Martin Lévay The chrome skull reminded me of a hulking Terminator T-101 with black glasses. All that's missing is Arnold's "Hasta La Vista, baby." So at first sight I was amused. A joke, an exaggeration, a relief, that's my first impression of the Jarre AeroSkull. When I come to visit, it will definitely interest me, make me smile, this thing is simply impossible to miss. I don't see a chrome skull with black glasses on my acquaintances every day. Simply a stylish interior accessory that you won't be ashamed of, just say "...it's from Jarre" and then just press the play button.
Appearance
When I first saw this chrome skull displayed on the table, it was clear to me that no one would buy this. “How much does it cost,” I ask. "Ten thousand," my colleague tells me. He must have seen the look on my face and quickly added, “Wait, it's from Jarre!” If I'd ever had conflicted feelings before, it wasn't until now that I truly had conflicted feelings. A stylized chrome playing skull - I've never seen that before. At least it's original, we have to admit that. Also made of plastic. But Jarre had surprised me once before, so within a picosecond I had my iPhone in my hand and eagerly docked it. I listened for a few seconds and couldn't speak for the next few seconds. Slice. Again. Jarre can.
Quality
I couldn't find any unprocessed moldings, uncleaned edges, no awkward seam across half of the skull, no screws for disassembly. This is certainly not a cheap molding, someone put a lot of effort into not only the design of the shape, but also the design of joining the parts, not to mention the sound. The skull seems solid, there will certainly be a lot of reinforcements inside, because it seems stiff. When I tap it, it doesn't sound like hollow plastic. I had the chrome version available, the surface is unusually shiny for chrome plastic, the effect does not look cheap, based on the overall processing I assume that the effect will not wear off that quickly. So processing it corresponds to the ten thousand. So let's take a look at the sound side.
Show your teeth!
There is a touch volume control on the front canines, you can tell by the pressed + and - marks. Not everyone likes teeth marks, but so be it. To the left of the volume control is a blue LED that lights up like a fashion gem in a tooth when the skull is energized. It would probably bother me with other speakers, but here it matches the style, so why not. The rear panel has a mechanical power button, apparently taking into account the fact that someone will not use the Jarre AeroSkull every day and will want to turn off the speaker when leaving the office for the weekend. The majority of AirPlay speakers do not have an off button, they are always under voltage, which makes sense when waking up the device with air and increases user comfort.
Wirelessly
AirPlay operated via Bluetooth limits you to about ten meters in ideal conditions, a distance of up to 6 meters is real comfortable use, which I enjoyed, and the stream from the iPhone to the Jarre AeroSkull was uninterrupted. Fortunately, there is a 3,5mm audio jack on the back panel, which can be used to connect the Airport Express. If you want to use the AeroSkull really often, buy the AirPort Express, the advantage of Wi-Fi over Bluetooth is better coverage, and you can comfortably operate multiple iOS devices at the same time.
Critics
Yes, I and criticizing some speakers don't go well together, but this is a really stupid mistake. The power adapter is ugly. I'm not saying he's not handsome, nor am I saying he's not stylish enough. He is plain and simple ugly. It looks like a charger for "ordinary" laptops. Cable to wall, black box with switched power source and cable to AeroSkull. Sure, the cable is connected from the back and can't be seen, but still. Aerosytem, Bose, MacBook, with all of them the power supply is somehow nice, deviating from the standard, and with the MacBook it is also very practical. Why couldn't they add at least a slightly better solution to such stylish speakers? I can imagine that this solved some other problem, like the hum if the power was inside, or the power adapter is more replaceable if it accidentally wants to "leave". They probably knew what they were doing, so if it solved some other problem, then this solution can be forgiven, but it's a shame in my opinion.
Praise
I praise the sound, it corresponds to the price. When I was expecting a toy sale sound, after the first few seconds I had to apologize to the authors again. Massive, rich, clear bass, clear and unobscured mids and just the right amount of pleasantly tinkling highs. You can beautifully sound even a larger room, low tones are stable, clear, no incomprehensible hum like from a cheap subwoofer. The Jarre AeroSkull sounds airy, pleasantly space-filling even as you walk across the room, which is the goal of all products in this category – mission accomplished. I recommend listening, the Audyssey AudioDock plays similarly, in a direct comparison only the more expensive B&W A5 will sound a little better, but the difference of several thousand and a few decades of experience in development must be recognized somewhere, so for its price, the Jarre AeroSkull really offers a lot in sound and incomparably more in style.
Comparison
Like the AeroSystem One, the Zeppelin Air, the Jarre AeroSkull is in a category of its own. They cannot be compared with other products, where the developers did not have the courage to break away from established procedures and try to solve old problems in a new way. No one can evaluate it objectively, but my opinion is that at its price level, the AeroSkull is sonically in the middle between the tops of Bowers & Wilkins, Bose, Bang & Olufsen, Audyssey and the better average from Sony, Philips and JBL.
How come…
I'm conservative, the look of the AeroSkull is not my cup of coffee and it would be a lie to say that I want it badly, but the fact is that I like the sound and the sound is definitely worth the price. It's certainly not like someone is selling looks and "some sound". First of all, you are buying very good sound. And the appearance is somehow extra. In the good way. Once again, I have to give a shout out to the guys at Jarre Technologies. Great job guys. Both AeroSkull and Aerosystem One have excellent sound and an unusual appearance. The only thing I was worried about was the processing, but even that is top notch.
If anyone else made the acting skull, I'd be pissed that they killed the potential of the idea with the processing or the sound. But if you want a very fun speaker with a very unusual look and very good sound, the AeroSkull from Jarre Technologies seems to me to be a good choice. Sure, you can get a stylish Angry Birds themed speaker for a fraction of the price from the Gear, but the AeroSkull is two classes up in sound and build, and I'm not at all surprised by those who have already bought it.
Updated
I don't know who distributes speaker systems from Jarre Technologies in the Czech Republic today, apparently no one. Too bad, the combination of sound and design is really unique and I can imagine that with a choice of up to 11 colors it has the potential to impress. One of the reasons for the absence of the original AeroSkull on our market is probably the 30-pin dock connector, which is not very useful in the era of the Lightning connector on the iPhone. However, Jarre.com lists the new AeroSkull HD model with Lightning connector and the smaller portable AeroSkull XS, as well as the even crazier AeroBull speaker hood. For some of the products they have a planned sale from October/November 2013, so obviously we have a lot to look forward to…
We discussed these living room audio accessories one by one:
[related-posts]
as Pohlreich would say, "that's weird". even if there was a symphony orchestra hidden there, no.
Exactly :) I just won't put this in the barracks, even if it plays like crazy. Although function is more important than appearance, everything has its limits.
Yeah, that's exactly what was going through my head. More times. One looks at it and wonders if he should blink by chance. But until you get your hands on it in person, you can't judge it. It's more like I'd rather buy an iHome, Philips or Sony for 5k, I'd rather get an AeroSkull for all ten of them. And I really don't mind a blue or red skull.
Go to the store and try it out. Those who can get rid of prejudices will be very surprised. This is definitely not a dachshund from a Vietnamese market, I compared all the speakers to the studio standard and both things from Jarre Technologies are very good.
The fact that their marketing and business plan didn't work means they were ahead of their time or overslept, but I would take advantage of the fact that they are selling out. Indeed, the sound is very good. I recommend listening!
They are available in iSTYLE for 4 :)
Yes, I confirm the half price of CZK 4990. It's from yesterday, I didn't have time to deliver it there. Currently, you can't buy a better speaker for five thousand. The cheapest ones at the same level are around 8 thousand. If you were thinking about wireless BT speakers around 5-6 thousand, definitely think about it.
And above all, the "control bone" is very tight...
Can't buy? So if I buy a pair of KEF wooden crates and put them three meters apart and sit 4-5 meters away from them, will this dense and cruel thing play better? Or just because of the basics of physics it won't be because the sound comes from one place?
yes, but you have to add the price of appletv or airport + amplifier because you need to get it to the KEF somehow :P but you're right, this whole series is not about perfect sound but about designer docking stations, a bit snobbish. because in these cases you are not paying for the best possible sound but for a design solution. otherwise, you would have bought a low-level Denon or Onkyo in the Mall and a low-level JBL speaker, and even then you would be a class higher with the sound than with these docks :_) and at a price comparable or lower... Zeppelin is at least made by the hi-fi company BW, but the rest...( ?)
Kind of snobbish? A little yes, a few percent, but for the most part, the quality is definitely there.
The Zeppelin is top, but there are a couple of AirPlay speakers out there that have the quality, but the performance varies depending on the price.
Low-level Onkyo, Denon, JBL, Technics, Harman Kardon, they are all a different category that solves something different. AirPlay is a new category that is outside the classic wooden boxes. Until recently, I wanted classic speakers at home with perfect sound, but at the moment when I don't have the opportunity to place them in a perfect room and I don't have time to focus only on the sound from those boxes (and I really don't have that time), then the AirPlay speaker is a very interesting option . For some, the only possible.
Something for masochists: Bowers and Wilkins Panorama combined with Apple TV. I will not discuss this, this is for connoisseurs who will go to a HiFi studio.
Please always include links to previous parts under the article, so that it is easy to return to it. Unfortunately, the local website does not work perfectly for a long time and in the mobile version it does not allow browsing the history of articles at all. Apparently none of the editors use the mobile version and they don't care.
Good hummus
so I already have a silver Lebzička at home and it plays incredibly, I recommend it to everyone, Jarre is king!!
So I gave in too and went for "my new skull". I knew that the sound wouldn't impress me that much - after all, anyone who has tried the Bowers&Wilkins A7 somewhere must be disappointed by all the devices mentioned here, but I thought to myself - for the price of less than 5 thousand, I probably won't regret it. Well… Now I regret it. I must have been unlucky with the wrong piece, but I really regret going through with it in the first place. I'm going to return it tomorrow.
If I take it purely as a piece that would work fine - the mentioned seam on the skull is not that perfect, on the contrary, I was a little disappointed in its execution. Another disappointment is the dock cover, which is a thing of the past these days, so why not cover it. The plug at the top doesn't even fit properly, it doesn't hold at all and I was afraid that it would bounce, rattle and maybe even fall while playing. In the end, this did not happen, which is not fortunate, but unfortunately. The aforementioned skull could not even play for 10 minutes without problems. Yes, it really is. After turning it on and connecting via BT, I was struck by the high level of noise with occasional loud banging when connecting or disconnecting (it was all under that). The subsequent first listening test confirmed to me that the sound here really corresponds to a simple plastic washing machine and no miracle is happening. I'm not going to drop the device unnecessarily, it doesn't play the worst and well - at a price of up to 5 crowns with this design (I can't imagine anything other than glossy white at home) it's still possible, but for double the price you have to justify the increase in price with perhaps only the originality of design. I would say that, overall, the highs are too prominent in the musical presentation, and the mid to deeper tones at times drown somewhere in the back of the plastic, which sometimes doesn't handle it very well. But I only had a moment to judge, because then I was looking for the originator of the appalling noise, and after trying to control the volume with the teeth, the device stopped communicating with me completely. I unplugged it completely, left it for a while, then plugged it in again and paired it with another device, but the listening was far from perfect and after touching the front teeth it was once again the end. So tomorrow the lovely skull travels back to where it came from.
I don't want to attack the author and his review here, although this review was indeed weaker compared to others, on the contrary, I would like to pass on my experience, not so much influenced by enthusiasm. I am otherwise very attracted to these devices and have tried some of them briefly. I consider the B&W A7 to be the king of all those listed in the opening section - it was love at first listen. A5 is also not bad, I would say better than Zeppelin. The Zeppelin is a bit of a let down for me and can't come out victorious compared to the A5 - it has a bit more artificial lows and more obscured highs, ugh ugh, I'd rather play the A5 again and it's all beautifully balanced there. But the A7... :-)
The Jarre Aerosystem One is a tempting proposition, but I can't think of where I'd put it - the design is so restrictive that a lot of people who would want something like it will probably turn it down. Although at the current price of 10 thousand - that is tempting. But I won't judge the sound.
The skull is said to be a disappointment even for the seller - a problematic device on several fronts. However, after trying the AeroSystem One, I have to say that it is really worth it. And at the current 10k it's a great option if you have somewhere to put it. It even holds the iPhone 5 for reduction from the dock to the lightning connector, which is a big plus, this cannot be operated in the skull.
what do you say about the BOSE SoundTouch 20? do we not include in the selection of products? :O)
Certainly not by the end of the year. Maybe if there's a sequel and I get my hands on it I'll try it out, I like the idea of multiple list presets. I'm guessing this will be the answer to the B&W A5, judging by the WiFi and Ethernet connections. Bose technology belongs to the top, so I'm not worried about the sound, it will correspond to the price category.
Now they have it in istile for 5000,-
I already wrote a review on Heureka: http://reprosoustavy-reproduktory.heureka.cz/jarre-aeroskull/recenze/?added=u3668321#u3668321 ….my personal impression, even for 5000 it is expensive