Apple customers are no strangers to unique speakers. The company’s retail stores have traditionally been a showcase for cool designs that compliment your Mac and iDevice, such as the Harman Kardon Soundsticks and the B&W Zeppelin Air. For fans of these unique products, be sure to check out the ClearView Clio Bluetooth Speaker, unveiled this week at CES.
The sleek Clio speaker features an “invisible” design, with a small base for components and controls, and a thin curved acrylic glass transducer. The glass acts as a bipole speaker, pushing sound out of the front and back, instead of just forward like a traditional speaker, and ClearView’s “Edge Motion” technology pushes sound from the sides, ensuring that audio is emanated in all directions from the unit. We’ll still have to get one into a quiet home environment before any claims about its sound quality can be verified, but ClearView promises that the Clio has the “ability to produce a rich, full sound across the audio range.”
Here's a game: spot the speaker in this image.
This design doesn’t come cheap, however. With a list price of $349, the Clio is significantly more expensive than a traditional set of speakers but, when compared to other high-end Bluetooth options like Jawbone’s BIG JAMBOX at $299, the price doesn’t seem too far out of line.
With Bluetooth 2.1 and 4.0 support and a 3.5mm input, the Clio should work with all of your Macs and iDevices. The only problem? No AirPlay support. Still, if you like the design, you could always hook up an AirPort Express to the 3.5mm input to add your own support for Apple’s wireless audio technology.
The Clio is available for pre-order now in Silver, Dark Bronze, and Charcoal colors. It’s expected to ship in March.