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With warmer weather upon us there is nothing like listening to great music outdoors in your back yard, patio or deck while BBQ’n. In most cases its easy to get the sound you want by adding speakers outside to you’re existing hardware. And if you’re existing hardware needs upgrades or any add-ons to get your music outside we have lots of solutions for that as well. I have compiled a few really cool items we carry below.
With “Soundstealth" you will get great sound and at the same time the speaker is totally disguised, so no holes in the rock are seen. It’s virtually impossible to distinguish the Stereostone "Sound Stealth" Rock Speaker from a real rock.
The exclusive loudspeaker design uses dual spider woofers found in professional loudspeakers. Along with ferrofluid cooling technology, the speakers use santoprene weather resistant surround suspension and the latest poly mica cone materials. This permits greater power handling with lower distortion. Also included is an auto reset overpower protection system. Available in several colors, sizes and price ranges.
If your outdoor speaker needs don't include any of our "Rock" models, how about a tree stump? The StereoStone Tree Stump simulates a real stump, so you don't have to SEE your sound, and still get great StereoStone quality. Specifications: Single 8 inch - 125 watt 8 ohm - 2-way speaker system.
How about a Planter? Whether entertaining guests, or just relaxing on the patio, our Omni Sound Planter Speakers not only sound natural, but look natural as well.
- 360 degree dispersion
- 23” dia. x 28” tall.
- 11.7 gallon planting area
- Built-in drainage
- Built-in Terminal Cup and Plug
- Roto-molded plastic resin cabinet
- Exponential Circular Horn
- 8” 2-way woofer with 1” Neodymium-titanium tweeter
- 250 watt power handling
- Nylon insect barrier screen
- Also available in white.
Great for balconies, small patios, hot tubs or around the pool. Excellent sound and bass. Just add dirt and a plant, water, and sit back to your favorite music.
Unleash Your Audio with the award winning OutCast speaker. The OutCast weather-resistant, wireless speaker lets you enjoy rich multi-directional stereo sound throughout your house, in your yard, on your patio and even on your boat. With broadcast range of up to 350 feet, this powerful wireless speaker receives transmissions through walls, floors, and ceilings without the hassle of running wires.
- Delivers unmatched premium audio quality
- Connect your MP3 player, IPod, computer and even your TV to the OutCast
- Conveniently located controls
- Portable – ready to take anywhere
- Blue lighting illuminates the wireless outdoor speaker for extra ambiance at night
We also have your traditional outdoor speakers that can be installed under the eves or on the sides of your home.
JBL CONTROL NOW AW
All-Weather 2-Way, Dual 4" Bookshelf/Wall-Mount/Corner-Mount Speaker
90 DEGREES OF PURE INGENUITY
Incorporating innovative proprietary technologies into an ingenious and uniquely versatile design, JBL Control NOW AW speakers will deliver evenly distributed sound with minimal distortion at any volume level in any listening environment, indoors or out*. Media rooms, rec rooms, kitchens, decks, pool houses, patio – anywhere you want great sound and need installation flexibility – JBL Control NOW AW speakers are the high-style, high-performance choice
From Switzerland, GenevaSound is "furniture music" - a renewed fusion of home entertainment and home décor that brings technology and design full circle. The GenevaSound System “M” is the newest addition to the line up. It is a full range Hi-Fi System that comes with an integrated iPhone/iPod docking station, top loading CD slot player, Radio FM Tuner and a line-in that can be used for your Computer, TV or anything else that has line outputs. The single cabinet is made of solid wood furniture with high gloss piano lacquer finish that is available in White, Black or my favorite, Red. The included remote control gives you full control over your iPod/iPhone, CD player and has 6 presets for the Radio. There are four individual chambered and sealed speakers that are independently powered by a 100 watt digital amplifier, with sound accuracy unmatched by any product of its size. The sealed, wooden chambers feature ported bass in the rear for rich, powerful lows. You can adjust the treble and bass to suit your taste or to room size as well. It has an LED display visible under the front cover showing input source and track playing. The “M” comes with brushed aluminum feet with rubberized footpads which help absorb resonance and vibration. The cabinet measures, width 14.2 inches, height 7.8 inches, depth 10.6 inches and weighs 15 Pounds.
Pro: Fantastic full range 3D sound. System is extremely easy to operate. Clean design and fits any decor and has relatively small foot print with big sound that will clobber systems twice its price.
Con: No Subwoofer out or USB input.
Final Word: Having only one cabinet means no messy wires and exceptional sound quality in a small, easy to use package with the 3 necessary sources for a good Hi-Fi system all around. A system that sounds fantastic in low volumes for easy listening and has the juice to rock the house too. Great sound stage without the edgy bright digital sound and reproduces a warm 3 dimensional sound that you can listen to for hours of enjoyment. GenevaSound is the only brand that is sold in leading fashion and design stores in the US and Europe, from Barneys New York to Fred Segal in LA to Armani in Milan.
GenevaSound ‘M” Gallery
Comparatives: Meridian F80 | Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1
GenevaSound M Technical Specifications
Design
Designed by the Geneva Lab in-house design team
Cabinet finish: Piano lacquered wood, available in white, black and red color
Sound
Speaker system: 2 x 1" tweeters and 2 x 4" woofers
Power Amplifier: Digital hi-fi amplifier (Class D) with 4 x 25 Watt output
Audio
CD-Player: slot loading CD player.
Supported disk formats: CD-Audio, CD-ROM and CD-RW (MP3 files)
Supported disk size: 4 3/4 inches (12 cm)
FM Radio: digital tuner with 6 presets
External audio inputs
Line-in: 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plug fore xternal input sources like PC, DVD, game console and TV
Electrical requirements
Line voltage: 110V - 220V AC, 60Hz - 50Hz
Power consumption: maximum 75W
Dimensions
Width x height x depth: 14.4" x 7.4" x 9.5" (36.6 cm x 18.7 cm x 24.0 cm)
Weight (estimated): 16 lbs (7.3 kg)
Included accessories: Remote control, Line In Cable: 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plugs on both ends, AC power cable with external power supply, External FM wire antenna
Introducing the Eco Tech-Tuk. Available only in Downtown Vancouver, I will be making deliveries by bicycle with a 5.5’ x 2.5’ custom built trailer.
Why are we doing this? Well several reasons.
- Zero Emissions & Carbon Neutral.
- Have you tried parking in Downtown Vancouver?
- Excellent way to stay in shape.
- We like to do things differently and NOBODY does this.
- I truly care about the impact on our environment.
About the Trailer (Visit the Eco Tech-Tuk photo gallery)
- Weight capacity of the trailer is 300 lbs (136 kg).
- The oversize towbar is 2-3/8" (6 cm) in diameter--more than twice the diameter of most other trailers. Its stout size prevents flexing from occurring when pulling heavy loads.
- The trailer rolls on tough, 5-spoke Skyway pneumatic wheels equipped with precision cartridge wheel bearings. The wheels are mounted on the ends of a welded galvanized steel axle. This produces a low-maintenance, rugged wheel system that stands up under the heaviest loads.
- Front and rear crossmember.
- The backbone of the trailer is its custom-extruded 6061-T6 aluminum frame channel.
- The trailer attaches to the bike via a TIG-welded stainless steel hitch. It uses a secure, 3-point attachment system to keep the hitch tightly fastened to the frame regardless of the load being pulled.
- 1" (25mm) diameter holes in the web reduce weight while providing numerous tie down points.
So far I have made 4 deliveries on the Tech-Tuk and everybody has been taking a second look as I cruise on by. Today when I took it out to take some pictures I got stopped by a few people asking me questions and comments like, “Can I rent it?”, “That is so neat”, “For a high tech store thats a pretty low tech vehicle.” I couldn’t tell sometimes if people were laughing at me or cheering the concept?
Among making "green" deliveries there are few other things I have implemented.
- We only keep 3 to 4 TV's on in the store to reduce energy consumption.
- The lighting in our store is being operated by Control4 and it shuts the lighting off automatically at midnight.Control4 also shuts off the outside music and the TV's automatically so there not running over night. So many business leave there lights on 24 hours a day.. what a waste of energy.
- I walk to work, and those of you that know me personally are probably laughing at this because I actually live across the street.
- I prefer to email invoices thus reducing ink and paper usage.
- I prefer to promote Energy Star brands in our store.
There are few other things we do to help do our part. I find that being just a good person is not good enough anymore. One should also care for our planet, our environment and do good things for people locally and around the world.
So if you live in downtown Vancouver or are visiting and see me lugging a Home Theater system on my bike, make sure you wave hi.
Check out our interview with Marketnews here
Visit Hello BC for more info on Cycling in Vancouver here
I love music. More than that, I love high resolution lossless music. I like being able to hear Diana Krall’s fingers strike that Piano key, or be able to tell that the guitar Carlos Santana is stringing out his tunes on is a PRS guitar made with solid Brazilian Rosewood. I am speaking of music on my computer and iPod and not music on a CD. We still carry a handful of CD players and they do sound phenomenal however, with the correct hardware your ipod or music on your hard drive can sound just as good as an audiophile grade reference CD Player. Digital Smart Homes embraced the Digital download era long before any other high end dealer in the city did and continue to introduce and carry high quality music systems. There is really no place other than our store for the generation “Y” to go to for iPodphile products.
In listening to Rubén González’s Luv Lluvia Track 3 from his new album“Chanchullo”, the experience was like watching water dance on a superhydrophobic surface. I was able to visualize the Bongos playing with such amazing three dimensional detail that I could hear the hands make contact with the drums. There are so many instruments that come alive, you truly feel like you’ve escaped to Cuba. Rubén González’s plays the piano with such fluidness and perfect timing with the many cuban percussion instruments and does it with such finesse even in his eighties. The aluminum dome on the Kef speakers almost act like a visual mirror reflecting every detail back to my hears with perfect harmony, range and depth. Below I will be briefly covering the components that I used to experience this album.
Lets start with the Wadia 170i Transport. The iTransport is the first ever component specifically designed to transform your iPod into a high-resolution audio/video media server. The iTransport combines the convenience of personal audio with the performance and connectivity of your home audio/video system, delivering bit-perfect digital audio signal via S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) output, DVD quality video via component outputs, and built on a sleek aluminum chassis. When the iPod docks with iTransport, the iPod transforms into an audiophile-grade media server that rivals some of the top performing digital source components available. >> download the Wadia 170i brochure
Basically when the Wadia 170i Transport is “engaged” it allows you to bypass your iPods/iPhones internal 16 bit/44.1KHz DAC. Music is stored digitally and for us to hear that music a DAC needs to convert that digital music file to Analogue (DAC - Digital/Analogue Converter) Now the Wadia does not have an internal DAC of its own. Its main purpose is to deliver or “transport” bit perfect 0’s and 1’s to an outboard DAC which than converts it to Analogue. In our store for example I am using Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3 connected to a Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated USB Amp which are powering a pair of Kef XQ10 speakers.
The second component in our system is the Bel Canto e.One Dac3DAC/Preamplifier with Ultra-Clock™ Technology which has Digital Level Control, 24/192 DAC vs the iPod’s 16/44.1. The e.One also comes with Balanced I/O, 5-digital Inputs w/USB. This combination reproduces music with new levels of dynamic expression and accuracy of timbre. Your music communicates as never before. The Ultra-Clock™ Technology recalls the best of analog music reproduction, without the limitations of either analog or other digital technologies. All components work in concert with every detail of the Dac3’s design to achieve a new level of musical realism. >> Learn more about the e.One DAC3
The third component is our Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated Dual Mono Amplifier with USB port shown in the bottom of the stack of components pictured on the left. The S300iu raises performance expectations for an integrated audio amplifier. The S300iu integrates a high performance preamplifier with 300 Watts of dual mono balanced power capability per channel. The high performance preamplifier uses the latest digitally controlled analog volume control and sealed relay switching to provide a transparent signal path for up to 4 analog inputs, including a USB Digital Audio converter. The USB DAC allows you to create a high performance audio playback system using your computer as the audio source. This will optimize playback of either compressed audio files, uncompressed audio files, and CD playback from your computer drive. This option opens up a new world of audio experience. >> Learn more about the eOne S300iu
The last component of our system are the Kef XQ10 bookshelf speakers. They reproduce the sound with effortless accuracy. Packed with technology derived from Kef’s Reference Series, it features a new generation Uni-Q® array and ‘tangerine’ waveguide: a stunningly natural-sounding elliptical dome 19mm (0.75in.) tweeter perfectly time-aligned with the surrounding midrange/bass cone to disperse the sound far more evenly across the listening area than is possible with conventional speakers. A speaker that’s big in everything but size. Available in Birdseye Maple, Khaya Mahogany and Piano Black. >> Learn more about the Kef XQ10
I invite you to come by our store and experience the sweet music of Rubén González while sipping on a glass of wine or bring your iPod for a truly amazing listening experience.
(Source: www.wadia.com, www.belcantodesign.com & www.kef.com)
