CES 2013

Let me be blunt. CES is not geared towards women, particularly smart, fashionable women. If you can overlook the overwhelming number of scantily-clad booth babes and showgirls, the products that are typically marketed to women are the usual “pink it and shrink it,” or they’re just bedazzled generic products. Who thinks of this crap? Women outspend men in consumer electronics, and someone is finally paying attention to that.

For a very refreshing break from the International CES show floor, I headed over to the MGM Grand to see the latest products from Stellé Audio Couture.  Created by Wayne Ludlum and Anna Perelman, the company was created to produce “beautiful, high-end products with dazzling sound technology.” At CES, they’re showcasing two new products. One is a fashionable clutch (purse, gentlemen) with two designs. One is an affordable ($299) clutch with a choice of black basket weave, red and black snake skin, or an exotic blue ostrich skin.

The other model of the Stellé Audio Clutch was designed by Rebecca Minkoff. These have either a diamond finish or studded leather with classy or edgy options.  All of the clutches are Bluetooth-enabled, and paired with my Nano effortlessly. They have a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery that will last for about 15 hours of play time. Pop open the clasp and two 1.5” speakers pop up. These are full-range speakers with a total of 12 watts. Even without a woofer, the Clutch was able to fill a small hotel room with acceptable sound.

The more impressive model, in my opinion, is the Stellé Audio Couture Pillar (MSRP $349.)  This is a really nice-looking tower that in my opinion would also look amazing on any executive’s desk. It comes in a variety of finishes – polished metals and luxurious wood tones. The tower has two proprietary 1.5” speakers set in at an angle in the top of the pillar, and there’s a single 3” down-firing subwoofer. In addition to Bluetooth, there’s a built-in microphone for speakerphone applications.  This system also boasts 15 hours of playback from the built-in Li-ion battery.  I had a few minutes to listen to this one.  It sounds surprisingly robust. There is some stereo separation, and the bass has a good, solid sound thanks to the height of the pillar. There are plans to allow users to daisy-chain them, but it would be awesome to be able to set two of them up as a stereo pair. Hope the designers read this…

It was really, really nice to see audio products that target women but will appeal to everyone with an eye for style.  I hope Stellé Audio Couture doesn’t limit themselves. This stuff looks way too nice to keep all to ourselves.