The folks from Podo Labs are at it again, but this time, it’s not a camera the creative company is peddling on Kickstarter. Rather, it’s a Bluetooth speaker known simply as Belle. Think of it as a grown-up boombox — the Belle is both a speaker and subwoofer capable of connecting up to six speakers (of any brand) by way of Bluetooth. So if you’ve a house full of speakers that you don’t use all that often because their volume is too weak or their bass is too low, Podo Labs believes you can connect them all to its Belle Bluetooth speaker to get your party started.
At first glance, the Belle may not look like much. While it features a sleek and rather unique spherical design, it doesn’t quite appear to have the chops to really drive home killer sound. But according to Podo Labs, the Belle’s hollow interior gives way to a deeper bass than other speakers of similar size. And that orb shape isn’t just for aesthetics — rather, the company suggests, this design allows for 360-degree wave distribution, so hopefully, you can hear your audio content no matter where you are in a room.
With 100 watts of power from two full-range drivers and dual passive radiators, Belle claims to be quite the force to be reckoned with as a speaker. But it can also serve as a standalone subwoofer, diverting all power to the 5-inch subwoofer, and allowing the bass to be fully amped up. In fact, the Podo Labs team claims, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Belle’s low frequency response at 35Hz, which nears the lower limits of human hearing.
Meant to play well with other audio devices in your home, the Belle is software agnostic. Thanks to multiple Bluetooth chips, you can continue to pile on the sound from a variety of speakers. Moreover, Podo Lab claims, because the Belle is compatible with other brands, you’ll still be able to use the speaker as the audio industry continues to innovate. “As other speakers come and go, Belle stays as the main control room for speakers,” the team noted.
The Belle will last about eight hours on a full charge, and promises to be fully portable. Early bird backers on Kickstarter will be able to grab a Belle for $249 in the first 48 hours of the campaign. Once the early backing period ends, the Belle will be made available for $299.