It may have been a dreary rainy day in Berlin but Gear4's stand at IFA was positively glowing when TechRadar visited this week.
This is because the company was showing of its latest flagship product, the GEAR4 SoundOrb Aurora.
Comprising two parts – a dock and sub-woofer – the latest device from the music-machine makers is a veritable feast for the eyes, doing what Philips Aurea range does for TVs.
Essentially, it's a 2.1 wireless speaker system, with a 2.4 GHz wireless subwoofer. The device works wirelessly with the docking station and can be placed anywhere around your room, as long as it is within a 30 metre radius of the dock.
When it's turned on, the orb-like subwoofer glows in a multitude of different ambient colours, or can be switched to constantly emit the colour of your choice.
While the effect of the glow wasn't that apparent in the brightly lit IFA stand, we were impressed with what we saw. It also feels like a new direction for the company, who is mostly known for its portable docking stations.
Though the music capabilities of the dock and orb are impressive, using Virtual Wide Stereo to pipe out the tunes, the genius of the device is that it will also plug straight to your TV.
This means you can output your iPod's movie content to the big screen and enjoy the benefits of the SoundOrb through your TV.
Also on show was the CDM-500W. This one of a new range of products by Gear4 that have CD players inside.
This is something the company has steered away from doing in the past. As with all of Gear4 products, the micro system will also play music from an iPod and an iPhone.
Finally, we were shown the waterproof capabilities of one of its latest iPod docks. In a 'don't try this at home' moment, one of the Gear4 team poured water on a speaker grate, only for it to work absolutely fine. Perfect for next year's sodden festival season, then.
