Why should you be excited, then? Well gadgeteers, both players feature high quality playback of music files, including FLAC and WAV, up to 192 kHz/24 bit. Sweet. But oh, that’s not all.

We’ll get you started with the N-50 which has dual transformers and USB/Optical/Coaxial digital inputs to work alongside the RCA and Optical/Coaxial outputs. Additionally, (and quite fantastically) it can support internet radio and iPod files, so, whatever format it’s in, and no matter how far it’s embedded within the deepest, dankest and darkest corners of your computer’s musical collection, then it’s likely to play for you. It is very good like that. Is there a catch at all? Unfortunately, yes; you do need an additional adapter for wi-fi compatibility… wait… wait… it’ll be okay. Read on and feel comforted by the horse’s mouth… no wait, that’s really not right. Ah yes, feel reassured by some info straight from the source… better.

Technology and Product Information Manager at Pioneer Europe, Philippe Coppens says: “Audiophiles now want to enjoy audio playback from their whole music library as well as online media, in the best possible sound quality. Keeping that in mind, Pioneer’s network audio players were developed to offer a new listening experience, giving access to music files wherever they are stored —PC, NAS, HDD, iPod/iPhone/iPad, or USB— as well as internet radio programmes from around the world.

“For the N-50, we have further integrated asynchronous USB DAC functionality and DSP processing, along with the parts and construction to make sure the requirements of even the most demanding audiophile are met.”

What about the N-30 then? Well, err, dear audiophiles, it’s not quite as good as the slick N-50, but it still does a top-notch job. Yeah, it lacks the dual transformers and digital inputs (excluding AirPlay and DLNA, of course), and the iPod compatibility, but otherwise carries out the same functions as its “big brother” model.

These luscious new Pioneers are available in black now, priced at £349.99 for the N-30 and £499.99 for the N-50.

[Source: Pioneer’s new Airplay-enabled Network Audio Players]

The Bayan 7 design is a contemporary look with a 12mm wood casing. It feels solid and well made. It is on the large side so be prepared to clear some shelf space. It has 120W sound power output through twin amplifiers. Having tried it out, it really does belt out the songs. Coupled with an 8” subwoofer, the sound quality is very good. I got the chance to compare it to its competitors like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and it provides a natural soundstage so you hear just like the artist intended. I could really pick out instrumental changes in the Bayan 7. One of features which sets it apart is has a near-flat frequency range. ‘Frequency response’ measures the ability of the product being tested to reproduce all frequencies, from low bass to high pitched sounds, at a consistent volume level. On a graph, the frequency response is near flat whereas its competitors are up and down.

So the sound is there but you will not get any extra features like Internet Radio, AirPlay or iPhone App. Bayan Audio decided to focus on the sound to make it the best it can be than give little features which most of time do not get used. However I was told they are looking to make plugins will be plugged in the back which will give you some extra features (although no word on what the features may be). An iPad, smartphone or laptop can all be plugged in to USBA/3.5mm socket in the back so wherever your music is stored, you can play it on the Bayan 7.

At £299 it cheaper than its competitors but it does not offer the same features they do. You can order one from www.bayanaudio.com.

[Source: Bayan 7 iPod dock: A natural soundstage for your music]

Well Otone have a three-pronged strategy to winning both your affections and a place in your living room: great sound, innovative design and low low pricing. We had a look at their 2.1 speaker set – the Stilo 2.1 Pro speaker + amp setup to see how it stacked up.

The Stilo Pros sound pretty good. I should mention it contains Otone’s patented “Vortex Drive™ System” but I’m not entirely sure what that means and am pretty sure it’s only designed to simultaneously confuse and impress me. But I do know they sound pretty good and hold up despite a variety of genres thrown at them.

The Stilo pro pack 75W total RMS which helps when you are going for a massive sound. The high-efficiency class D digital amp filters out unwanted high-frequency pulses, leaving a smooth low-frequency signal. The Stilo Pro comes with a standalone amp, which in addition to the standard power and volume controls that you’d expect, also allows fine adjustment for bass and treble, and can switch between 3.5mm and RCA inputs. The 3.5 mm inputs seem a little old-fashioned but they are pretty widespread and means you can hook your cassette walkman from the 80s up and it should still work. Handy if you’re having a retro c90 party.

For an RRP of £89.99 there’s a lot to recommend the Stilo 2.1 Pro. Take a look here.

[Source: Stilo 2.1 speakers review: OTone! OTony! OToni!]

So, the first Elipson speaker to do very well on said market was the BS 50 (or, erm the Ball Staff, 50 cm diameter). Originally, this little 2 way white beauty (weighing in at a perfectly manageable 69.2 pounds and 31.4kg) was designed in 1953 to compliment the very first sound and light shows at the famous Château de Chambord in France (which, for the record look darn impressive… Google ‘em). So, it’s pretty cool then? No bro, it’s cooler than cool. This charming spherical speaker (positioned on its alloy tripod, and complete with a distinctive ear piece) with its respectable 80 Watts of max music power also became the reference for voicing at the equally as prestigious Maison de la Radio Broadcasting House in Paris. Man, this thing has been getting about over its time, eh?!

All things considered, this is a more than fitting tribute to the world-beating original, Elipson has reproduced this slick and experienced noisebox using today’s latest materials, while preserving the acoustic sound qualities that were so valuable to a product that quite frankly defied the average standards of loudspeaker design. Take that.

The BS 50 Tribute loudspeaker system is available now via BBG Distribution Limited at http://www.bbg.eu.com.

[Source: Elipson relaunch tribute to BS50 loudspeaker design]

Another feature of the service is PURE Tag, which lets you bookmark tracks you hear on the radio, and find out more about the track and artist using the search and recommendation facilities of the PURE Lounge, to discover more about the artists and their back catalogue, podcasts, or even discover similar and related artists. This is an updated version of PURE’s FlowSongs music tagging service, which was launched in 2010.

Your choice of albums and tracks can be dragged and dropped into playlists, which will automatically be kept synchronised across all of your PURE Music listening devices. Playlists can be shared with social networking contacts on Facebook and Twitter.

There will be one price to start with – £4.99 – but be aware that there is no caching offered as yet, so you won’t be able to experience offline play. As more functionality is introduced, PURE will introduce a tiered pricing structure.

PURE Music went live in December and you can register your interest at www.thelounge.com/puremusic

[Source: PURE music’s Spotify rivial]

There are plenty to choose from on the market, so here’s another one to add to the list – the Marmitek BoomBoom 152 wireless speaker. While it looks like one speaker, its makers claim it create a perfect stereo effect, thanks to the two, perfectly positioned tweeters, which sit inside along with a 20cm bass port for rich and deep low tones.

A rechargeable battery is built in, and offers up to eight hours of music before you need to find a socket to recharge.

The BoomBoom 152 comes in white, while the 150 model comes in black. It can be used with Bluetooth enabled devices including BlackBerry and Android devices and offers an extra aux-input for use with MP3 players that do not have Bluetooth.

It costs less than £50 – for more log on to www.marmitek.com

[Source: Two for the price of one with the Marmitek BoomBoom wireless speaker]

It’s not quite the one button simplicity of Apple’s new-ish Airplay standard but has many advantages. For one Airplay doesn’t yet work from desktops for reasons beyond me (I know you can buy software to enable it but this seems ridiculous). For another, whilst many newer AV receivers are set top boxes back Airplay, many more don’t. Everything has HDMI (well not everything but you get my drift).

The TrueLink Wireless USB to HDMI kit can beam wireless audio and video from about 30 feet line of sight (unless you have a giant living room filled with rocks you will probably be ok with it). You can also wall mount it with the adaptors provided. Sadly the you can only beam videos over in 720p but the upside of this is smooth and reliable picture quality.

The TrueLink Wireless USB to HDMI adaptor is out now from Amazon and CabletoGo for £269.98

Also out now from CablesToGo is a new twist on an old classic. Not your grandfather’s cable, the new swivel connection cables have a unique 270 degree connector that enables you to position them in weird and wonderful ways and bend them to your will. The cables also feature detents every 90 degrees to preserve signal integrity.

The swivel cables are available from Amazon and CablestoGO in a VGA, USB and HDMI flavours, with prices starting from £8.

[Source: TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI kit and swivel cables]

For those that don’t know, French manufacturer Elipson have made a nomme for themselves after registering design patents and developing new acoustic technologies in Europe for over 70 years. Its development started with a loudspeaker made up of a sphere and an ellipsoidal reflector (hence the “Elipson”).
If you’ve been in a recording studio or concert hall in France, the chances are high you’ve heard an Elipson speaker.

The Planet L’s feature a bass reflex enclosure made from an inert glass-fibre resin compound and finished in a choice of three piano gloss colours; red, white and black.

The specification boasts a powerful 2-way, 165mm coaxial driver with an integral 25mm soft dome tweeter. With no less than 4 clever mounting accessory options, the Planet L’s can be used for table, floor, wall and ceiling applications and can be purchased as a stereo pair for music or individually for multi-channel or commercial applications.

The Planet L loudspeakers are available from authorised UK retailers from 1st December at an SRP of £599 per pair and are the first products of an ambitious roadmap for 2011, including active wireless audio systems all with unique and iconic lifestyle designs.

[Source: Elipson Planet L: “Le style c’est Elipson même”]

Rio – No prizes for guessing which part of Brazil this film is set in, a delightfully chirpy tale of a parrot called Blu in what must surely be one of the most colourful movies of the year. The 3D animation is a mesmerising assault on your senses, but the fact that it is backed by such a good storyline makes this a real must-see.

Despicable Me – Like all the best cartoons, Despicable Me has enough substance to it to appeal to adults and children alike. If Rio was one of the most colourful films of the year, Despicable Me is certainly a contender for the funniest.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – The fourth Pirates outing was filmed in 3D, and holds the record as the first 3D film to be shot in an outdoors location. When it comes to blockbuster success, you will be hard pushed to better the exploits of Captain Jack Sparrow.

The Smurfs – A mixed bag in terms of critics reviews, The Smurfs is one of those films you will either love or hate. What cannot be denied is how great the 3D looks, and younger members of the family will find this simply Smurf-tastic!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – The best film of 2011? A fitting end to the wizarding film series that got better and better with age. The use of 3D is subtle but well executed, and the final climatic end battle is one that you simply must see in three dimensions. A modern classic.

[Source: Hottest 3D BluRay films to give (or get) this Christmas]

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – Technically the fourth game in the Assassin’s Creed series, Ezio once again faces the might of the evil Knights Templar, with the setting this time based in the sprawling Renaissance city of Constantinople. Production values have never been higher, with jaw dropping graphics and breathtaking action to be had.

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – Already one of the fastest-selling video games of all time, the world of Skyrim offers up to 300 hours of gameplay to keep you occupied for many months to come. In fact, chances are you will still be playing this epic RPG by the time Christmas 2012 comes around.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 – The sequel to the first Harry Potter LEGO game follows the exploits of the last three books (or last four films) in the series. The Potter-themed combination of exploring, solving puzzles and building LEGO items is a winner.

Saints Row 3 – GTA may grab all the headlines, but everybody knows that Saints Row is a far superior sandbox game in almost every respect. Refuses to take itself seriously, and is all the better for it. Outrageous, over the top action with a wicked sense of humour.

Batman Arkham City – We have saved the best until last here. The Dark Knight returns in this sequel to Arkham Asylum. Fans of the caped crusader will be in heaven here, and this is a strong contender for one of the greatest video games of all time, it’s that good.

[Source: Hottest Video Games to buy this Christmas]