Stumbling on a noteworthy speaker deal
Q. I want to get a new home theater receiver for my five speakers plus sub-woofer. I want something that is easy to set up and easy to use between normal TV programs, sports and movies. Do you have any suggestions for something that costs between $500 and $700?
— J.Y., Tracy, Calif. A. I am partial to Marantz receivers for home theater applications. They have outstanding sound quality, clean exterior design and a user interface that is easy to use. In your price range, the Marantz SR5012 would be a good fit. It sells online for $599, offers network capability and works with Amazon Alexa, too. us.marantz.com
The best audio deal I have ever seen: Several years ago I wrote about the Bluetone 100 Bluetooth speaker from British audio manufacturer Cambridge Audio. (Not to be confused with American manufacturer Cambridge SoundWorks, producer of the OontZ speakers.)
TheBluetone 100 sold for $299and I considered it to be thebest-sounding Bluetooth speakerunder $300. That maybe because the Bluetone usesexotic BMR full-range driverslike the $1,300 CambridgeAudio Aeromax speakersI raved about earlierthis year. The Bluetone 100must be plugged into the wallbecause it does not have abattery, making it more of ahome music system than a portablespeaker.
Whiledoing research to answera reader question, I stumbledacross the CambridgeAudio Air 100 on the CambridgeAudio website. TheAir 100 is essentially a Bluetone100, but adds networkcapability over Wi-Fi orEthernet. In addition to Bluetooth,you can use a free appto listen with Spotify Connect,Apple Airplay and InternetRadio. Regularly $399.99,the Air 100 was on sale for $144.99. The larger, morepowerful Air 200 was onsale for $189.99, reduced from $599.99.
I contacted Cambridge Audio to see if it was an error, and I was assured it was not. The company is introducing a line called Yoyo and are clearing out the Air speakers.
Mynext question was if theyhad ample inventory, orjust a few units. One of my least favorite things in the worldis telling readers abouta deal, only to have themturned away emptyhanded.
They said they had less than 50 Bluetone 100 units available for $129.99, which would not be enough for me to feature it in a column that runs nationwide. With the Air 100 and Air 200, they thought they had sufficient inventory to fill orders if I told my readers about the deal.
Dear readers, this is one of the best deals I have ever had the pleasure to tell you about, not just in terms of the extreme discount but also for the value and quality equation. Even if you never use the network functionality of the Air 100 or Air 200, at under $200 you can’t get within a light year of the sound quality when using them as Bluetooth speakers. You get the panache of a revered high-end brand, too.
Youcan find the Air 100 andAir 200 deal under the speakerstab on the CambridgeAudio website. The special offer is only available throughtheir website, and includesfree shipping and a 30-dayreturn policy if not satisfied. cambridgeaudio.com