There was a time when the kind of wireless speakers found on crowdfunding sites were strange and ambitious attempts from unknown companies with untested audio skills. Not so anymore. Case in point, the new deepblue2 wireless speaker on Indiegogo, created by the sonic gurus at Peachtree Audio. Best known for its top notch amplifiers and digital to analog converters (DACs), Peachtree’s latest creation is a chic, yet brawny speaker with the kind of specs you expect from a full blown component stereo system, packed into a sleek cabinet for your mobile listening pleasure.
The headline for the deepblue2 is the number 440 – as in total watts supplied. Packing virtually double the power of just about anything else we’ve seen in its class, it’s pretty apparent that deepblue2 isn’t looking to join the tide of over-hyped, under-powered wireless speakers flooding the market these days. A 6.5-inch woofer sitting dead center in deepblue2’s chest is another clue that this system is not kidding around.
The massive center woofer is joined by four other active drivers, including dual 3-inch midrange cones, and dual 1-inch soft-dome tweeters, set in a three-way crossover configuration to assure balanced power across the bass, midrange, and treble registers. Wireless streaming is handled by Bluetooth with aptX for CD quality sound from compatible devices, and hardwired connections include a 3.5mm analog input, as well as a digital Optical input which allows for hi-res audio playback at up to 96kHz/24bit.
While there may be a bit of a stigma that comes with a crowdfunded speaker, any reservations should be alleviated by the Peachtree name, as well as the fact that you can get a serious steal on deepblue2 right now. Asking for $63k for “final tooling and production costs,” the speaker was fully funded in one day, and is already out of First Backer bids. But users who want to grab one on the cheap can still get in for around $300-$350 at the time of publication – a sweet deal considering the speaker will likely retail at around $500. And did we mention the 440 watts of power?
If you want to procure a mobile piece of Peachtree sound for yourself, check out deepblue2 at its Indiegogo page now.
