When buying speakers one of the options to consider is if you want to use an AirPlay system. Airplay is a wireless protocol that allows your speaker to be placed anywhere around your room and connect wirelessly to any enabled equipment such as stereo, computer and television. This is what is on offer with the Loewe Air speaker.
One thing about the AirPlay speakers though is there is plenty of choice out there already. With the B&W Zepplin Air, Pioneer X-SMC3 and B&O Play Beolit 12 being just a few on offer there is plenty of choice out there so will the Loewe Air system be able to make its mark on an already busy market?
Build
To describe the speaker system in its basic form the Loewe Air speaker looks just like a box. This is not to say it is ugly though, anything but. The design is minimalistic and with a removable top panel it can be changed to feature different colours based on your taste. This makes it quite a snazzy looking box.
Features
The main feature of an AirPlay speaker system is of course that it features Wi-Fi. This means that you can stream music from any iOS device or computer that has iTunes loaded; the device or computer should be able to pick up the speakers straight away and let you play your music in no time. If you have problems with the Wi-Fi it can be connected through an Ethernet port too as it is said that the actual setting up of AirPlay WiFi can be tricky. Also with a wired system you can always be sure of getting the best quality streaming possible on your network.
Other features include a headphone socket if required, a USB port to connect to your iOS device for wired playback through that device and also battery charging for the device if required, which of course can be useful if you want to quickly recharge your phone without messing with your computer or finding a mains adapter.
Audio Quality
Although the box does not look that big the sound quality is fantastic with its two subwoofers that offer a strong bass. This makes the speaker good for dance and electronic music. If you don’t want to play your music too loud the speaker is also able to handle quieter volumes with ease with no real quality loss.
Verdict
The only real problem with the Loewe Air Speaker is the fiddly nature of setting up its Wi-Fi. When this is done though or you use the speaker wired you should find no problem. Using iTunes or an iOS device you’ll be enjoying your music at high quality in no time. At £650 though this is a pricey option for some but if you can afford the price tag this is obviously a speaker to look for if you lack space for a bigger cheaper system. It’s not the best speaker system out there (this title is said to go to the B&W MM-1s) and it does lack a remote control, but Loewe is providing a quality option with this speaker system.
