The Zikmu Solo speaker tower from Parrot, which stands about 30 inches tall, was designed by Philippe Starck.The Zikmu Solo, a stereo speaker tower from Parrot, a mobile-products maker based in Paris, has a sleek, monolithic look that is sure to turn heads at parties.
Designed by Philippe Starck, the French product designer and architect, the tower produces balanced stereo sound through an acoustic configuration that puts a speaker on each side, a third in the front and a woofer in the base. Atop the tower, which stands about 30 inches high, is a dock for an iPod or iPhone.
The tower also has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability for those who prefer to stream their music and maintain the aesthetic appeal of the obelisk, which comes in five colors and costs $1,000.
But the tower's simple design suggests an ease of use that is not necessarily the case. After several attempts to get the Bluetooth to work, I resorted to rebooting the speaker. When I finally got the tower paired with my iPhone 5, the connection was still sketchy, working with some apps but not others. I tried pairing other devices, but ran into similar problems.
Establishing a Wi-Fi connection required a bit of troubleshooting as well. In the end, I simply docked my iPod on top of the tower and hit “play.â€
And then the sound emitting from the tower was amazing, filling the living room (and every other room in my apartment) with rich, luscious tones and a deep bass. It was akin to sitting in a concert hall.
Parrot created an app fo r iOS devices that allows users to adjust the audio settings of the Zikmu Solo. Unfortunately, the app was not ready when I tested the tower; Parrot said it would be updated soon.
The issues I had with the Zikmu were minor and would not normally be a problem. But this ultramodern speaker would be the centerpiece of any room. It looks and sounds impressive, and the last thing any owner wants when showing it off is to deal with technical problems.
