[Wind Chaser]

The designer is a rocket scientist who worked 8 years for NASA as a project manager.

http://www.soundmatters.com/foxl/

Obviously it isn't going to create the illusion of being there but aside from the novelty of it's small size, could the sound quality within it's range (80 Hz ~ 20 K) be "good enough for the audio purists"?

[low.pfile]

had to laugh at this from their review pages..

"It's a pocket-sized Bluetooth speaker for your MP3 player and a hands-free communication system for your car. Critics love the FoxL speaker, which, though no bigger than an eyeglasses case, transmits sound that's rich enough to please a cranky audiophile. Wirelessly tether it to your cell phone, take it along in the car, and a built-in microphone allows you to handle phone calls on the road. (Note: The Bluetooth streaming feature works on any A2DP-compatible device; Apple has not turned on the protocol for the iPhone so you need to use a standard audio cable.)" - Time Magazine

always looking for a good portable speaker. $200 is a bit much though. about $100 too much.

wish I had a shot at the industrial design of this product line. sony transistor radios come to mind. but the originals were better.

[Wind Chaser]

$200 is a bit much though. about $100 too much.

That's exactly what I was thinking.  But could it be that it regardless of its size, the sound it produces is worth $200?

[konut]

I've had one of these for a week. I'm a cranky audiophile, and I'm pleased.  While I cannot claim to have heard a lot of the self powered portable speaker systems, I've heard enough to know that the quality of this unit is heads and tails above anything even remotely close, regardless of price. It has to be evaluated for what it is: a highly portable device that lets one enjoy music, without the need for putting something in ones ear, with a reasonable semblance of fidelity, that will fit in your pocket. The response is reasonably flat, though not without some peaks and valleys. The noise floor is very good with negligible self noise. For the size, the level of clean output is surprising. It will not fill a room with full range sound, but sitting 1 meter on axis yields a very detailed, articulate presentation that reaches low enough to give a good representation of rock, pop, jazz, classical, and yes, even bass laden reggae. Is it worth $200? If you want the best of a given genre, then yes. I just can't resist a neat gadget. 

[Steven Stone]

I reviewed the foxL? for Vintage Guitar Magazine in September 2008.

Here's what I wrote:

A Foxy foxL?

Anyone who travels by plane with any regularity knows what a drag flying has become. Back in the ?good old days? of Pan Am, TWA, and designated on-board smoking areas, flying used to be glamorous, but now it has all the charm and mystique of taking out the garbage in your bathrobe at 6:00 AM.
 
Until recently at least you could carry the essential stuff needed to make life tolerable when you got to your destination (if you got to your destination.) With their new baggage pricing policies airlines have forced us to slim down our travel arsenal to the absolute minimum. But some things I refuse to travel without. I need two iPods (one is for back-up), two sets of Shure E-500 earphones, and of course stereo speakers to hook up to my iPod once I get to my destination. These items are all non-negotiable.

iPods and headphones are already as pocketable as they are going to get, but speakers are a problem. Even my smallest folding speakers take up too much real estate in my bag and they sound pretty mediocre to boot. But a company called Soundmatters has finally come up with a portable personal stereo speaker system that is small enough to transport easily and good enough sounding to be worth carrying in the first place. Enter the foxL?.

 According to Soundmatter?s founder and chief scientist, Dr. Godehard Geunther, "Conventional wisdom dictates that full-range sonics are not possible from a console the size of a candy bar." But the foxL? tries to achieve 80 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response from a small rectangular box measuring only 5.6" wide by 2.2" deep and 1.4" high.  Does it succeed? Yes, as long as you don?t get too far away. The laws of physics can be bent, as the foxL? clearly proves, but never broken.

How does the foxL? produce decent sound from such a ridiculously small container? It uses two 1" linear magnetic drive "twofers" tuned to 100 Hz. These drivers feature dual neodymium magnets and bifilar 1" dual voice coils that generate far more volume and wider frequency response that similarly sized conventional drivers. The foxL? also incorporates Soundmatters' "Flatmagic" bass radiator into its cabinet. This passive device acts as a controlled-impedance low frequency port to extend and amplify bass response. Finally the foxL? uses a built-in lithium-ion battery that can last up to five hours per charge. It also serves as mass for the Flatmagic? bass radiator.

The foxL? comes in two versions: with Bluetooth connectivity for $249, and without for $199. The Bluetooth version permits wireless music streaming from any Bluetooth-enabled device. The Bluetooth version can also serve as a microphone and speaker combo for wireless telephone conversations.

All this neat new technology would be of little value if the foxL? didn?t sound good, but it does! If you place it on a table or flat surface about a foot away from you (such as right behind your keyboard on your desk) it can create a remarkably full-range musical experience. Its midrange and upper frequency response is especially natural. Even the bass response is decent. No, it won?t rumble your stomach, but it does deliver enough bass information for music to sound full-range.

The foxL? is designed to be a nearfield listening monitor. If you get more than two feet away from it the sound deteriorates rapidly. From across the room it sounds almost as mediocre as your average clock radio. . Also if you turn up the volume too much the foxL? can instantly go from very nice to borderline nasty. But if you hang the foxL? from your neck (it comes with a neck chain), or keep it near you on a desk or table and don?t try to listen at 100 dB, the foxL? delivers as promised.

The foxL? has earned a place in my new minimalist traveling kit. Now I can enjoy my i-Pod?s music without having an earphone jammed into my head.  I can also share my music with others by hooking up the foxL? instead of offering them my earbuds (which for some reason they usually decline.) For more information about the foxL?, as well as other cool Soundmatters products, go to www.soundmatters.com. 

[Wind Chaser]

Well....... I'm sort of disappointed considering the hype and accolades.  The tone is too far off the mark to be considered "audiophile" quality.  It's okay, borderline acceptable, which makes it listenable but certainly not outstanding.  I suspect that for the same money, a bigger speaker like the self powered Audio Engine A2 would be a better bet for overall sound quality.  The bottom line is if you need something super small, the foxL is the ticket.  Heck even my stapler is bigger than this thing.

[whubbard]

The Audio Engine A2s aren't really portable at all...
The main question in my mind:
Is there a better portable system for the cost?
Is it the best, period?

-West

[doug s.]

i got one for travel.  decent, but not worth it for anything else. 

ymmv,

doug s.

[Wind Chaser]

As West points out, it is portable.  If you want or need something relatively small that doesn't have to be portable, then there are better options. 

I should have listened to Doug, but in the back of my mind I was hoping that this thing lived up the hype.  No offense to Steven Stone, but after reading THIS and other reports, a good dose of skepticism is still a healthy thing.

[konut]

Did you actually buy one? They have a 30-day risk free trial. 

[Wind Chaser]

Did you actually buy one? They have a 30-day risk free trial.

Yes, but I haven't decided if I'll keep it or not. 

[Steven Stone]

If you just want a home-use powered speaker the foxL wouldn't be my first choice, but for travel the foxL is far superior to every other travel size speaker I've heard - The NXL panel products such as the one from Monster doesn't come close.