Australia’s BlueAnt has a desktop speaker to show the world at CES, and it’s coloured to match the latest crop of iMacs.
The sound system in every computer isn’t the same, and that’s why we have other options. You can use a great pair of headphones to change the audio experience, or you can jump right in with a great speaker or two.
In recent years, desktop speakers have taken a bit of a turn, taking inspiration from the world of TV audio at home, and turning to soundbars.
Those one-piece sound systems normally built for TVs have been gradually making their way to the desktop, built to sit under a screen or just in front of it, and upgrading a computer sound in one easy to use device.
A few versions of computer soundbars can be found about the place and their numbers are growing, and there’s soon to be another as an Australian audio powerhouse looks set to join them.
BlueAnt pretty much only does sound, and in what could be its first CES launch, is using CES 2024 to showcase the Soundblade, a 120W soundbar with a unique design incorporating a neodymium subwoofer, two neodymium drivers, and high-definition audio tweaked by the company’s studio engineers.
The Soundblade will come with three preset equaliser settings covering games, movies, and music, and is available in blue, green, pink, white, and charcoal, basically matching the look of the recent Apple iMacs, with support for audio over Bluetooth, USB-C, and auxiliary, as well. What’s more, with USB-C, owners can use it as a speaker for their computer or their phone.
“Our aim was to create a product that not only provides our customers with an epic cinematic sound experience at their desktop but also seamlessly integrates into the modern lifestyle,” said Taisen Maddern, Founder of BlueAnt.
“We believe we’ve achieved that with Soundblade’s unmatched sound quality and its elegant, space-efficient design,” he said.
One thing you won’t get in the Soundblade is spatial audio, with BlueAnt confirming there’s no support for virtualised Dolby Atmos, unlike its XT100 soundbar for TVs.
However, the BlueAnt Soundblade does buck the regular trend for most CES announcements, arriving with an Australian price and availability date. As such, you can expect to find the Soundblade desktop soundbar online and in Telstra stores from January 18, priced from $299 in Australia.
