Bem’s Speaker Trio system, which brings a new option to the wireless speaker market, is officially on sale, priced at $299. As mobile multimedia devices continue to grow in popularity, so does the market for accessories such as premium headphones, multifunction docking stations and sound bars. What separates Bem’s offering from a number of other wireless speaker systems on the market is that the streaming device — whether a smartphone, tablet, computer or even a dedicated stereo system — connects with the base station, which then wirelessly streams the music to three rechargeable battery-powered speakers that have an effective streaming range of 120 feet (36 meters).
The perfect solution for parties or for simply playing the same music in different rooms around the home, the speakers should last for six hours between charges before they need to be returned to the base for a recharge. At 152x152x152mm each speaker is small and compact enough to carry around the home or even further and, thanks to subtle design (available colors are black or white), won’t draw unnecessary attention to themselves or look out of place in a regular house or apartment.
What’s perhaps even more impressive, is that each speaker has a 120-foot wireless range, or a little over a third of a football field. This provides plenty of options as far as speaker locations are concerned, and on a full charge, you can get six hours of music playback time from the speakers. To charge the speakers, all you have to do is return the speakers to the base, which has three metal contacts, one for each speaker.
The Bem is by no means the only wireless speaker system on the market, but it is the first one to offer this level of functionality at the $300 price point. For the same price, the immensely popular Jawbone Big Jambox offers similar, if not better, battery life — 15 hours between charges — plus it offers a wireless connection between the speaker and the device. It is, however, a single unit speaker which, although loud enough to fill any building (not without potential complaints from neighbours), can only be placed in one room at a time.
