Loathe to spend any of our discretionary funds on a new stereo system, especially with small children in the house, Mrs. LIAYF and I have been literally using the same 5 disc changer in our house since the last millennium. Saying 5 disc changer is actually generous too since, at any given time, at least 3 of those disc slots don't even work.
As a result, like most of the modern world, we have been moving to listening to our music via a digital format (phones, tablet, and laptops). The biggest problem with that has been the speaker systems with our devices when we are not listening through headphones. If we tried to turn the music up to any sort of reasonable volume (where it can be heard more than 10 feet away), it sounds like it' being filtered through a tin can.
You get the picture.
Up to recently, to listen to music out loud in the house we have had to put in 5 discs we like and end up listening to the one or two of them that actually play, over and over, and over again. Yeah, nice.
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| Comes in a variety of cool colors. |
I said until recently because a few weeks ago the fine people at Sol Republic x Motorola offered to send me their Deck Wireless Speaker system to review. I have to admit that I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from the system, but when it arrived it was exactly what we needed!
The speaker system operates off of blue tooth technology (wireless), or direct connection to pair with your device and provide 360 degree high quality sound throughout your rooms, all in a fairly compact little speaker. The wireless has great range too, as I paired it up with our Kindle Fire HD and carried the speaker to every room in the house without losing connection. (it has a 300ft range).
This wireless speaker instantly allowed me to access all our digital albums and playlists, as well as Spotify, Pandora, Tunein Radio, and more with a sound output that the whole family is happy with. It even has a 'Heist' mode, where up to 5 different friends can hook up to the speaker with their own devices at one time.
This feature was obviously not designed for my demographic.
From the moment I turned it on, we were happy. First, we listened to a Recess Monkey album that Lukas had not yet heard, then danced around with Annabelle to some Caspar Babypants songs. It was then that I remembered that she was wearing her Jimi Hendrix onesie, so I pulled up his catalog on @Spotify and tested the volume of the speaker with All Along the Watchtower!
I can't say that my little girl was overly impressed with such a loud sound, but I certainly was.
As a bonus, Sol Republic also offered a 2nd Deck Wireless Speaker (MSRP $199) to me to giveaway here on the blog as I saw fit!
Very cool.
I have to admit, I'm old school. You won't have to go through any of that Rafflecopter nonsense here. Just leave a comment on this post (preferably telling me what your favorite album of 2013 was) by December 13th, and you are entered. I will also give an extra entry for anyone who newly subscribes to Luke, I am Your Father through RSS or Feedly. Just let me know that you have. Sorry, only open to residents of the US and Canada.
Full disclosure: As I mentioned, Sol Republic provided me with free products to review, however the opinions expressed are 100% my own. I really do love this speaker system.
And the winner is: Jeff Bogle! Congrats Jeff.
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16 comments:
Favorite album of 2013? Hmmm, I'm really digging on Lucious "Wildewoman" but also am crazy about BOY's "Mutual Friends", Frank Turner's "Tape Deck Heart", Okkervil River's "Silver Gymnasium" and oh crap, too many. I'll just say Recess Monkey's Desert Island Disc. Kindie, yes, but amazing for all. Thanks for this chance, James.
What is an album? I don't think I have listened to one since Appetite for Destruction. Can I say One Direction just to get my hands on a cool speaker?
I haven't enjoyed the pleasure of listening to many full albums this year (new ones anyway), but I was very impressed with Arcade Fire - Reflektor which came out this year. One of the few new(ish) bands that I can claim fandom for. Gimme that system! Looks awesome!
Is there a friends and family exclusion for entry?
Hmm, I need to work on my list, too... but as of right now, my favorite album of 2013 is "This is Willy Moon" by Willy Moon.
And I'm also gonna go subscribe now!
I'm still stuck in the '80s. I thought they stopped making albums after the Joshua Tree.
It's a toss up between the Twin Forks E.P. and David Bowie's new one.
Well I guess I am going to have a different comment than most peoples. Seeing as my genre is different. I would have to say that my favorite album or E.P. that was released this year is Bro Safari's and UFO!'s "Animal EP". Together they took the trap element an incorporated in their own signature ways. There have been many other EP's that I have liked but not nearly as much as this one. If anyone here is a fan of Trap and EDM I high suggest it!
Also thank you very much for hosting this giveaway. It is awesome to see more people being exposed to the amazing line products that SOL REPUBLIC has to offer. Happy Holidays! :D
The 2013 album that brought me to feel music the best has to have been Disclosure's "Settle". Their hit "White Noise" was an anthem that a group of friends and I listened to nonstop on a road trip to the beach over the summer. Latch is the most popular song on the album, bringing a spicy groove to an otherwise electric pop group of tunes.
Thank you for hosting a contest highlighting SOL Republic products! They're an awesome company and I've been meaning to get my hands on a DECK, but it's been out of my price range as a college kid.
Favorite album of 2013 would be Extended Play by Statik Selektah.
Do they still call them albums? If so, my favorite of 2013 was Soundgarden's King Animal. After missing out on seeing them when I was in college, I finally got my chance to see Chris Cornell belt out some tunes after taking a break for 16 years. The reason I like this album is because while most bands from the 90s are selling out to become the pop version of themselves, Soundgarden stayed with the alternative sound that I fell in love with in the first place.
My favorite album is Kelly Clarkson's Wrapped in Red! I can't stop listening to it.
KATY PERRY'S new album rocked and really made feel strong and confident. Just kidding, I only listen to podcasts and some sports talk radio.
Followed your posts through Google. Thanks,
I subscribed... or joined. Hope it was the right thing. Show me the music!
I don't catch too many of the new albums anymore, but I did enjoy Daft Punk's Random Access Memories. Interesting take on the genre.
Congratulations to Jeff Bogle on the win. And thanks to all who commented.
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