It seems to happen regularly now that we are shown and get more and more truly incredible products through our door – products that make you start considering what you’d have to sell in order to own them yourself! I, and my bank balance, are able to confirm that Libratone is one of these brands.
Having not heard of the brand myself, I had no expectations or ideas what to expect when unboxing our demo stock from Libratone, but having been told they were ‘exciting products’ I was initially sceptical. Boy, was I wrong!
I was initially confused as to what it was I was opening when I saw the wool exterior of the larger Libratone Live speaker. Looking more like a minimalist modern art piece or some Ikea furniture than a speaker, setting up was a breeze. Once plugged in, setup is extremely simple, and I was connected in less than a minute. Where most wireless speakers can be a bit of a chore with pairing etc., the PlayDirect technology used over all the Libratone products means that you can hook any phone, tablet or device in an instant. The speaker appears like a wireless network on your device, and will instantly pair.
The Libratone Live in Grey
Form and Function
Like fellow Scandinavian brands Audio Pro and Jamo, Libratone bring a focus on design to their products, seeking to offer products which are as much a minimalist art piece as they are equipment, and products which steer well clear of the boring wooden box design which most speakers tend to adhere to. All four models of the Libratone – the Loop, Lounge, Zipp and Live come with interchangeable Italian wool covers. This is a really nice touch, and I can imagine if and when I own one, I would be changing the covers quite a bit just to refresh the look of my system.
Looking great and being aesthetically pleasing is one thing, but for us audiophiles, the key question is: how do they sound? The answer is surprisingly good. For their size, and their fairly unassuming design, the sound which came out of them was incredibly lifelike, rich and above all ‘hi-fi’. The Libratone Live offers an expansively wide soundstage, filling even our reasonably large listening room with sound, and the richness provided by the three drivers and two ribbon tweeters is really quite something. A standard reference track here at Audio Affair, Norah Jones’ Seven Years, is staggeringly lifelike, much of this I believe is down to the use of ribbon tweeters. Every intake of breath is audible as are the plucking of guitar strings and fret board. Considering their size and price, they are much closer to some of the full-size systems we have in our showroom than other wireless speakers on offer.
Libratone vs the rest.
Bluetooth and wireless speakers and soundbars are really hot products at present, with every manufacturer offering something. The question is this then: why buy Libratone over any other lifestyle or wireless speakers? I believe that Libratone really deserve a place on your short-list for the following reasons:
1) Design: These products look absolutely stunning. The interchangeable wool covers are ingenious, feel great, and are most certainly a talking point. Build quality is also excellent. From the moment you open the product boxes, you can tell the premium build of what you are buying. It is reminiscent of opening an Apple laptop, and Libratone have really gone all out to make every experience involved with their product a premium one.
2) Sound: One listen to any of the Libratone range, and it is plain to see that under their soft and luxurious Italian wool exterior is some serious kit that packs a punch. I was instantly taken aback by how sweet and clear the high frequencies are, and impressed on finding a ribbon tweeter under the hood.
3) Functionality: Let’s face it, wireless is not what it once was, and is now a seriously viable way of enjoying your music without worrying about quality. High fidelity streaming services like Spotify, and Apple lossless files let you really enjoy high quality audio without nagging wires, which have always been a particular nuisance in the past, and something I personally would be delighted to be rid of. Having a range of wireless functionalities makes hooking all of your equipment up to it, and it’s the easiest multi-room and wireless technology i’ve used on any product so far. Not needing to hook up to a network or router is a great idea, and saves a lot of hassle.
The Libratone Range
I’ve been able to spend some of the afternoon trying out my music collection and a bit of a film on the Libratone range. They all offer something a little different and appeal to different types of customer. Don’t forget they can all be used in unison as part of a multi room or multi channel system also! Anyway, here’s a brief synopsis of my opinions on each model. I warn you, I was pretty impressed with what I saw and heard, so excuse the fawning adoration.
Libratone Live
The first Libratone product I tested, the Live is an elegant, curved unit which stands around 46cm tall. The sound is impressive to say the least – rich, dynamic and with an impressive sound stage for the size. I would be very interested to hear it in a multi-channel configuration, as up to 6 Libratone products can be used at once in the same system. Considering there is only one unit, it is difficult to tell that it is not a typical stereo configuration.
Libratone Lounge
I was lucky enough to enjoy 15 minutes out of my day to watch a bit of Man of Steel on Blu Ray with sound handled by the Libratone Lounge. Having not spent too much time with AV soundbars, I was surprised at the quality of the product. Undoubtedly one of the coolest looking soundbars on the market, the difference with the TV’s speakers, and even a leading competitor’s offering, was night and day. The impact of the bass was surprising, and imaging and sound stage was much more like a surround sound system than I was expecting. Again, despite only being one unit, the Lounge presents two channel information very well, and the sound of a car engine moving from left channel to right is particularly lifelike.
The Libratone Lounge!
It isn’t going to match a full surround sound system, no matter what the manufacturers say. But, it takes up infinitely less space, is a lot cheaper, looks great and sounds significantly better than the tinny speakers crammed into our flat screen TV. If it were my room, I’d be more than happy to have the Libratone Lounge as the main part of my AV system, though I’d like to use a pair of the Loop or Live speakers to add even more sound.
Libratone Loop
The smaller Libratone Loop speaker was the last speaker I got to listen to. The smallest of the range, and quite compact and slim (a little like a squashed KEF egg speaker), the Loop comes with a removeable stand to allow for easy positioning.
The compact and slender Loop!
The Loop sounded a little sweeter than the rest of the range, perhaps due to its size. Compared to the Live, it sacrifices a little bass and punch for a lighter more airy mid range and high end, and would be ideal as part of a multi-room system, for wall-mounting or use in tighter spaces. I was particularly impressed with how it sounded with acoustic music – it particularly shone with Damien Rice’s O and Jose Gonzalez’s Veneer, with acoustic guitar and vocals being really nicely presented and the ribbon tweeters once again going to work in adding lifelike clarity to the sound.
Zipp
The Zipp is the only product in the Libratone range to be fully portable, thanks to an internal battery. A little smaller than the Live, and more rounded, the Zipp has a similar sound, with only a little less scale and bass performance.
The Libratone Zipp in all its glory!
It’s probably a bit too large to take out on short journeys, but definitely an ideal size for a weekend away or a camping trip. Ideal if you want to take your music around the house or into the garden, the Zipp can just be unplugged from the mains and be used on battery power. Let’s face it, most devices are portable, so it makes sense that a speaker designed to improve on their sound would be also. Of all the range, I think the Zipp is the one I like the most, and in my opinion it is streets ahead of the competition in looks and sound.
Conclusion
I spend too much on hi-fi and technology products as it is, so the appearance of our Libratone stock into the store is something my bank balance could have done without. However, I think they are some really unique products that anyone in the market for wireless or multi-room speakers should shortlist. I get tired of boring black box-shaped speakers, so the Libratone range is really refreshing. We have the whole range on demo in our shop, so pop by for a listen and enjoy!