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Connected Objects Music

Spaco compact speakers save space and work via voice control

One problem with small wireless speakers is the quality of their sound. In other words, let’s face it: They tend to not even be all that great at the main function they were designed for.

patent-claimedSpaco is a line of 720-degree, voice-controlled speakers with adjustable lighting that also tout high-end audio performance. The speakers can be controlled by voice even in noisy situations and also offer a special levitation feature providing what its makers call uninterrupted surround sound. A 720-degree acoustics field is created by the combination of 28 dynamic and electrostatic diaphragm drivers that provide what they say is multidimensional, movie-theater grade audio. Music can be streamed from any device that has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and Spaco supports  Wi-Fi networks with any 802.11b/g, 2.4GHz broadcast-capable router. Set-up is done via an Android and iOS app.

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Music

Sonic Blocks let you roll your own speaker set

Wireless speakers continue to be popular thanks to the growing popularity of mobile devices and the convenience of streaming music from them using Bluetooth. Networked wireless speaker systems, meanwhile, have become popular also for much the same reason, as well as the success of Sonos.

patent-claimedSonic Blocks is a wireless speaker system that goes at least a couple of steps further than most rival products. First off, it’s a modular system made up of 6-inch speaker blocks. Second, while most wireless speakers rely solely on Bluetooth, Sonic Blocks also allows users to stream music via Wi-Fi for superior sound quality. It’s also compatible with the DTS Play-Fi multi-zone wireless audio technology for Android smartphones and tablets.

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Connected Objects Interviews Music

The Backerjack Interview: Mass Fidelity’s Ben Webster on packing big sound into a travel-friendly speaker

Mass Fidelity’s Core is a paradox — a portable speaker that’s designed to produce a convincing stereo effect from virtually anywhere in the room. Actually, that’s true of multiple rooms as the system can be networked throughout the house like a Sonos system. Backers responded and the Indiegogo campaign was one of the most successful ever for a Canadian campaign. We caught up with Mass Fidelity co-founder Ben Webster to learn more bout the physics and functionality of the powerful desktop speaker due this summer.

Backerjack: Tell us a bit about Mass Fidelity and the Core.

Webster: Mass Fidelity was founded as an audio technology company with the intent on redefining the audio space. The name has a dual meaning that encapsulates our goals of bringing high-fidelity audio products to the masses and making products of substance. I started by looking at how many of my friends and family didn’t have high-quality sound systems and how much the technology scared them away. There ceased to be a middle ground at somewhere in the late 70’s, early 80’s — that’s when the divide became extreme, to the point where you were either buying junk or extremely high end stuff. What I wanted to do was build something that was attainable for the normal person that would give them a real, engaging musical experience.

This prototype of the Core has been traveling with me for the last six months and it’s changed my life. As the founder of an audio company, I have a big beefy system at home and I barely use it anymore. This thing is so convenient and it actually sounds like a stereo. You’re not gonna get around physics when considering my living room system with nine drivers, but it’s also thousands and thousands of dollars worth of components whereas this thing we’re selling for $595 gets 80-90% there. I really feel like there’s a combination of technologies about to completely flip the audio game on its head.