Dr Dre releases Beatbox for home, club

It fits comfortably in the corner of any room to assume an unobtrusive presence and, despite its speaker size, it is perfect for big rooms that need big sound, delivering an experience that will rival that of any multi-speaker club system.

Advanced components mean louder, deeper sounds with professional-grade engineering to play the music how the artist intended it, with a distortion-free sound at higher volumes and real bass at all levels. Although its supply unit powers the Beatbox, it is designed to be portable enough to turn into a party box wherever you can find a power point.

On the back, it has a handy audio-in 3.5mm jack allowing those who do not use iPods/iPhones to release the music trapped in their gadgets.

Portable version

The company also offers a smaller portable system, the Beatbox Portable, using either an outlet or 6 "D" cell batteries. Like the original Beatbox, it is a long wedge-shaped bar with four speakers in the front. It comes in either white and grey or black and red and sports the indented Beats logo on the metallic speaker grille. One of its best design features is its built-in carrying handles on both sides and the pocket-sized remote that lets users handle playlists from across the room.

It has the original iPhone/iPod dock on its top panel and eight adapter trays to suit the various models available and, as Bluetooth and wireless speaker docks begin to replace old-fashioned wired systems, it allows consumers to access music off laptops, smartphones and other Bluetooth-enabled devices from as far as 10 metres away. Supporting SBC, APT-X and AAC Bluetooth means constantly higher-quality sound than most other Bluetooth devices.

Both systems are available at mass retail outlets in South Africa for R5499 each. For more information, go to www.phoenixsoftware.co.za.