14 DAY TRIAL // Audio-Technica needs no introduction from me nor does it need too much of a hailing presentation from others; professionals simply know that a piece of gear with the AT badge on it is not only worth the money but will also deliver outstanding quality and reliability over the years.
Whether we're speaking about the Audio-Technica microphones or other pro-grade similar gear, one thing is sure: they'll never let you down except for the unfortunate moments when you either smash them in a moment of distraction or they "die" like everything else on the face of the Earth.
As I presume most of you know, Audio-Technica makes all sorts of gear and makes them well. It's the case of their latest speaker system, the Columino digital powered ones; they built something cool and did it in high style! The Columino speakers are nothing usual and definitely nothing you've seen before: as a matter of fact, looking at them for the first time does not give absolutely any clue on what their actual purpose is (first time I saw them I thought they were some decorative gimmicks as more and more often met these days).
Much to my and I guess anyone's surprise, the Columino are really speakers even if they don't show it at all. Looking like a piece of gear from The Jetsons cartoon series or some sort of art nouveau bowling pins, they're made of two pieces: a round and flat basis and a tall, long cone above it which, swear to God, I thought was floating on a magnetic field.
Well, it does not and my reasonable questions related to how they are powered proved justified. Nevertheless, the cone is hanging from a very well concealed support at the back of the system and you can endlessly trick your visiting friends almost every time.
The small speaker is facing down and the sound is dispersed across the room by hitting the flat round base. Additional bright blue LEDs have been "studded" in the lower part of the cone, around the speakers and they emit a very eerie light.
Coming in white and black "flavors", the Audio-Technica AT-DSP190 speaker set unfortunately outputs an almost shameful 1.7W signal which is rather insufficient for any purpose other than playing some creepy music and telling your friends that soon they will start floating through the room conjuring Satan or walk on water in your tub or other similar crap. But if you think this kind of fun is worth the $200 the Columino sell for, go for it!
