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CES 2017: Hands-On With aiFi's Ai-1 Stackable Speakers

Bluetooth speakers are largely a dime a dozen these days. The market is swamped with them and they all do seem to come with the same features. They are wireless. They are portable. And they are affordable. However, the downside of these three features combined is that (a) they don’t always offer you a loud (and good) enough sound and (b) they do not exactly command your visual attention when you walk into a room. Not like more traditional speakers used to. Although, there is a solution from aiFi, the stackable Ai-1 speakers.

On the one hand, these are just as portable as any other Bluetooth speaker. But the difference is, that these only get better and more visually appealing the more you stack them. To the point where you can actually have a wall of speakers and at this point, you really are starting to create something which is far more akin to a traditional sound system. Which does mean that the aiFi Ai-1 speakers have the unique ability to cater to both ends of the market – those looking for a standalone single Bluetooth speaker and those looking for a real and impressive sound system. Each speaker makes use of a unique magnetic design which allows them to join together effortlessly and securely. Grab one, stack it and done.

These are of course, also designed to be durable. And that means that in addition to their aluminium build, they are also splash-proof. Which is probably exactly what you want from a speaker wall at your next party. As these are Bluetooth speakers, there are no wires in play and that even goes for when you add more speakers to the equation. They all connect to each other and to your smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled device wirelessly. Although, in addition to Bluetooth, they also come with an analogue Line-in and an optical input as well. Adding to their connectivity value is an Android smartphone app (available from the Google Play Store) which not only allows you to control the content, but also allows you to monitor the configuration. Each speaker measures 184 mm in width, 65 mm in depth, 64 mm in height, weighs 750 grams and the drivers inside are 15-watt 48 mm drivers. For those interested in picking one (or twenty) aiFi A-1s speakers up, they do cost $299.99 each and are available to buy now from aiFi.