Gizmo Ave

While iPod docks are a 10-a-penny, B&W’s Zeppelin is very much another sort of dock. More of a marina than a mere dock, the Zep punts out top drawer sonic loveliness and looks the part, too, forged from a solid slab of purest black.

The Eclipse eggs have been top of many people’s must-have list since the dawn of time, largely thanks to their eggsquisite design and more importantly their flawless acoustics. The curved enclosure is designed to reduce, nor destroy, troublesome standing waves (the enemy of Hi-Fi addicts).

As always, there were plenty of outlandish speaker designs and cabinets on display at this year’s IFA show. However, Harman Kardon’s new GLA-55 active speakers stood out more than most.

Say hello to the Sony Sountina. It’s a transparent glass tube that emanates 360 degree sound, instead of a traditional speaker’s straight-on noise. This it does by vibrating along its one meter length, creating “full circle sonic”. More importantly, you can choose different colored lights to put in it, for an exquisite audio visual experience. [...]