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It is impossible for a lightweight, battery-powered portable speaker system to produce the same sound quality that a larger, high end plug-into-the-wall unit does. The laws of physics are too stacked against small, power-efficient speakers for that. But the On Tour portable speaker system from JBL comes remarkably close to breaking these laws. Newton himself would be amazed at the big sound that comes out of these little speakers. We are guessing that he’d also appreciate the On Tour’s design that includes a sliding cover and optional top clamp that can hold a portable game system (Newton being the sort of guy who surely would have had a Sony PSP).

What’s most remarkable about the On Tour system, though, is its low cost. At the current Amazon sale price of $50~60 there is absolutely no other speaker system that provides as much quality for as little money.

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Fans of The Family Guy would be forgiven for an initial impression that the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker’s profile is similar to that of Stewie’s head. The Zeppelin’s elongated football shape gives this speaker system a striking silhouette. But the design doesn’t only look dramatic, it is a main reason why it SOUNDS dramatic. The shape of the Zeppelin causes its sound waves to evenly disperse over an area wide enough to fill a large room. The design is so innovative that the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin was awarded a prestigious gold medal at the 2008 IDEA awards for it. (The Flip Mino camcorder was also among the three gold winners).

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In the marketing for the P’9120 Elton has been playing up how this clock radio speaker system was designed by Porshe. Indeed, the P’9120 definitely catches the eye. It is not necessarily an intuitive design — some one seeing a P’9120 for the first time probably wouldn’t even know what this boxy, knobby thing with rubberized paint is used for — but it certainly draw people’s attention.

The design is so overwhelming that most reviews forget to mention this fact: The P’9120 sounds fantastic! Especially the bass notes, which boom through the 15 watt 3″ active subwoofer thanks to a superior air flow system. The P’9102 is also feature rich with a pleasing alphanumeric clock display, radio equipped for XM and short wave (as well as the obvious AM and FM) and a stylish iPod dock. We wish the P’9120 were easier to use without the remote control. We also think the current price of $800/£480 is a bit steep, but look for that to drop soon (in fact, click here to check the current cost).

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