Libratone at the IFA: Why old is not bad
5.9.2017
Translation: machine translated
Video: Stephanie Tresch
Libratone presents its Zipp speakers at the IFA. They are wireless but not new. So why do the speakers hold their own against all the new products? Because they are still being developed further.
One innovation follows the next at the IFA in Berlin. New features here, completely new technology there. Only little is new at the Libratone stand. Two coloured covers are new, one pink, the other baby blue. Or as the designers at Libratone have named the colours: Nude and Pastel Blue. Otherwise, the speakers are still the same as when they were launched last year.
There is still a lot that is new about the speakers and the innovations are not over yet. How does that work? I ask a charismatic Dane at the stand. At this point, I have to insert how things usually work at the IFA. Charismatic, attractive and/or otherwise unique people stand at the trade fair stands and talk to visitors. They are usually "on message", i.e. they only say variations of the content that the PR department of the respective company has prepared before the trade fair. We quickly got used to words like "high-quality" and "innovative".
It gets strange at the Libratone stand from about the time Stephanie raves about the pink-coloured Zipp and the Dane says "You can also buy other covers for the box. My girlfriend has about three different colours and changes them from time to time". On message. But then comes "I don't really care, but she's happy". As a rule, this addition would not have come. Or if it did, something like "This is the most wonderful thing ever".
Bluetooth speakers
Libratone Zipp
8 h, Rechargeable battery operated, USB power delivery, Electrical connection
But the charismatic Dane with brown hair and blue eyes confuses me in conversation. I'm not sure whether he's on message or whether his life is actually dominated by his girlfriend's taste in interior design and the Libratone Zipp. I understand the latter.
An oldie but goodie
In the technology scene, products that are almost a year old are considered outdated. Sometimes the device now urgently needs a new button to activate something that the latest version urgently needs. Sometimes the software has become greedier and needs more hardware power and therefore the old part is obsolete.
The Libratone Zipp are unchanged. Another curious anecdote from the Dane: "We Danes are known for three things: beer, horse breeding and design," he says. Alcohol is a taboo subject when someone is on-message. Even alcohol producers shy away from "We make good swill". Then he goes back on-message and talks about the hardware features of the device.
For Libratone, design is not just something that looks pretty, but is also interesting for people like me: the underlying technology is well thought out and future-proof. This means that the hardware was planned more than a year ago in such a way that the device will not become obsolete in a year's time. This is especially nice for the end customer, as everyone is now frustrated when their new smartphone or speakers are almost obsolete at the time of purchase.
The secret of the wavy disc
The Libratone Zipp seem solidly made. The large version is a little heavy in the hand, but not so heavy that the speaker has to be carried around with a strap.
The speakers run on a rechargeable battery as well as a direct power supply and can be used as a power bank for smartphones if necessary. The battery then no longer lasts ten or more hours, but less. They also boast "true 360-degree sound", which usually means something between 180 degrees and 270 degrees. Sound and its echo is a bit tricky when it comes to circular sound reinforcement of a room. Especially if any control elements, an omnidirectional microphone and other things have to be installed on top.
The test at the stand shows that the 360-degree range is accurate except for a small point at about 2 o'clock on the face of a clock. Even there, the speaker is not quiet or muted, but simply a little quieter. "That's because of the corrugated plastic part at the top," says the Dane. Here again, on-message would be something like "This is possible thanks to the AudioPlate X system with #TrendSound filter". I've made up the names, but "plastic part on top" doesn't sound on-message, but it's good enough.
A cover is pulled over the whole construction, which has an output of 100 watts in the large version and 60 watts in the mini version, to protect the Zipp from dirt and add colour to the speaker. The whole thing is called Zipp because the cover is closed with a zip. Just design. I personally quite like the look of the device without the cover, but I know I'm quite alone in my love of open machinery and tangled cables.
Since their release, the Libratone Zipp have only been given new covers on the hardware side to give the speaker a new look. However, Libratone is not just sitting on its arse, but is actively developing further.
Integration and expansion
The Dane continues. He tells us that the software is far from finished. After studying the hardware functionality, I suspect that some kind of Android is running on the speakers. There are some indications in favour of this, even though I have no proof or test data.
A software update in the near future will bring Amazon's Alexa to the speakers. Alexa is slowly rolling out to Android devices, most notably the HTC U 11. AirPlay 2 is also coming. Apple has historically not been particularly keen for their services to operate outside of their own ecosystem. Apple Inc. does have an account in Google's Play Store, but there are only three apps there. AirPlay 2 is ported to Android by third parties, including an app called DoubleTwist. Should Libratone now join forces with one of these app manufacturers, then there is little standing in the way of the AirPlay-on-Zipp project.
However, this is just an analysis based on the technical data of the Zipps and speculation. If you're interested, I'll be happy to look into it in Zurich. Or if you know better and more precisely, then let me know in a comment. Because the question of the firmware is always interesting.
The future of speakers?
With the Libratone Zipps, Libratone is giving us a glimpse into the possible future of speakers. The Zipps have so far been usable as a wireless multi-room-capable hands-free system, at least according to the Danish company, but now the whole house is to be smartised. Smart speakers are an important tool and assistants like Alexa are indispensable. I like Google's nameless assistant better, because Google already knows everything about me anyway. Yes, I have given up a bit on Google.
Well then: Go, Libratone. I like you guys. I like the charismatic Dane, who interprets his PR job in a rather strange way, at the stand. I like the sound that the speakers produce and the fact that a young technology is not simply being declared dead. <p
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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