High-end audio manufacturers Bang & Olufsen have launched their first dedicated 5.1 surround sound system, the BeoLab 14. And, in typical B&O fashion, it's as expensive as it is stylish.

Consisting of a subwoofer and five satellites, they're primarily made from aluminium, giving the round speakers (sitting on the end of aluminium poles) a retro sci-fi aesthetic. Those poles can be adjusted in height, while the speaker units themselves can be detached for wall mounting or even hung upside down from the ceiling.

The system will be sold in two separate packages, one intended for owners of Bang & Olufsen televisions that comes with only four satellites and the sub (with the B&O TV's own built-in audio making up the centre channel) and a package intended for all other AV enthusiasts, with a standard 5.1 configuration. "It's a balance between the fight between the designer and the sound engineer," said CEO Tue Mantoni at the system's launch in London.

"It's for someone who want's great sound, but does not want technology to take over their home. It's been a wish for the designer side of our team to create a product that is well designed, without any seams or join lines, and without comprising on audio quality. In terms of manufacture we start with a solid piece of aluminium and are able to avoid welding lines as a result."In terms of tech specs, the system makes use of a 280-watt subwoofer with a downward-facing 8-inch driver, housed in a cone-like casing, with five separate 140-watt amplifiers for the satellites. Low-end frequencies hit 26hz. Each satellite is houses 2.5-inch active treble and midrange drivers, with the whole unit measuring just 16-cm in diameter. As you'd expect from Bang & Olufsen, a selection of different coloured speaker grilles allow you to customise the look to suit your home preferences.

In typical Bang & Olufsen fashion, the systems don't come cheap. Starting at £2495 for the 4.1 system and rising to £2,795 for the full 5.1 set-up, they become available as of today from Bang & Olufsen dealerships. The optional stands themselves cost an additional £190 a pair, so start saving.

This year's Gadget Show was chocka with companies selling headphones and speakers. None were quite as noisy though as US firm OrigAudio.

It displayed a range of personalised headphones, costing between £40 and £50 - think everything from Union Jacks to pics of your cat - as well some fun £35-£40 mini speakers called the Epishock.

Apparently you stick them on a window to enhance the sound as this fella is rather good (and entertaining) at demonstrating.

Sony has just released details of a new wireless audio system - the BT80WB - that connects with a smartphone or tablet and can stream music via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The speaker also comes with one-touch NFC connection for pairing and listening with your smartphone or tablet, sports Magnetic Fluid Speakers and included a S-Master Amplifier.

There's also a second version - the CMT-BT60B - which doesn't connect wirelessly using Wi-Fi but still has the Bluetooth and NFC options.

The pair also have a USB connection for direct hook-ups for playback (CMT-BT80WB) and charging the battery (CMT-BT60B) of your iPad, iPhone or iPod.

Output is 40W RMS output on both models, with the S-Master Amplifier offering an equaliser, Bass Booster and Sony's Digital Sound Enhancement Engine. They both include an integrated CD player and DAB and FM radio tuners.

They will go on sale in May. The 80 is grey with the 60 finished in black.

Ruark Audio is a great British audio company that has been around for ages and has consistently delivered striking looking, yet technically superb speakers.

So it is exciting then for us audio fans that the company has just unveiled its first ever wireless music system.

The MR1 is designed to be an add on to computers or TV screens or work with personal audio products and mobile phones. It has an 3mm jack input but can connect wirelessly to devices too by using Bluetooth and aptX technology.

In keeping with its brand aims the MR1 majors on sound quality and according to the maker comes with top quality audio grade components throughout

The speakers also come in three finishes: Rich Walnut veneer, Soft White and Soft
Black lacquers

They also include 75mm neodymium woofers, 20mm neodymium tweeters, integrated Bluetooth: A2DP and apt-X, a Linear Amplifier with 20 watts nominal, output and connections for a subwoofer and a 3.5mm stereo jack line input.

They will retail for £299.

One of our all-time favourite headphone manufacturers, Urbanears, has launched a new Editions range in limited numbers and each model brings a little extra something to your ears.

Even though one of the best things about the Urbanears headphones is that they're so bright and colourful, we love this new limited edition black quilted Plattan pair, which come with all the things you expect from the popular headphones, including a clever Zound plug to share your music with friends.

Available from Urbanears for £80.

All kinds of brands are increasingly pioneering recyclable products, we particularly love the efforts from shoe companies like Urshuz, but we haven't seen much recyclable tech in the past few years that really impresses us.

Well today we came across these lovely headphones on Springwise and couldn't believe that they're recyclable and look good too. The over-ear headphones, called Noisezero O+ Eco edition, are a collaborative project between designer Michael Young, music tech brand EOps and French online retailer Colette.

Noisezero i+ Eco buds already exist, but these are the first over-ear designs that have been made from cornstarch bio-plastic, stainless steel and aluminium, which are all recyclable materials.

The fancy over-ear headphones with a conscience work with iPhones, iPads and iPads and come with a microphone, remote control and volume buttons too.

Unfortunately they're currently sold out on Colette, but will usually retail for £118.47.

[Via Springwise]

Although some might argue it takes something away from the magic of Christmas, you can't deny that your TV won't play an important part in this year's festivities, whether you want to listen to carols, play games, watch the special soaps or put on all of your new DVDs one after another.

To really enhance your viewing experience this year try out a fancy new speaker system, like Orbitsound's T12v3 soundbar. Orbitsound's 'spatial sound' technology means everyone can enjoy the same high quality audio no matter where they're sitting in the room. It's also really easy to get started, without any wires or lengthy set up process and sits neatly next to any flatscreen TV.

The only problem now is who controls the remote and the volume buttons?

The speaker bar is available from Orbitsound for £299.

There are so many different headphones on the market that all look good and promise to deliver great sound to our little ears that it can be really hard to pick the ones that suit us best, let alone the ones that will make a good present.

So here's a big round up of our 20 favourite headphones of the year, some are brand new, some have been around for ages, some are incredible, some are just cheap and cheerful, but hopefully there'll be something in the list that'll suit your budget.

A lot of headphones claim to bring us good quality sound that'll rival anything we've ever tried before. Most of them are good, but don't really stand out in a sea of similar products that all deliver in terms of sound and look good too.

However, we were sent a pair of Atomic Floyd SuperDarts recently and we feel like we've found a hidden gem.

Since the Atomic Floyd brand launched in 2008 it's been a firm favourite among music lovers who want great quality sound and a robust product without the frills.

The latest headphones, the SuperDarts, deliver on all fronts. They're specially designed for the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, they look good, sound even better and give us all the extras we need. It's just a shame they're a bit pricey...

Earbuds

One of the main reasons the SuperDarts sound so good is down to the high standard earbuds. They have all kinds of features, like double speaker drivers and two way noise isolation, which means you're not going to get any dirty looks on the bus or be bothered by that crazy, shouting man.

It's really important you get the right sized eartips to ensure you're getting the best possible sound and quality bass. You can choose from small, medium and large and there's a special seal between the actual buds and the tips, which makes them a huge pain to squeeze on, but does mean they'll be more suited to your ears and sound better. The tips are also made of silicone and feel really soft, there's nothing worse than stuffing a piece of scratchy plastic right into your ear. Eugh.

Sound

As I've mentioned, there are apparently all kinds of seals on the buds to ensure there's no noise leakage or background noise, which is always the most important thing when it comes to good quality sound.

You'll have to play around with the right sized ear tips to make sure they fit well but won't fall out and cause any noise leakage.

The dual drivers mean you're getting two mini speakers in each ear, a really rich sound and the clarity is unlike anything I've experienced from headphones before (honestly).

Although all kinds of music will sound great with the SuperDarts, they seem particularly suited for tracks with plenty of bass which really let them show off their skillz.

Looks

From the way they look, you can tell the SuperDarts mean business. They're made of stainless steel and have red detailing as well as a red cable. They stand out but not because they're overtly fancy, they just look stylish and pretty damn cool.

Cable

The cable has a Kevlar coating at the end, which means it feels nicer and stops them from tangling together quite so much. They can also be folded away easier too.

There's a remote control on the cable which allows you to control volume, play, pause and skip tracks. There's also a microphone attached to the remote control too, which lets you answer calls and change volume if you have the SuperDarts hooked up to your phone.

Extras

A quirky little Babybel-like case comes with the SuperDarts which is filled with different eartips, a DJ Jack and flight adaptor.

Who are they for?

Firstly, you obviously need to be a big fan of in-ear buds, they're super comfy but they still go much further into your ear than say the run-of-the-mill Apple headphones (some people still get freaked out by in-ear buds).

They're ideal for someone who wants headphones which deliver good quality sound and look great too. Of course you'll have to have a few spare pennies lying around, the only downside to the Atomic Floyd SuperDarts is that they're very pricey, but then again you do have to pay a bit of a premium for this kind of quality.

I imagine they'd also be well suited to those who use headphones on their commute or when they're exercising and need headphones which will actually stay put and not annoy anyone else nearby.

We're big fans of the SuperDarts, there's no fuss, no celebrity affiliation, just quality sound and quality looks.

The SuperDarts are coming soon to the Atomic Floyd website and the Apple Store and will be available for £199.

Tech Specs:

Sensitivity: 100dB
Frequency Range: 5-25,000Hz
Impedance: 16

We know that the best products often don't look that bright, colourful or fancy from the outside, but as we're moving into winter we think it's ESSENTIAL that you brighten up your life a little with some colourful technology.

Here's our pick of four of our favourite new audio products that look bright and colourful and sound brilliant too.

We're big fans of silly, dancing animal speakers here at Shiny Shiny, but if you're looking for something a little more reserved for your office, then check out the new Buddy speakers from KitSound.

When it comes to quality they're pretty similar to any portable low cost speaker, but obviously you'd be buying them because they're cute and not because you're wanting an unrivalled audio experience.

Choose between a panda, pig, rabbit, koala, bear and then some kind of ghost thing. Ideal for kids and those that just want a cheap and cheerful speaker that looks a little different.

Available from Currys for £19.99.

These may look like regular headphones, but the clever Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones actually double up as speakers too.

When you're using them as headphones they offer high quality sound and the cushioned cups eliminate any outside noise. However, when you want to share your music with other people (at parties and things please NOT on the bus), then you simply flip the switch and the drivers on the outside kick in. You can then even rotate the cups so that they stand upright and look more like proper speakers than just a pair of headphones.

The device obviously doesn't require any charging if you just want to use the headphones, but to use the speakers you'll have to charge the battery via USB, which will give you around four hours of playing time.

Available from Red5 for £119.95.

So what the hell is Deezer? And do you need another music streaming service in your life? Well, chances are you hadn't heard of Deezer before last night when the French company announced its role as part of Facebook's music package. Deezer however has been around for a while. It was launched as a service back in 2007 in France (before Spotify) and since then has signed up more than 20 million users and 1.3 million subscribers. It actually debuted in the UK earlier in September, but will have got a massive new number of subscribers yesterday.

But what if you have Spotify already - do you need another music streaming service? Well here are the differences between the two.

1 Deezer is web-based. Spotify is client based.

The big difference is that Deezer is a web based service. So you don't have to download any software, you simply go to the website, create your account and the music - all 13 million tracks - is waiting for you.

With Spotify you have to have a computer with the client on board for it to work. The Facebook upgrade, which lets you listen to Spotify songs on the social networking sites, doesn't actually change this. If you try to listen to a song it then downloads the client on to the PC. Very cleverly it doesn't matter who has been using the Spotify client as it automatically logs you out of someone else's account and connects to yours.

I guess the browser based nature of the service might mean that Deezer can go a few places that Spotify can't as it might be able to skip through some work firewalls.

2 The free options are different

As you probably know the free Spotify service is one, ad funded and, two comes with a few restrictions on the number of times you can play a track. With Deezer things are a little different. You can access the radio channels and Smartradio, but music on demand is limited to 30 second clips rather than the whole song. To listen to whole albums etc you have to subscribe. However when we signed in this morning we were offered a few weeks of the service for free. I am not sure how long this will be available for.

3 The mobile service is different

Deezer wins on this one. Its mobile options are easier to use and more detailed than Spotify's and includes extra features such as radio and Smartradio. You can also listen to music on your mobile via Deezer (well the radio and Smartradio) without having to pay for a subscription, Spotify only offers its mobile service to its paying customers.

Other than those three biggies the services are fairly similar.

Spotify has the edge in number of track 15 million to 13 million, however I did keep finding things on Deezer that are not on Spotify. The big names are John Lennon (his catalogue was removed from Spotify a few months back) and Pink Floyd (whose albums are being rolled out on Deezer in the next few weeks). Neither service has The Beatles or Led Zeppelin.

The interfaces and general features (like social sharing of tracks) work in a similar way. Deezer looks a little more MySpacey to Spotify's iTunes influenced design. Deezer does have Soundcloud integration, which is a very nice touch. I guess Spotify will get this soon.

The subscription deals are virtually identical with both charging £4.99 for full PC service and £9.99 if you want to take tracks with you on your mobile. Slight moan about Deezer though - their service is 4.99 and 9.99 Euros which makes it even cheaper in France. Shame they couldn't have saved us Brits a few pence too.

Overall then, do you need both? Well probably not. Is one better than the other? Not really, it is too close to call. There might come a day when one of them offers a feature that will make me change my mind, but for now both services are well worth considering. Five quid a month for all that music? Bargain!

As some clever northern bard once said. 'There's more to life than watching cat videos on YouTube... but not much more.'

And if you agree with him you are about to set eyes on your ultimate Christmas present.

For UK based gadgeteers Thumbs Up have unveiled - wait for it - the Dancing Cat Speaker.

There are very few specs to give you. All you need know is that you plug your musical device into the speaker via the 3.5mm jack and watch your new feline friend boogie. See below.

You can buy one for £39.99 from Play.com very soon.

If you think you've seen all that the world of iPod docks has to offer? Think again; Jarre's AeroDream One takes Hi-Fi docks to a whole new level, with the emphasis on the "Hi" part. The docking port sits on top of an 11ft column, which necessitates the need for a fixed ladder on the side of the speaker to reach it.

It's also got enough punch to match its gigantic size, pushing out an ear-popping 10,000 W through its 5 channel amplifier.

The AeroDream One is very much a luxury item, and priced at € 399,000 (£349,873) is definitely a statement piece as much as it is a speaker system. As such, Jarre sees it just as at home in concert halls as the homes of the wealthy elite.

We have a chat with Jean-Michel in the video interview above, discussing his range of Apple product docks (which includes more affordable miniature versions of the AeroDream One among other designs), the state of the music industry and the inspiration behind his latest mad venture.

Those Beats headphones by Dr Dre must have be one of the tech hits of 2011. I have seen so many of them out and about - unusual brand penetration for a product, even if they were fronted by LA producer Dr Dre...

Our experience reviewing them was just that they were goddamn loud. Really really loud. And good on bass.

Anyway HTC have just bought a controlling stake in Beats for $300million - buying in some serious mobile audio technology that will start appearing in their handsets this autumn.

Beats take music very seriously:

"For Beats by Dr. Dre, this represents a critical step in our continued mission to clean up the destruction of audio caused by the digital revolution and reengineer how sound is delivered, so the consumer feels the music the way that the artist intended."

We look forward to the products.

Glastonbury has got us all thinking about spending time outside lying on the grass, listening to sweet tunes. And if that means lying out in your back garden, so be it.

And especially if you chose to take your music while lying in in your back-garden, you'll want a decent set of outdoor speakers. Which is why we got all interested in some wireless speaker technology BestBuy demoed to us last week. Basically it uses radio frequency to send uncompressed audio from your device to your speakers, wherever they are, allowing you to pump music out from your PC to your back garden, to take one useful example.

BestBuy have patented some music-sending technology which cuts the wires out of the speakers which means that you can put your speakers wherever you want and play music from them.

Because there are up to five inputs and eight outputs, another fun use would be sending music from one device to all the different rooms in your house. It would make your house kind of like a supermarket. It would be a bit wrong, but you could do it.

BestBuy's senders and receivers are compatible with all speakers and devices. Admittedly though they are pricey. Quick run-down of the pros and cons...

The upside
- get rid of those damn wires!
- clear uncompromised sound
- compatible with your existing speakers and computers.

The downside
- the price: these are expensive. Though about the same as a Glastonbury ticket
- these speakers work best if you have a stationary device (your TV/PC) with portable speakers, rather than having portable music player (like an iPod). For me this would be a little redundant because I carry my iPod around anyway and just need the speakers to move.

It also enables their back-garden-friendly waterproof speaker, which we like a lot. The complete kit, with the mini sender/receiver and the speaker will set you back £180..

The music bit? The sound is uncompressed which makes for high quality without the wires. The Best Buy reps swore blind that it wouldn't suffer from interference from any other device using that frequency:

"Rocketboost wireless audio products support HD-quality audio without wires. The wireless signal from a Rocketboost-branded transmitter is uncompressed and can transmit 24 bit, 96 KHz digital audio, which supports CD- and HD- audio signals such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Additionally, Rocketboost wireless audio products operate in the 2.4GHz band and are designed to work without interference with other 2.4GHz devices such as wireless routers, cordless phones and microwave ovens."

---
The details
---
Rocketfish Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit - The Rocketfish Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit features Rocketboost wireless audio technology for wireless connectivity between a transmitter, which is connected to the home theatre system, and a rear channel amplified receiver, connected to the rear speakers. The kit enables 5.1 wireless surround sound configurations, as well as multizone, whole-home wireless audio distribution, and can be expanded to accommodate 7.1 surround sound. £159.99

Rocketfish Wireless Sender/Receiver - The Rocketfish Wireless Sender/Receiver transmits audio wirelessly from any audio device by 3.5mm or stereo RCA connection, allowing wireless audio streaming throughout a home. The sender/receiver features Rocketboost wireless audio technology for crisp, low-interference sound. £49.99

Rocketfish Wireless Outdoor Speaker with Wireless Sender/Receiver - The Rocketfish Wireless Outdoor Speaker is a weather-resistant wireless speaker kit that allows Rocketboost wireless audio anywhere in the home and outdoors. £179.99

Rocketfish Wireless Amplified Audio Receiver - The Rocketfish Wireless Amplified Audio Receiver is ideal for connecting to and powering traditional home theatre speakers. It features two stereo L/R speaker outputs for easy connection and Rocketboost wireless audio technology for low-interference and HD audio-compatible sound. £99.99

Rocketfish Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit - £159.99
Rocketfish Wireless Sender/Receiver - £49.99
Rocketfish Wireless Outdoor Speaker with Wireless Sender/Receiver £179.99
Rocketfish Wireless Amplified Audio Receiver - £99.99

The four Rocketboost products from Rocketfish are currently available from all Best Buy UK stores and at www.bestbuy.co.uk/rocketfish

We had a quick try-out with the Ministry of Sound Headphones - the MOS004s - selling for £19.99 on the Ministry website. They boast:

"Stereo headphones with single sided cable, soft-touch and detailed logo. These distinctive headphones pack a punch with 40mm drivers that deliver the purest sounds. High grade leatherette pads give complete comfort with adjustable cans to wear however suits you."

Looks
They sure do have the Ministry of Sound logo on them. So if you're into the brand then this is a nice way to wear it. Fun colourful and available in 5 different colour combinations we like the electric colours on the wires.

Comfort
Good, easy to adjust, the cups are small but soft
The wire is thick, doesn't tangle and is long and stretchy enough to let you wander around.

Sound
I'm afraid this is where the price becomes apparent. The sound is quite flat and gets quite muddled at low volumes and tinny at high ones. Though they will go super loud. But then sound nerds would probably go for Sennheisers or JBL headphones- things kicking around the £40 price bracket minimum.

Conclusion
Fun, comfy and good value for £19.99. Not one for the sound buffs though.

Ministry of Sound Headphones MOS004 are £19.99 on TheMinistryofSound

Don't get me wrong, I use in-ear headphones, but there's a growing trend towards ones that reach ever deeper into the recesses of your ears, and I just don't like them. Most likely they improve sound quality, increase security of hold, but to me they just look and feel a bit like some kind of plastic octopus invading your brain via your ears.

Just saying.

The ones above are obviously some kind of plastic extender, made to fit over the classic Apple ones. On the internet, opinion is split. Some say that these big in-ear 'phones can actually be more comfortable than out-of-the-box standard ones which people can ram in too far. Other people swap the left and right ones, claiming that makes them more comfortable.. Specialists in in-ear earphones, Shure claim that their "cushions" block out more background noise.

Anyway a picture of these cropped up on one of my favourite blogs and thought I'd turn it over to Shiny readers.

What do you think? Useful or like a strange freaky octupus?

If you've ever wanted to customise your laptop speakers the way you can can customise your phone case - well, be happy. You now can.

Doodle speakers come with a customisable case - upload a picture or design of your choice on their website and they'll print it out and case up the 3 watt speakers in a nice felt package featuring your photo on the front.

Makers origaudio.co.uk say this is the first time the design of speakers have been customisable like this.

The Doodle itself is a flat palm-sized portable 3 watt speaker, suitable for plugging your iPod or laptop. It is powered by 2 x AAA batteries or USB power and the power cable comes in the box. It works with any audio product that has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack such as an iPhone, iPod, MP3 player or laptop.

We wouldn't expect high-notch sound from something this size, but it sure is a cute idea. Look there's a nice one with a robot on it (below) Good for a gift perhaps...

Priced at £29.95 plus delivery. Available at www.origaudio.co.uk from Tuesday 26th April 2011. Shipping to the UK and Europe