Ten... wireless speakers

In the air tonight

Libratone Beat

The Beat is a typical piece of understated Scandinavian design. The triangular upright unit will fit neatly into a corner in any room, and Libratone’s "FullRoom" technology fires the sound out in different directions in order to bounce it off the walls and create an impressively expansive sound. It’s got a built in bass-driver too, which gives the lower-frequencies an extra kick, and 100W total output for party time. However, the Beat doesn’t use standard Bluetooth for wireless streaming, opting instead for Libratone’s own "audio specific wireless protocol". Libratone includes two adaptors for this wireless tech – one for iOS devices, and another, USB adaptor for Macs and PCs - but other types of mobile devices aren’t catered for.

Reg Rating 80%
Price £559
More info Libratone

Parrot Zikmu

Designed by Philippe Starck, the eye-catching Zikmu speakers really are in a league of their own – not to mention a price bracket all their own as well. Available in a variety of colours, the tapering twin towers design is a real eye-catcher - yet it also has practical benefits too. Each 50W speaker is able to pump sound out all around it in order to really fill the room, while the woofers built into the base of each unit will have the floorboards rattling come party time. The Zikmu provides both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity – the latter a rare feature among wireless speakers - although the Wi-Fi configuration is a bit of a mess, and lacks the simplicity of Apple’s AirPlay.

Reg Rating 75%
Price £999
More info Parrot