Hi-fi Corner: This is no carafe, but a futuristic speaker that shoots sound in all directions

By Ryan Waniata November 16, 2014

hi fi corner futuristic speaker shoots sound directions replace archt one center manual — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t go reaching for your mug — you won’t be getting any coffee out of this futuristic pod. But what you might get is spacious 360 – degree sound. The device above isn’t a lunar rocket, it’s a new wireless speaker called the Archt One that has so far more than doubled its pledge goal on Kickstarter to pull in around $150,000. Brandishing a specially-crafted driver system designed to disperse sound throughout the room in all directions, the Archt One aims to replace your hi-fi with minimalist style.

Related: Bang & Olufsen’s new wireless speaker begs audiophiles to believe in Bluetooth

Inside the space age capsule, the Archt One faces a full range driver and a subwoofer head to head above and below the open chamber, sending the sound directly through the specialized array module in an effort to replicate the sonic signature of acoustic instruments like guitars, allowing it to evenly distribute audio playback. A passive radiator at the base of the system also helps to amplify the low frequencies to create a fuller sound, helping the speaker achieve a claimed frequency response of 52Hz-20kHz.

But the speaker also adds some impressive smart technology to go with its patented hardware, including DSP for sound optimization designed to “restore streaming audio quality,” as well as a custom audio app that uses the microphone in your smartphone to optimize the sound for your environment. The system is also multi-zone capable, allowing users to add more speakers ala Sonos, Bose, and other multi-room sound systems. Users can control the speaker through the app, or via touch sensors on the Sound Array.

Related: Hal 9000 meets premium sound in the new OD-11 cloud speaker

Designed for audiophile sound reproduction, the Archt One is claimed to achieve high resolution playback of up to 24bit/192kHz over a Wi-Fi connection. The speaker also supports Airplay for Mac and iOS devices, and for those times when a Wi-Fi connection isn’t available, the speaker also sports Bluetooth connection, as well as Aux and USB connections.

The speaker is expected to retail for $599. However, at time of publication, there were still several available for a reasonable $349, expected to ship as early as February 2015. If you’d like to check out an Archt One for yourself, you can pledge at its Kickstarter page now.

This piece first appeared at our brother site, Digital Trends.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…

Culture

How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?

Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Culture

The 11 best Kevin Costner movies, ranked

He has a full resume of films, but if you're a Costner fan, then you must see these movies

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

An all-American, blue-collar working man turned Hollywood essential, Kevin Costner has lived a life full of experience and dreams that some can only imagine. Starting out as a small kid -- 5'2" at high school graduation -- who moved around a lot, Costner was fond of things like poetry, writing, and singing in his Baptist choir. Outside of the arts, he was also very interested in sports of all kinds, which is reflected in his film career to this day. Also a man of the outdoors, Costner built his own canoe at 18 and paddled it through sections where Lewis and Clark ventured. Fun facts aside, Costner had a full and interesting life before the world got to know him as the charming and eloquent movie man we know him to be today.
From his past life, accomplishments, and hobbies, Costner was fully prepared to write, direct, and act for the screen as he fulfilled yet another lifelong dream. A man who was once called "The King of the Sports Movie," Costner has been able to act in films of a subject matter near and dear to his heart that became the films he is best known for. And that doesn’t include his many other successful movies having to do with politics, crime, and romance that also make for some of his best roles. Luckily, we’re here to talk about all of those films at once as we celebrate the man who has accomplished more in one lifetime than some could in many. Here are the best Kevin Costner movies of all time.

11. Open Range (2003)

Culture

The best Quentin Tarantino movies, ranked – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and more

If you haven't seen these films at least one time, you need to ... and then watch them again and again

Scene from Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson

Of all the contemporary film auteurs, perhaps no one’s work has permeated pop culture as thoroughly as Quentin Tarantino's. This director’s hyper-stylized, retro fantasy worlds have come to define cinematic coolness. His clever mashups of genres, exquisite sense of aesthetics, impeccable editing, uproarious suspensefulness, and impossibly quippy dialogue have been endlessly imitated.
Given the current political landscape, Tarantino’s work has undergone a serious critical re-evaluation from Black and feminist critics and scholars who point toward both his allegedly abusive behaviors and the offensive politics and rhetoric of his films. It’s true that in this new light, for many, there may be nothing redeemable about his entire oeuvre.
However, to discard all Quentin Tarantino movies would discount the impossible talent of his frequent collaborators and stars, such as Sally Menke (who edited all of Tarantino’s movies until her death in 2010), Uma Thurman (who not only played the protagonist of Tarantino’s most iconic movies but was also credited as a co-writer on Kill Bill), Samuel L. Jackson (a frequent Tarantino star), and many more.
With that in mind, here’s our (subjective!) ranking of the greatest directed Quentin Tarantino movies of all time.

9. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)