14 DAY TRIAL // Batteries are as necessary to wireless consumer electronics as lungs and most other internal organs are to us, but that may change now that Blueshift has launched the Hydrogen speaker.
Although that's not an altogether accurate thing to say, since the product hasn't, in fact, been formally released yet anywhere.
Instead, the Portland, Oregon-based company has started a crowd-funding campaign for the product, this speaker that doesn't use a battery but a capacitor.
Capacitors are different from batteries in that they actually do store energy (sort of) instead of chemicals that produce energy when the device is turned on.
The new speaker is called Hydrogen and has 27 days to raise the remaining half of the $10,000 / €7,836 set as a minimum funding goal. A low sum compared to other crowdfunding goals we've seen really.
The Blueshift Hydrogen speaker
It's actually a very antique-looking speaker, which is at odds with how forward-looking the concept of capacitor-based power is. A capacitor that can charge in 5 minutes with enough energy to run the speaker for “4 hours at 80% volume.”
A Class-D amplifier is used to produce the sound, and you can connect the speaker either through physical means (1/8” wired inputs, 1/8” cable) or through Bluetooth technology.
The whole product measures 9 x 8 x 4 inches / 228 x 203 x 101 mm and weighs 4 pounds / 1.81 kilos. The small handle on top makes it easy to carry around. You can, of course, stuff it in a backpack or something as well, but nothing smaller.
The 3-inch full-range driver should be able to make itself heard a fair distance away from the ported bamboo cabinet it makes its living in.
Finally, the capacitor should be good for five hundred thousand recharges, which is no small matter, especially since it won't lose its maximum “capacity” from repeated use.
Availability and pricing
You can get one of the Blueshift Hydrogen speakers for $300 / €235 if you participate in the campaign. If you wait for retail availability, which will only happen in a couple of months or so, the price will be of $330 / €258.
An iron Subwoofer, a Helium Mono speaker, a Helium Stereo speaker unit, and Collector’s Edition "Argon" speaker are being showcased as well, along with a wood-encased Preamp. The video embedded below has more information on all these products, even though it's just a short overview.
