wire or HDMI cables...