In the same way as can happen when waiting for a bus, you can hang about for ages for a wireless speaker system to appear and then two turn up within a short space of time.  Following on from the appearance of the Saitek A250 (http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/758/240933/article.html) the WRS 368 Music Sphere, forming part of the Oregon Scientific StyleFi range, is now available.

This kit consists of two spheres, one large unit acting as the receiver and loudspeaker module while a smaller sphere provides the wireless transmitter element for this product.  Both spheres have a slice removed so that the units have a level base for easy positioning while a second slice has been removed from the large sphere to reveal the speaker grill and a circular display panel showing a clock and status information.  A small control panel and what could be described as a finger hole, but is probably more to do with acoustic matters, are situated on the top of the larger sphere.  Mains power leads are provided for both units although you could use six "C" batteries for the larger sphere.

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I must admit that my first experiences of this product, despite its stylish appearance, were, to say the least, an exercise in frustration.  My problems related to the larger sphere which, rather temperamentally, would only work on occasions.  However, following a telephone call to the company's PR agency, an exchange was carried out and the replacement worked fine. 

The receiver/loudspeaker unit houses two tweeters and a sub-woofer within its stylish white and transparent casing.  A bracket is provided for wall-mounting the speaker/receiver unit although this item is equally at home perched on any flat surface which is more appropriate considering the portability aspect of the device. 

Providing the audio wireless signal is the smoky white transmitter unit.  This has connections for three separate audio sources.  For example you could connect an MP3 player, CD player and television via its one set of phone sockets and two small jack sockets.  Oregon Scientific only supplies one cable with the result that you will need to supply the other two connecting leads.  Apart from a single slider control to switch between the two wireless channels available to this device, there are no other controls on the transmitter. 

All user operations will need to be carried out from the receiver/loudspeaker unit.  Changing between the various connected audio sources is just a matter of pressing the appropriate button and cycling through the options.  The display panel's backlight changes colour (blue=1, red=2, green=3) to indicate the selected source along with other relevant status information.  You can adjust the volume, bass and treble settings plus mute the sound from this control panel.  There is also an option whereby you can use the remote control of an audio source via the Music Sphere.

According to Oregon Scientific, this kit's radio transmission has a range of 98 feet in an open space. My mini-garden was rather too small to fully test this feature (and the only other alternative was a busy road).  However I was able to create a set-up whereby I could receive a clear signal over a distance in excess of 50 feet within the confines of my flat.  The signal had to deal with four solid walls and other obstacles that blocked the direct route without any noticeable degradation or break-up of the audio signal.

The Music Sphere has an attractive appearance and would fit in to most stylish environments.  The audio quality achieved is reasonable but could hardly be considered hi-fi.  Really the product is better served by its looks rather than performance but does provide you with speaker facilities in various locations.  The Music Sphere is priced at £179 and will appeal to those who put style above performance.

http://www.oregonscientific.com/stylefi/uk/main.html