Leslie Shapiro

I was recently working in an anechoic chamber for a few days and the ambience in there (actually, the lack of any) really got me thinking about ambient sounds. Anechoic chambers aren't just silent—it's the absence of any return energy that makes them so unnatural, and after a few hours, downright uncomfortable. You become aware of sounds your own body makes, especially your heart beat in your ears. It’s such an unusual space because it doesn’t really occur in the natural world. Standing on the sandy plain of a desert comes close, but even there, one would hear the movement of air over the ground, and distant ambience. A true anechoic experience almost never happens in our daily lives.

Ever since I left the world of car stereos, Pyle Audio has fallen off my radar. When offered an opportunity to listen to their latest soundbar, the PSBV600BT ($300), I have to admit that I was intrigued. I knew this company had a long history of making good speakers for the automotive world, but haven’t heard any of their home products. This was going to be interesting.

If you’ve gone through the trouble of creating a kick-ass boombox, why scrap it and start from scratch every time you want to create a new or different style or look? The FUGOO Bluetooth speaker core comes with three different “sleeves” that all share a ton of great features and all sound good, but they have very different applications.

If your home is filled with an array of Bluetooth speakers, you know the challenge of introducing “new” technology into your system. Since everything old is new again, Ion Audio has just introduced a vinyl turntable with a Bluetooth output so you can wirelessly break out your old LPs and 45s.