Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Sonos beware? Libratone’s new ZIPP speakers make multiroom audio portable

By Ryan Waniata Updated October 22, 2015

Libratone, maker of some of the funkiest wireless speakers in the galaxy, has entered the multiroom audio game with an upgrade to the company’s ZIPP speaker lineup. Set up for what the company calls “the elastic lifestyle,” the speakers boast both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection, allowing a variety of ways to use them.

Available from: Amazon

Available in two multi-directional tubes of sound — including the 100-watt ZIPP, and the 60-watt ZIPP Mini — the hot new feature riding with the speakers is Libratone’s SoundSpace Link technology.With SoundSpace, users can link up to six different ZIPP speakers together over Wi-Fi to spread the sound throughout the house.

While Libratone’s new SoundSpace feature sounds similar to Sonos speakers, and a host of other multiroom speaker solutions, Libratone’s hook is portability: ZIPP speakers sport rechargeable batteries with up to 10 hours of playtime per charge, allowing you to move them around the house at will — hence the “elastic” aspect of these sonic marvels. Adding in the convenience of Bluetooth, which allows you to take the speaker far beyond the bounds of your Wi-Fi network, makes the ZIPP series one of the most versatile portables on the market.

Additional features for the new ZIPP speakers includes Spotfiy Connect and Apple Music compatibility, a speakerphone, and a touch interface for easy control of the sound directly from the speaker. Adding to the convenience factor, the ZIPP lineup can also store up to five Internet stations, allowing you to dip between them from the speaker itself when your phone is out of reach.

As one might expect, the company has also redesigned the Libratone app from scratch to allow users to fully take the reigns in directing these versatile new speakers, and it’s available for Android and iOS.

The speakers also come with a mesh cover in four colors, including Cloudy Grey, Deep Lagoon, Graphite Grey, and Victory Red — unique covers is kind of Libratone’s thing. You can pick up the regular ZIPP for $300, and the ZIPP Mini for $250 beginning in early November.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…

Audio / Video

The Sonos Roam just put all other portable speakers on notice

Sonos Roam

Sonos has just taken the wraps off its second portable speaker, the $169 Sonos Roam, which will be available in black or white when it hits retailers starting April 20, 2021. We had been expecting Sonos to deliver a mini version of its $399 Sonos Move, but thanks to better protection from the elements and wireless charging, the Roam is much more than a scaled-down Move. Here are all of the details.

Super small
We were impressed by the power and sound quality that Sonos had managed to pack into a rugged speaker like the Sonos Move, but our chief criticism was that despite being billed as portable, it was simply too big and heavy to be a true alternative to popular portable models like the UE Megaboom. The Sonos Roam, on the other hand, is ultraportable. At just under one pound and standing only 6.6 inches tall, the Roam is smaller and lighter than the $150 UE Boom 3.

Audio / Video

Sonos likely planning a smaller, cheaper Move portable speaker

The Sonos Move in an outdoor setting.

The Sonos Move is an excellent portable speaker, and so far, it's the only Sonos model that sports the versatility of a Bluetooth connection. But if a recently spotted FCC filing is any indication, we could soon see a much smaller, and possibly less expensive edition of the Sonos Move -- a Move Mini, perhaps.

As The Verge points out, the drawing contained in the FCC documents clearly illustrate a device with its own wireless charging cradle (a design that is similar to the existing Move) but that also has a round, cylindrical shape.

Audio / Video

Denon unveils Denon Home: Three new wireless multiroom speakers

Denon Home 350

Japanese audio company Denon has revealed a system of three wireless multiroom speakers called Denon Home: The $249 Denon Home 150, $499 Denon Home 250, and the $699 Denon Home 350. Each model is compatible with Denon's HEOS Wi-Fi audio platform and can play hi-res audio files. AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth round out the speakers' wireless connections. The new models will go on sale in the first quarter of 2020, though no specific release date has been shared.

Intriguingly, all three models of Denon Home speakers will come equipped with two microphones for future voice assistant support. However, these microphones will be disabled and not functional until a future software update is available, according to the company. Denon has not yet indicated which voice assistants will be compatible with these new speakers.