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Wall Street
Journal on foxL DASH7 "Small Speakers, Mighty Sound" by Erik Sofge!
By
Erik Sofge,
Wall Street Journal
Libratone
Loop and foxL Dash7: Small Speakers, Mighty Sound
By blasting sound in all directions, two new speakers belie
their size
WARM AND FUZZY Because the Dash7 (shown in front of an iPad) is just
¾-of-an-inch thick, it can sit in front of the screen without obstructing
the view.
FRONT AND CENTER: Traditionally, that’s where you need to sit in relation to
an audio speaker for it to sound the fullest. But two new models—which coax
soundwaves to splay out to the left and right, as well as center—manage to
envelop a room without overwhelming it.
Take, for instance, the foxL Dash7 (). You can think of this 7½-inch device
as a soundbar for a tablet computer. Like a traditional television soundbar,
the Dash7 is designed to span the width of a screen—in this case, that of an
iPad or similar-size tablet. But unlike the most portable speakers, the
Dash7 measures only ¾ inches deep. You can place it flat on a table, face
up, in front of a propped-up tablet, and it will leave the image
unobstructed. Yes, this leaves the Dash7 pointing toward the ceiling. But
that’s not an issue, because the speaker is tweaked to disperse audio at a
wide angle.
Despite the Dash7′s slimness, its audio quality is a huge improvement over
the feeble speakers built into most tablets. The iPad, for example, projects
sound from one end of the device, making for a lopsided experience when
watching videos, and even the front-mounted stereo speakers on less
sonically challenged tablets are tinny and hollow. Connect the Dash7 and
you’ll notice a much-needed boost in volume and clarity.
The Dash7 can stream audio wirelessly over Bluetooth, and in our tests using
an iPad to watch video, there was no lag between the sound and image that
can plague other Bluetooth speakers. We also liked that the Dash7′s
surprisingly grippy feet provide enough friction to function as a makeshift
tablet stand. Lean your tablet against some books, and the Dash7 will keep
the device from sliding forward.
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