Cool Gadgets

The 12 Cool Tech Gadgets You Need In 2022

Leading UK tech expert Steve May rounds up some of the coolest gadgets and high-performance audio-visual products to add to your wishlist.

Maunakea Luxury Entertainment system

L-Acoustics Creation / C-Seed

This collaboration between the audio wizards at L-Acoustics and monster screen maker C-SEED, named after a volcano in Hawaii, combines a 165-inch 4k LED screen - which rises out of the floor - with an Island Prestige sound lounger. If that sounds outrageous, that’s because it is! This personal auditorium features 13 forward-facing speakers, five more to the rear, with two earth-shaking subwoofers and as many overhead speakers as you can accommodate. Movie nirvana for your summer retreat or superyacht.

www.l-acoustics-creations.com Price: Available on request

Mark Levinson ML50 Hi-Fi amplifier

Echelon Extreme Mk II stereo speakers

Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of legendary US Hi-Fi brand Mark Levinson, the limited-edition ML-50 amplifier is intended for the most discerning of audiophiles. Limited to just 100 pairs globally, this formidable monoblock duo demands a lot of floor space but should sound appropriately gargantuan. Adopting heritage design cues, the amp has a glass top cover to reveal internal LED lighting, and silver machined handles.

www.marklevinson.com $50,000

Loewe bild s.77 OLED TV

Luxury German TV maker Loewe has produced a 77-inch OLED flatscreen, handcrafted with gold-plated elements fused into its cabinetry. The extravagance is in celebration of its 99 years as a telly maker, and the design has already secured Red Dot and iF Design Award status. Naturally, the set features all the bells and whistles expected of a premium 4K flatscreen, including Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos cinema audio and a built-in hard drive recorder. Hand-built in Kronach, Franconia, only 99 are being produced.

www.loewe.tv £12,999

When it comes to floor-standing loudspeakers, few make quite as loud a statement as the astonishing Echelon Extreme Mk II. Their stunning two-module design stands over 2m tall, the upper chamber separated from the lower section to combat unwanted vibrations. Available in a variety of high-gloss finishes, the Extreme MKII features an all-new ceramic midrange driver said to portray vocals, piano, strings, horns, and cymbals with remarkable realism.

www.estelon.com €198,000

LG 65-inch Objet OLED TV

LG is getting arty with an all-new 65-inch OLED TV as part of its 2022 lifestyle television range. The LG Objet OLED TV (model 65Art90) features a canvas cover which can be raised or lowered by remote control, to show all, or part, of the screen - full view for box-set bingeing, partial view for news and weather updates. This interchangeable fabric cover is from Danish textile innovator, Kvadrat, and comes in a choice of three colours (Beige, Redwood, Green). Interiors note: the set is designed to recline up against a wall, art gallery style.

www.lg.com £5,999.99

Transparent Light Speaker

Abright idea from Swedish audio brand Transparent, The Light Speaker is a funky fusion of portable Bluetooth speaker and outdoor lantern. Using an LED bulb to mimic the flicker of real flames, you can take the lantern sound system out onto the decking, or to the beach, and add instant party atmosphere to any outdoor jam. Battery life is rated at 10 hours, so that should see you comfortably through the evening. The lantern’s speaker output is rated at 5W.

www.transpa.rent/uk £290

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin wireless speaker

The iconic wireless speaker is back! The all-new Zeppelin, from Bowers & Wilkins, updates the classic blimp design with streaming music services, Amazon Alexa built-in, and improved musical performance. With Bluetooth and Airplay 2, the stereo system packs 240W of power and employs driver technology trickled down from the brand’s prestigious 800 Series Diamond speakers, as used in Abbey Road Studios. This new Zeppelin is multiroom capable, so buy a fleet and enjoy whole-home audio.

www.bowerswilkins.com £699

Ruark Audio R5 MiE wireless music system

Acontemporary music centre from British audio outfit Ruark Audio, the Limited Edition R5 MiE boasts a finish handcrafted by artisans. The company’s Made in England (MiE) project features collaborations with UK craftspeople, using traditional techniques and high-quality timbers and veneers. This model has a slatted wooden grille sourced from Italy. Multiple layers of lacquer are applied with hand-sanding between coats, for a rich, premium luster. The hardware is cool too, with Wi-Fi streaming, CD playback, aptX HD Bluetooth, and a DAB/FM tuner.

www.ruarkaudio.com £2,000

Sky Glass streaming TV

If you’ve missed out on Sky TV because you can’t accommodate a satellite dish, Sky Glass is an elegant new solution. This allin-one Sky TV needs only a Wi-Fi network connection (you need a minimum of 11M/b for it to work) to deliver a rich suite of Sky channels, catch-up and on-demand content. Available in 43-, 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, you get the set included as part of your monthly subscription package. The 4K QLED screen certainly looks more stylish than the average flatscreen and comes with a potent 215W six-channel Dolby Atmos sound system built-in. Unlike Sky Q, there’s no local storage for recordings, instead you just add shows to a Playlist and stream them when you want to watch. In addition to Sky, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ apps are built-in. You can also extend the Sky Glass experience to other TVs around the house, using a Sky Stream Puck device, which is a subscription add-on.

www.sky.com Price: Depending on subscription package

Meze Audio Liric headphones

If you want to put something extraordinary on your head, may we suggest these premium headphones from Romanian headphone auteur Meze Audio? The Liric is a closed-back wired planar magnetic design, crafted from high-grade magnesium, leather and aluminium. They look stunning and should sound good too, thanks to innovative new driver technology.

www.mezeaudio.eu £1,850

Astell&Kern Acro CA1000 headphone amplifier

Looking to take your headphone listening to another level? The Acro CA1000 from Astell&Kern is a stylish, compact headphone amplifier designed to deliver premium performance from any pair of wired headphones. The Acro CA1000 offers an array of inputs and outputs, making it easy to integrate with any music system, and features a high-quality Quad ES9068AS DAC for the highest of Hi-Fi. It also sports Bluetooth, has a 4.1-inch tilting touchscreen and a built-in battery that gives 10.5 hours of playback when used out and about.

www.astellkern.co.uk £1,999

Cabasse debuts Pearl Keshi 2.1 wireless sound system

Hi-Fi gets a serious style upgrade with the Pearl Keshi Bluetooth audio system from Cabasse. This novel stereo setup features a pair of 8cm satellite speakers, and a powered 22cm spherical subwoofer. Able to generate a room-filling 1050W, the system works with Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and TIDAL streaming services, but can also be coupled to a CD player or turntable.

www.henleyaudio.co.uk £2,299