We’re not really sold on the novelty of floating speakers. If you enjoy having those mag-lev displays at home, however, floating Bluetooth speakers like the LG PJ9 may very well be a great alternative, satisfying your mag-lev fascination and streaming your music with equal aplomb.
Yes, it’s far from the first speaker to integrate mag-lev tech for added novelty. It is, however, the first to come out from a major electronics brand, making it potentially the first product in the category to be destined for the mass market.
The LG PJ9 consists of a speaker unit shaped like a less-than-rounded egg and a chunky levitation platform. As with other mag-lev displays, the speaker will hover while spinning slowly around a vertical axis, making it quite the sight to look at. The actual speaker itself can blast its sound omnidirectionally while floating for up to 10 hours at a time, all while automatically docking back to the base station when it detects the charge running low, so it can replenish.
While this is, obviously, designed for in-home use, the speaker comes with an IPX7 rating, so you can have it playing by the poolside without worrying about splashing water on it. Features include dual passive radiators for warmer mids and crisper highs, a subwoofer inside the base for powerful lows, and the ability to pair with up to two music sources simultaneously.
No pricing or release date has been announced, but the LG PJ9 will debut at CES in January.