Skip to main content

Quip, a promising, pillow-shaped Bluetooth speaker, vows to not go soft on sound

Objest, a London-based purveyor of audio novelties, is asking for your help to get its sweet, little Bluetooth speaker off the ground and into living rooms. With a current pledged amount of about $8,000, the Quip, a pillow-shaped Bluetooth speaker, is roughly $340,000 short of its goal and has 33 days left to meet it. Quip is the first product to be produced by the new startup.

Pledging about $200 will net you a discounted Quip later this year – Objest has estimated it will have its very first baby ready to leave the nest in September.

The company says the Quip won’t have the tinny, plastic sound that emanates from a lot of cheap and “portable” Bluetooth speakers. To achieve a more solid sound without having to scrap the speaker’s portability and sleekness, Objest partnered with another English company, Sheffield-based Sontia, which designs digital sound processing products for companies like LG, THX, and other big brands.

Specifically, the speaker’s been enhanced with CSR’s aptX codec, making the sound transmitted via Bluetooth clearer, crisper, and less compressed. Within its pillow-like structure, the speakers sit in an off-axis arrangement for minimal distortion and buzzes.

As far as functionality is concerned, Objest claims that “if you’ve ever used a smartphone, you already know how to control Quip” – it has a capacitive touch interface that allows very simple volume control, track navigation, and call management. Objest describes the power and pairing buttons as “captured neatly within the band at the back of the product along with a micro USB for charging.” That’s right – you can pair this thing. Pair two Quips and you’ve got an even thicker sound that might even pass as a decent home surround system, though it’s hard to say for sure without a pair of them to test out.

And finally, aesthetically speaking, customers probably won’t be too disappointed with the Quip’s die-cast aluminum body and mirrored top that should make it a tasteful addition to any living room. If you think the Quip deserves to make it off the ground, you can make a pledge anytime for the next month.

Editors' Recommendations

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Klipsch takes on Marshall with three new portable and rugged Bluetooth speakers
Klipsch City Series Bluetooth Speakers.

Klipsch has added three new Bluetooth speakers to its lineup, and each has been named after an American city with deep roots in music-making. The Klipsch Music City Series includes the Austin, the Nashville, and the Detroit. All three speakers have been ruggedized and carry an IP67 rating, effectively making them dustproof and waterproof. You can wirelessly sync them with other Klipsch speakers, and thanks to built-in mics, they can double as speakerphones. The $99 Austin and $149 Nashville will be available in the coming weeks, while the $299 Detroit will arrive in 2024.

Klipsch City Series Austin Bluetooth Speaker. Klipsch

Read more
Soundcore’s new Motion speakers are tough little portables with hi-res sound
Anker Soundcore Motion 300 in black.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300. Anker Soundcore

Anker Soundcore has two new portable and rugged Bluetooth speakers that fall under the Motion family of products: the $80 Motion 300 and the $60 Motion 100. The metal-clad speakers come in three color choices and feature support for hi-res audio. They will be available later this fall -- you can buy the Motion 300 on October 9 (black only), with the other two colors coming in November/December. The black version of the Motion 100 will be available in November, with its two other colors coming in early 2024, according to Anker.

Read more
UE’s Epicboom is a powerful, portable, pool-proof speaker
Ultimate Ears Epicboom in two color options.

Ultimate Ears (UE) has added another Bluetooth speaker to its portable family of Boom products: the $350 Epicboom, which hits ultimateears.com on September 6, and then additional retailers on September 22. Available in two color choices, The new speaker fills the size and power gap between the Megaboom 3 and the giant Hyperboom, while boasting impressive ruggedness.

Like the rest of the Boom family, the Epicboom is designed to offer 360-degree sound and the company says the speaker's oval shape helps by offering a larger internal acoustic volume than the cylindrical design of the Boom 3 and Megaboom 3. It has two 1.5-inch active mid-high frequency transducers and a 4.6-inch woofer, which UE claims will deliver loud, bassy sound.

Read more