audiosplitz: Speakers

2018 Smart Speaker Roundup

December 11, 2017

As 2017 comes to a close, it's important to look back at what defined the year in music hardware. Speakers and headphones have evolved considerably to a level where app support is practically the norm. True wireless earphones hit the mainstream.

Beyond that, 2017 was all about digital assistant-powered devices such as smart speakers. It kickstarted in May at the Google I/O conference where they announced the expansion of the Google Assistant ecosystem and capabilities. Apple soon followed with the HomePod smart speaker announcement at their WWDC event in June. If not already clear, the next frontier for the big tech companies would be in artificial intelligence and digital assistants. The only question is which would emerge victorious or would there somehow be a convergence of digital/voice assistants in the future? We'll leave that question for another time while we check out the smart speakers that hit the markets this year and pave the way for 2018.

1. Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 99.99
What's the deal? -
It ups the ante on the 1st gen with a new speaker, with Dolby processing, and new design. It fits very well in the living room as it doesn't look as industrial as its predecessor.

2. Amazon Echo Dot

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2016
Price - USD 49.99
What's the deal? -
A very compact alternative to the Amazon Echo, with all the capability of Alexa at your disposal. It connects through a 3.5mm audio cable or Bluetooth. At half the price of the Amazon Echo, this is a great option to an entry-level smart speaker.

3. Apple HomePod

Voice Assistant - Siri
Launched - June 2017. To sell in Early 2018.
Price - USD 349
What's the deal? -
Apple's first big speaker since the discontinued iPod Hi-Fi. To make the deal sweeter, make them look more compact, add Siri voice assistant and presto, you get the Apple HomePod. Would've sold like hotcakes if they'd come out by X'mas. Likely will sell like hotcakes once they are out in 2018, anyway.

4. Google Home Mini

Voice Assistant - Google Assistant
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 49
What's the deal? - No prizes for guessing who its competitor is. The Google Home Mini is about the size of the Echo Dot, has a similar price tag and looks pretty darn good. Only drawback is the lack of a 3.5mm jack.

5. Harman Kardon Invoke

Voice Assistant - Microsoft Cortana
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199
What's the deal? -
It looks very much like an Echo, or Bose SoundLink Revolve, but is the very first to feature Microsoft Cortana digital assistant. The speakers, unlike the Home or the Echo, are more powerful and hence sound that much better.

6. Sonos One

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199 / SGD 329
What's the deal? -
If you've noticed, Oct 2017 was a popular month for smart speaker launches. Likely one of the best sounding smart speakers in the whole selection, the Sonos One differentiates itself from the Sonos Play:1 by the integration of Alexa. Like the other speakers in the Sonos ecosystem, they run only on the Wi-Fi network.

Bang & Olufsen

B&O Beoplay P2 - Review

July 17, 2017

B&O Play released their newest portable speaker sometime in April which we duly covered with a first take. They are churning out loads of speakers and this is its lightest weight iteration yet. I had the chance to bring this travel-friendly unit on my trip to Penang, Malaysia where I put it on its paces at a swanky place called Le Dream Boutique Hotel. That done, here's a thorough review.

Type - Wireless Portable Speaker
Price - USD 169 / SGD 259

Pros (+): Loud sound delivery; Light weight makes it very travel-friendly; Good use of speaker surface as touch panel.
Cons (-): Lack of buttons a little disconcerting to use; No carrying pouch; No auxiliary input.

In The Box
There are 3 colors available, namely Royal Blue, Sand Stone and Black. For our review unit, we obtained Black and it looks pretty darn classy.

The box is tuned to the same outer packaging styling as the Beoplay H4 and A2 Active that we'd covered previously. The inside is incredibly sparse - you flip the box open and you access the speaker and the USB cable tucked under a thin layer of foam.

The packaging contents include nothing but the bare essentials:

Beoplay P2 speaker
USB cable (Type C)
User Guide

Design
Incredibly, the Beoplay P2 has no visible buttons. There is actually one and it's hidden under the B&O logo at the underside. The Cecilie Manz-designed speaker measures a really compact 140 x 80 x 28mm and weighs a really light 275g. It is fashioned of solid anodized aluminum on the top while the base is made of polymer for practical reasons.
One drawback is the lack of a carrying pouch, though there is a string that allows you hang the speaker somewhere safe.

Features
So the biggie on the Beoplay P2 is its very sparse use of hardware controls and ports. In other words, there is a single button and a single USB-C port ie. once again, the bare essentials. There's no space for an auxiliary-in so if you're using a non-Bluetooth music player, the P2 ain't recommended. To play music, you need to double tap the surface of the speaker which we felt was a nice implementation.

Bluetooth pairing:
There is a grand total of one button (darn right!) at the base. Pressing it once will turn it on and holding it will activate the pairing so you turn on your music device's Bluetooth concurrently, select Beoplay P2 and you're good to go.

App Support:
The Beoplay app, that is almost universally being extended to all new wireless B&O Play products, is compatible with the P2. B&O Play claims that there's a shake function that can be customized to skip tracks. Using the app on my Sony Xperia XA, I found it frustrating as I could not get this to work somehow. Thankfully, there was a notification to request a software upgrade (it's probably firmware though) to v6.0.5 which I promptly downloaded.

Once done, you just need to select which function (see others from the pic below) you want to activate with a shake though obviously the shake to skip tracks was the most practical of the lot. The app includes Tonetouch which allows equalizer customization which is actually well needed if you want a little more power in the bass.

One thing of note - Unlike the A1 or A2 Active, you cannot link two P2 units via the Beoplay app for a stereo effect.

Performance

Sound Quality:
I had oodles of time to sample the sound quality in different areas of the hotel I was staying at. Playing T2 Trainspotting in the room sounded surprisingly loud for a unit of this size, though understandably you can't get the same full fledged dose of power that emanates from a full sized speaker. Even when tested in the gym, a sample of NEIKED's infectious Sexual is able to easily fill the area with a decent dose of bass.

Splash Resistance:
No problems here as I was flicking some water from the jacuzzi on the Beoplay P2 and it worked just fine. Just don't dunk it inside as it is not water resistant.

Battery Life / Charging:
According to B&O Play, the battery life lasts a decent 10 hours on its inbuilt 2200 mAh battery with a 2 hour full charge. It kinda pales in comparison to the A1 and A2 Active that are rated at 24 hours each though they are admittedly much heavier (and hence can accommodate larger battery packs). It could last one movie and 2 hours of music playback but I felt I had to keep using the charging cable to charge pretty often during my trip. Oh, and it uses a USB-C cable to charge so do remember to take it with you as most phones are still fit with micro-USB / Lightning ports.

Overall
The B&O Beoplay P2 is undoubtedly a compact speaker to bring on your travels. Folks not used to the lack of buttons will find the P2 to be a little tricky to use. The flipside is if you want a straightforward speaker that's lightweight and gives a loud dose of music to stash in your luggage, the P2 would be an ideal companion.

Where To Buy
The Beoplay P2 is available world wide at USD 169 / EUR 169 / SGD 259. You can also visit the B&O Play online store or if you are in Singapore, you can visit Bang & Olufsen Grand Hyatt Showroom.

One of Singapore's telco's (Starhub) actually has a promotion where you can get the Beoplay P2 for free if you signup with a TV package.

Credit to B&O Play for an evaluation unit.

Bluetooth

Sony 2017 Extra Bass Speakers - Review

June 09, 2017

CES 2017 saw the announcement of 4 new speakers in Sony's portable wireless range, namely the Sony SRS-XB10, SRS-XB20, SRS-XB30 and SRS-XB40. Last month saw their launch and availability in Singapore. We now look at the unique features of each, but the main focus will be on how they perform collectively.

Type - Portable Wireless Speakers

What's The Big Deal?

1. Sony SRS-XB10

Sony's tiniest Bluetooth speaker

The SRS-XB10 is Sony's most inexpensive unit and is the most compact of the four speakers. Its silicon strap serves two useful purposes - it can serve to attach to a backpack or to prop the speaker on its side to direct music toward your ears.

Price - USD 48 / SGD 79
Weight - 260g
Dimensions - 75 x 75 x 91mm
Battery Capacity - 1,400mAh
Playback Time - Up to 16 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4.5 hours (by USB charge)

2. Sony SRS-XB20

Great sound in a portable frame

The XB20 is the lightest rectangular unit and is probably likely to be compared with the Bose SoundLink Mini II (670g) due to its similar form factor and weight. There's a single lighting tone that compliments the speaker's color nicely. It's possibly the unit that juggles weight, sound quality and portability most effectively 'cos it's light and you can still charge through a standard micro-USB cable.

Price - USD 98 / SGD 169
Weight - 590g
Dimensions - 198 x 68 x 69mm
Battery Capacity - 2,100mAh
Playback Time - Up to 12 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (1.5A) / Approx 12 hours (500mA) (by USB charge)

3. Sony SRS-XB30

Bass-boomer with good sound control

At close to one kg in weight, this is where the bass picks up, especially if you turn the volume above the mid-level. This is a solid speaker that, along with the XB40, features multi-color party lights. It hits a more than reasonable 24 hours of playback but requires charging through an AC adapter.

Price - USD 148 / SGD 269
Weight - 980g
Dimensions - 228 x 82 x 86mm
Battery Capacity - 4,200mAh
Playback Time - Up to 24 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (by AC adapter)

4. Sony SRS-XB40

Party animal

The XB40 is undoubtedly the life of a party. When you play David Guetta's thumping hits, you get the feeling that the low frequencies engulf you. That's of course ideal when you have big spaces where you need sound to reach out to. The party lights are most visible in the XB40 with flashing strobe and multi-colored lights punctuating the night. Hits 24 hours playback and requires an AC adapter.

Price - USD 248 / SGD 329
Weight - 1,500g
Dimensions - 279 x 100 x 105mm
Battery Capacity - 5,400mAh
Playback Time - Up to 24 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (by AC adapter)

Common Features On All Speakers
Now, let's check out the commonalities and we'll elaborate what's the value of each feature.

All the 4 speakers feature:

IPX5 water resistance
Sony's Extra Bass feature
Near Field Communications (NFC)
Auxiliary input (3.5mm)
Similar playback controls
Link Up Capability
Party Lights (except SRS-XB10)

1. IPX5 Water Resistance
This means that the speakers will not be affected even when a water jet is sprayed. It does not mean that they are waterproof so don't dunk them in a pool! Just note you'll have to close the covers to the ports to ensure everything works fine.

2. Sony Extra Bass
It's as the description says - pressing this button basically adds an additional depth to the bass levels. Only the SRS-XB10 doesn't have a dedicated button but incorporates this feature by default.

3. Near Field Communications
Sure the speakers connect to your music device by Bluetooth but they simplify the pairing process by including NFC. You just need to power on the NFC on your smartphone and hold it to the NFC point on the speaker (marked by the N logo) and you should be paired.

4. Auxiliary input
If your music device needs to be connected by a 3.5mm cable, then that's what this port is for.

5. Similar playback controlsThe layout of the controls is exactly the same for the XB20, XB30, XB40 where they are laid out in a straight line - Call / Play / Add / - / + / Power. The XB10 is similar though it drops the 'Call' button. We'll talk about how 'Add' functions shortly.

6. Link Up Capability
A great feature to have especially if you have more than a few of the new Sony speakers available. There are 2 link up modes:

a. Wireless Party Chain Mode
Three of the speakers, namely the XB40, XB30 and XB20 can be linked together. The result is audio comes out from all the speakers simultaneously. You need to pair a primary speaker, acting as a master, to your music device then hold 'Add' and '+' buttons together until a beep sound is heard. You then turn on the second speaker and hold the above mentioned buttons again. Once done, then 2 speakers are connected. Though we linked just three of them, Sony states that up to 10 speakers can be supported in this mode. The flipside is it can be quite tedious to link all speakers if you're going to repeat the same steps again and again.

Interestingly, you can control certain functions from the master speaker such as activating Extra Bass, party lights, playback and the power. To give an example, we tried the SRS-XB30 as the master. Powering off the XB30 causes all connected units to simultaneously switch off. If you perform these same actions on the slave speakers (eg. XB20), you will only activate the functions on a singular unit.

b. Stereo Mode
There's also a Stereo Mode where you can link two speakers of the same model together where one acts as the left channel and the other as the right channel (for example, linking one XB20 to another XB20). I was unable to test this out as I had four different models on hand but judging on the success rate of linking the 3 speakers in wireless party chain mode, linking them on stereo mode shouldn't be a problem.

So What's The Ideal Speaker For...

Now that you've seen the four speakers, you may be a little confused what speaker would suit your needs. To make things simple, we have a few user profiles that serve to give a rough idea on possible usage patterns.

1. A Beach Bum
Recommended: SRS-XB20
You want something portable to hit the beach with. Of course, you need good sound quality and the convenience to charge through a micro-USB port should the need arise. The form factor of the SRS-XB20 would be a great candidate.

2. A Party Host
Recommended: SRS-XB40
You love hosting parties. Doesn't matter if they are wild ones or just a meeting between friends as long as you can a sound profile that fills the room. The XB40 would be ideal due to its ability to easily make its impact felt around huge rooms.

3. A Tertiary Student in Hostel
Recommended: SRS-XB30 / SRS-XB20
You stay in your student accommodation during the week when going for class and love having fellow students over for drinks (we mean coffee of course!). If so, the XB30 makes a good choice. If you do shuttle back and forth to your home every weekend, then the XB20 may offer a more portable option.

4. A Parent
Recommended: SRS-XB10
If you are a parent like myself, it's a strong possibility that when you go out, you'll be lugging a whole lot of stuff with you - milk powder, diapers, change of clothes, toys, blabla. The whole idea is to minimize the load you're carrying and that's where the SRS-XB10 is ideal. It's really light and the loudness is quite decent to entertain the babies / toddlers / kids to their fav Netflix / YouTube channels.

Where To Buy

The four Sony Extra Bass speakers can now be purchased at Sony Stores and Sony authorised dealers.

Credit to Sony for the review units.

Bang & Olufsen

B&O Beoplay P2 - Summary

April 28, 2017

27 Apr - News Release - B&O Play launches the ultraportable Beoplay P2 wireless speakers. Below is its corresponding press release.

Update (17 July 2017)
Here's our review of the B&O Beoplay P2.

And if you don't have time to read it, here are 3 points to summarize what the P2 is about:

1. Fits in the Palm of Your Hand
If you wanted a smaller footprint than the BeoPlay A1 and A2 Active, then the Beoplay P2 (140 x 80 x 28mm) weighing 275 grams might just do the trick. Ideal for music on the go.

2. One Button. Tap and Shake Controls.
The one button on the bottom is for power. All other playback controls to play and skip tracks can be activated by tapping / shaking and if you want more customization, you can check out the Beoplay app.

3. Affordability
This is B&O Play's smallest speaker yet and its most affordable too at USD 169 / SGD 259.

==Press Release==

Double tap on the anodized aluminum grill to play or pause music. Shake to skip a track. Beoplay P2 is an intelligent and unapologetically beautiful portable speaker that easily slips into your bag or pocket to take anywhere – always ready to amplify moments with goosebump-inducing Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound.

B&O PLAY continues to empower the transformation of everyday moments with the introduction of Beoplay P2. Beoplay P2 is the smallest and most intelligent member of the B&O PLAY range of wireless Bluetooth speakers and is designed by award-winning Cecilie Manz for a spontaneous and spirited approach to life. It comes in premium materials such as pearl-blasted aluminium and real leather, with customizable and intuitive control features via Beoplay App and, despite its minimal footprint, renowned Bang & Olufsen sound engineers have packed Beoplay P2 with power and stamina to punch out the rich, clear and crisp sound that you would expect from a B&O PLAY speaker.

“Music plays a big part in amplifying everyday moments, so we made a personal speaker that you don’t want to leave your home without. Beoplay P2 is a stunning piece of Danish design, a study in stupendous craftsmanship and the accumulation of 90 years in sound and acoustics with a sound quality that is second to none in this category”, says Director of Concept and Design in B&O PLAY Matthias F. Ørum-Hansen.

“We decided to remove all switches and buttons for a beautiful exterior and a simple and magical user experience that can be customized in Beoplay App. With just a double tap or shake, you can play, pause and skip track, launch your favourite personal assistant, change sound profile in ToneTouch and you can set up Beoplay App to wake you up with the same music that concluded a beautiful evening - reliving your latest goosebump moment as you wake up and get ready to chase the next”.

A highly tactile and refined appearance
Like a pebble you find on the beach, the appearance of Beoplay P2 is rounded, smooth and desirable and fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. A basic geometrical shape with a defined rim separates the pearl-blasted anodized aluminum top from the soft and warm polymer that make up the underside. The curvature of Beoplay P2 has undergone endless fine tuning to give it a highly tactile and refined appearance. The perfect shape to slip easily into a pocket or bag with a genuine leather strap to add an extra layer of portability.

“The closer a product gets to the body, the more refined and detailed it should be. Beoplay P2 is smooth and desirable, a compact with great sound and a companion wherever you go”, says designer Cecilie Manz.

Leveraging learnings from Beoplay A1

The sound character in Beoplay P2 is rich and spacious with a 360-degree dispersion that provides listeners with the same beautiful sound experience wherever they are located. Beoplay P2 builds on more than 90 years of Bang & Olufsen sound expertise and the engineers have leveraged the learnings from its award-winning bigger brother Beoplay A1 that set new standards for portable Bluetooth speakers in 2016:

• The Bang & Olufsen acoustics looked to Beoplay A1 for the reproduction of bass out of such a small product. They elaborated on Beoplay A1’s mid-woofer and designed a new one for Beoplay P2 using an anodized aluminum cone structure.

• The tweeter in Beoplay P2 is the same ¾” fabric soft dome used in Beoplay A1 assuring excellent detail and smooth reproduction of the highest frequencies.

• The DSP is advanced, highly capable and enables the use of high slope filters and advanced character control to facilitate the excellent personal sound amplification experience in Beoplay P2.

• Two 15W RMD Class D Amps are used with a peak power of more than 2X50 watts do drive it all – to assure you get the beautiful sound always associated with a B&O PLAY product.

Built-in microphone

Beoplay P2 has a built-in microphone for taking calls out loud, and the rimmed design on the speaker’s bottom edge enables the microphone to provide uniform 360 speech sensitivity. This enables the person listening to recognize voices perfectly, no matter where people are speaking in proximity to the microphone.

A leather sleeve for extra protection

As an extra accessory to protect Beoplay P2, you can purchase a black lambskin leather sleeve. The Beoplay P2 sleeve provides a layer of protection to keep your Beoplay P2 safe when you are on the go, while still maintaining the beautiful and authentic B&O PLAY design.

Price and availability

Beoplay P2 comes in Black, Sand Stone and Royal Blue and is available at USD 169 / GBP 149 / SGD 259. In the US / UK, it will be available on www.beoplay.com/P2. In Singapore, the Beoplay P2 will be available in Bang & Olufsen Grand Hyatt and Takashimaya stores from May 12, 2017 onwards. You can buy the P2 from Amazon via this affiliate link.

The Beoplay P2 Sleeve is available for a suggested retail price of USD 39 / GBP 29 / SGD price is to be confirmed.

The Beoplay P2 is also available on Amazon for USD 169.

Update (17 July 2017)

Read on for our review of the B&O Beoplay P2.

Bluetooth

KEF Porsche Design GRAVITY ONE - Review

April 25, 2017

What do you get when you blend a British audio company with German product design?
That's where the KEF Porsche Design trio of products come in. Late 2016 saw the launch of three such collaborations - the SPACE ONE headphones, MOTION ONE neckband buds and GRAVITY ONE portable speakers. Out of these, we take a closer look and do a full review of the GRAVITY ONE.

Origins -
For those who aren't too familiar with KEF, it was founded in the 1960s with origins in the
loudspeakers business in none other than the grounds of Kent Engineering & Foundry (yes, that's how the name was derived). As for Porsche, the 911 supercar comes to mind but its Design Group was founded in 1972 as a premium lifestyle brand.

KEF Porsche Design GRAVITY ONE portable speakers

Type - Wireless Portable Speaker
Price - USD 380 / GBP 329 / SGD 599

I had the chance to review a unit which I duly brought along on a staycation with my family in KSL Hotel & Resort in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and spent quite a few weeks just being absorbed with it. That done, here's a full review!

Gravity One packaging - Outer box

Pros (+): Premium product feel; Loud and clear sound delivery; Classy industrial design.
Cons (-): Bass response somewhat lacking; Tight layout of ports.

In The Box
The KEF speakers come in a single SKU - a premium looking Titanium variant.

For some products, you can already begin to understand the philosophy behind a brand just by checking out the unboxing process. We had the impression that this was true for the GRAVITY ONE.

To illustrate this, sliding off the outer layer exposes a very solidly built black box with the words 'Porsche Design Sound, KEF' in black emboss.

Popping this open, you get access to the GRAVITY ONE that sits nicely on a foam deck. Beneath is another layer that contains the accessories and user guides laid out nicely compartmentalized.

So popping everything out, the packaging contents are as follows:

KEF Porsche Design GRAVITY ONE speaker
Charging cable (USB to micro-USB)
AC adapter
3 x Country power adapters
Carrying pouch
User guides

Design
The KEF Porsche Design GRAVITY ONE (56 x 215 x 63mm) looks undeniably sharp - just try gliding your finger down the top edge to have a gist. These KEF aluminum speakers brim with a premium look that very easily complement equally 'edgy' Apple products like the MacBook Air. Tipping the scales at 780g, it is slightly heavier than the Bose SoundLink Mini II (670g). The speakers are actually upward facing due to KEF's desired omni-directional sound reach. The aluminum sides finished with titanium are smooth and unblemished while the necessary ports are hidden at the base for connectivity purposes.

Carrying Pouch:
The drawstring pouch does its part in protecting the GRAVITY ONE from scratches but note that it provides minimal protection. It is not meant to withstand drops at all.

Before we move further, here's a video of what the GRAVITY ONE has to offer:

Features
Bluetooth Pairing:
Powering on/off the speakers gives a melodious tune that kinda worked for me. Pairing is very straightforward - when powering it on for the first time, the Bluetooth button pulsates white. Just turn your music device's Bluetooth on, link them and you are good to go. The speakers can support up to 2 devices at any one time, useful if you have a tablet and smartphone to toggle.

Notifications:
The playback controls lie on the right side - two volume switches flanking the play button while the buttons on the left (Power / Bluetooth / Mute) have a corresponding LED notification. Holding Power allows you to view one of the 4 different LEDs that indicate the battery percentage remaining. When you plug in an auxiliary input, there will be a green LED at the Bluetooth button. Overall, they come in very handy.

Taking Calls:
The KEF speaker appears geared for taking conference calls as the there is a dedicated Mute button to turn the microphone off. You can voice dial a smartphone contact by holding the Call button and speaking 'Call xxx'. Should you want privacy, hold the Call button again and you can talk through your smartphone.

Connectivity:
Most portable speakers these days include two ports - an auxiliary-in for a wired connection to your music player and a charging port, usually in the form of a micro-USB. The KEF GRAVITY ONE does have both and adds one more - a USB port for the practical purpose of charging your smartphone while music is in play. You may want to take note that the ports only support plugs that are not too thick due to the design of the enclosure holding the ports.

Performance
Sound Quality:
KEF built a signature point source driver they term as Uni-Q, which in a nutshell allows sound to be projected in an omni-directional manner (ie. 360 degrees around), with the objective to optimize the listening area within a room. Having a listen to instrumental tracks like Kitaro's inspiring Sozo is a very calming experience that I could immerse in. The sound intensity comes through equally as long as you're in the same radius.

Their marketing talks about tight, clean bass and I'm going to have to agree here after listening to bass-inclined portable speakers like the Bose SoundLink Mini II. The KEF GRAVITY ONE does not deliver the overwhelming type of low frequencies that drown out the highs but instead attempts to focus on a fine balance between the articulation of treble and bass which a sample of U2's stonking Vertigo reinforced.

Charging:
The Lithium-Ion battery can last a very decent 10 hours on a full charge. I got a good 8-9 hours when used in a living room setting though it will of course fluctuate depending on your usage (An outdoor setting would likely require a higher volume).

Overall
The KEF Porsche Design GRAVITY ONE speakers are one classy looking pair of speakers. Sure they may be a tad pricey but KEF has undoubtedly done a great job attempting to focus on an optimal audio experience for folks listening within the same radius. If you're considering a speaker that has a more premium feel in a compact frame, the stylish GRAVITY ONE is one that fits the bill.

Where To Buy
The KEF GRAVITY ONE is available world wide at the following price points - USD 380 / GBP 329 / SGD 599. If you are in the US, you can purchase from KEF Direct. If in Singapore, they can be found in KEF's flagship store at The Adelphi.

You can also purchase the GRAVITY ONE from Amazon via this affiliate link.

Credit to KEF for an evaluation unit.