Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air
The G-17 is an unassuming pice of kit, but don’t let that fool you. Drawing on Klipsch’s decades of audio engineering expertise, it produces a sound that will fill a large living room and keep all but the liveliest party going. Accuracy is the watchword here. There’s no added bass or extra warmth. The G-17 reproduces audio with precision and clarity. Every breath from a singer, every pluck of a string can be heard clearly. The G-17 Air is also child’s play to set-up, thanks to the free app which guides you step-by-step through the process.
Reg Rating 85%
Price £500
More info Klipsch
Libratone Live
This tall, slim speaker could almost hide in the corner of your living room. Until you turn it on. It produces a sound stage whose breadth defies belief, thanks to its outward firing drivers which, when placed in that corner, bounce the audio waves from the walls. Bass is weighty but precise and the treble and mid-ranges have a crispness that slices through the air. I enjoyed listening the Libratone Live as much as any speaker here. Sadly, even with its own app the relatively complicated set-up and the hefty price tag mean that it doesn’t come as highly recommended as it could have done.
Reg Rating 80%
Price £599
More info Libratone
Next page: Philips Fidelio DS8800W
COMMENTS
Looks nice
But if you want a proper airplay solution, surely a nice set of small Monitor Audio speakers, even a basic Cambridge Audio amp and an Airport Express as the Airplay device would sound 1000% better than any of these one box solutions on test, and potentially cost around the same?
Re: Looks nice
That's what I did, sort off.
I got some fag packet sized D-class amps (Sure electronics, 15w) from fleabay for 35 quid and my old Tannoy 607 and 603 speakers and some Linn ceiling speakers for the bathroom. These and some airports, either N's or G's (turned the wireless off on the G's) and Bobs your aunty.
They sound great to me and plenty loud enough which is probably all that most people would want/need. Indeed, when I needed some more amps I had to order another 6 for other people.
Not as cool as the ones in article but massive geek satisfaction value.
I disagree....
The Teac *does* sound abysmal. We tested it against a similair styled Sony and the Sony sounded a million times better.
But why no Denon Ceol / Marantz 603(?) / Sony G2 series? Have auditioned these all recently for myself and ended up with the G2BNIP (ie DAB and AirPlay/Wifi) as the Marantz and Denon both took the best part of a week to start playing from an iPhone once it was plugged in.
Please be objective
There are some excellent objective and measurable criteria when evaluating a speaker:
- linearity
- efficiency
- loudness
It all comes down to parameters that can be measured and quantified in a frequency-response curce, rather than fuzzy adjectives like 'warmth' and 'ambience'.
If you insist on testing analogue peripherals, such as speakers and displays, please set up a lab with proper equipment to actually measure the results!
