As it so happens, I’ve been writing about and reviewing wireless speakers for as long as this company has been in existence. A lot can happen in seven years – writing opportunities come and go, as have many of the companies about which a passel of these articles have been written.
The year was 2009. The aesthetic was decidedly Scandinavian. The company founded was Libratone.
You need to know about Libratone because it’s high time that manufacturers of wireless speakers started thinking about the fact that, in addition to listening to their products, we, the consumers of said products, also have to look at and live with them. This has been the focus of Libratone since its founding. As you can see from these photos, Libratone has turned a lifestyle product into a Life with Style product.
The current product line from Libratone consists of two WiFi speakers, the Zipp ($299) and Zipp Mini ($199), and two Bluetooth speakers, the One Click ($199) and Too ($149). Now, before you scoff at what some will surely see as surprisingly high prices, it should be pointed out that Libratone is doing wireless differently than most. Instead of its WiFi and Bluetooth lines running in parallel with no crossover connectivity, Libratone has designed its speakers to play well with one another. Whether you are looking for a multi-room sound solution, or an on-the-go speaker buddy, or both, Libratone makes speakers for that.
The Elastic Lifestyle
Libratone CEO Jan McNair says: “Today’s consumers expect their sound to be ever-present, portable and flexible. Liberating sound is at the core of the Libratone brand, and the classic ZIPP speakers have always delivered a portable 360° sound experience, customizable covers, and the flexibility to stream anything you want via WiFi or Bluetooth. The new generation of ZIPP speakers continue this proud tradition, and also feature SoundSpace Link, which lets you connect up to 6 speakers via WiFi, place them anywhere in any room and move them around as you wish. It’s an exciting addition to the audio market, and we are proud to be the first to provide this comprehensive package.”
Bluetooth
The One Click and Too both use Bluetooth 4.1, and thanks to the Libratone app there’s a clever +1 feature that makes it possible to connect either of these speakers to any of the other speakers in the current Libratone lineup. This means you can mix and match speakers to match your needs. Multi-room, multi-speaker, multi-stream, for here or to go, Thanks, Libratone.
WiFi
The Zipp and Zipp Mini use both WiFi and Bluetooth to provide maximum connectivity. Both support 2.4 & 5GHz, 802.11 b/g/n/ and Bluetooth 4.0 aptX, as well as Apple’s Airplay. Combine this connectivity with the Libratone app and start streaming. That’s it.
By mixing top-notch software with top-notch hardware to deliver great sound whether at home or on the go, Libratone is taking wireless speakers into the future. Be sure to check back for the upcoming review of the Zipp Mini to see how far into the future Libratone is pushing this technology. For more information about Libratone, click here.
Brother. Father. Fellow. 
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