What is it?
What’s better than two? One. At least that’s what French wireless devices maker Parrot seems to think. Three years after it launched its award-winning trumpet-like speaker pair designed by the famed Philippe Starck, the company is revisiting its hit product but turning into a singular product. Say hello to the Zikmu Solo.
What’s special about it?
When Philippe Starck’s uniquely-designed speakers were first launched in 2009, they became kind of a cult hit – pleasing in both aesthetics and performance. Despite their slightly high prices – around Dh5,000 - Parrot has since launched a few updates and added colours to the line-up.
And now, with the Zikmu Solo, you can have the same in one singular piece. The re-design, says the company, has had them rethink the Starck design in a completely different way while still retaining its form factor. Pumping out a 100W, there are three loud speakers on the upper part of the Zikmu Solo while the woofer is located at the bottom.
The star attraction however is the connectivity options. While there is an iPhone/iPod dock at the top for direct connection and charging (you’ll need an adapter if you’ve got the new Lightning port), the Zikmu Solo is not exclusively made for Apple products. There’s a line-in input to connect multiple devices, it also supports WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC for wireless streaming. There’s even an Ethernet port for places your WiFi can’t reach.
While a remote control comes with the Zikmu Solo, smartphone users on iOS and Android will be more that happy with the dedicated free app which basically lets you control the speaker. Besides controlling the volume and the equalizers, you can browse audio sources connected to the speaker or adjust the Zikmu Solo’s audio settings according to the size of the room and the position of the speaker in the room.
When is it available and for how much?
The Zikmu Solo is now available in the UAE – in black or white - for Dh3,899 at the Dubai Audio Centre. Go to dubaiaudio.com
