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Como Audio Blu Stereo – New Bluetooth Speaker System

Como Audio LLC. specialises in particularly elegant, compact audio systems. Music in every room is supposed to be possible with it. Now the company is expanding its range with a Bluetooth speaker system, the Como Audio Blu Stereo.

Como Audio Blu Stereo, the company Como Audio LLC. is breaking new ground. Until now, the company has dedicated itself to compact audio solutions that could essentially be described as wireless speakers, extremely elegant all-in-one solutions that focus on music streaming via the network.

With the new Como Audio Blu Stereo, the company does without network integration and concentrates instead entirely on Bluetooth.

Como Audio Blu Stereo as a compact stereo system

The solutions from Como Audio LLC. are always designed to be small hi-fi systems in principle. Everything is done to achieve the best possible sound even in a compact form, and this also applies to the new Como Audio Blu Stereo.

The company states that the new Como Audio Blu Stereo is a very elegant stereo system that can be placed like a compact, classic hi-fi system, which is a great advantage.

One can also say that the new Como Audio Blu Stereo is the little sister of the Como Audio SpeakEasy and Como Audio SpeakEasy Companion Speaker, this should be mentioned in passing.

Two speakers for optimal soundstage imaging

Often people criticise compact all-in-one systems because they cannot be considered a stereo solution in practice, even if they would be according to the data sheet. The reason for this is that solutions that have the speakers for the right and left channels very close together, as is inevitably the case with all-in-one systems in one cabinet, cannot achieve an accurate representation of the stereo sound stage, even if one tries to help oneself with various tricks such as DSP-based signal processing.

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The new Como Audio Blu Stereo circumvents this problem in an elegant, classic way, because it is actually two speakers, small and fine, but two in number. One of the two is designed as an active speaker, while the second is passive.

By “separating” the two components, they can be placed at an appropriate distance from each other, and in the best case, the proverbial stereo triangle is achieved, and thus a true stereo image.

Takes up hardly any space

The Como Audio Blu Stereo takes up hardly any space, thanks to the dimensions of only 242 mm in height, 126 mm in width and 132 mm in depth of the two speakers. Incidentally, the two speakers together weigh no more than 1.77 kg.

Elegant design

Como Audio LLC. has always seen its products as modern lifestyle solutions, and the new Como Audio Blu Stereo is no exception. It presents itself with a housing made of MDF, which has been refined with a chic real wood veneer. The speakers are protected by metal grilles and the control panel on the active speaker is essentially the same as that of the previously available systems, but slightly adapted.

Simple control concept

Thus, we are dealing with a comparatively small, purely numerical display, and not with a graphic colour display as with the “networked” solutions from Como Audio LLC. And that probably serves its purpose, after all, there are three aluminium rotary encoders underneath for direct control on the unit. And since Bluetooth is the primary source, the smartphone or tablet is usually used to control playback anyway. By the way, the intensity of the display can be adjusted and it shows the current time in standby.

For Bluetooth, but not only

As mentioned above, the primary source of the new Como Audio Blu Stereo is Bluetooth 4.2. In addition, there is also an AUX input in the form of a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack. There is also a headphone connection, so that you can enjoy music at a late hour without disturbing other people in the household.

For the sake of completeness, it is of course possible to access almost any service via Bluetooth; the only decisive factor is the appropriate app on the smartphone or tablet. Streaming services such as Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, Amazon Music HD, Apple Music, podcasts and Internet radio, everything is available at the “push of a button” and can be played back via the Como Blu Stereo.

Two-way bass reflex system

The Como Audio Blu Stereo is designed as a two-way bass reflex system, so each speaker has a high-frequency and a low/mid-frequency driver, the bass reflex system is located at the rear.

The speakers are driven by Class D amplifiers, which can develop an output of 30 watts. This should be sufficient to deliver an appealing sound, as our previous experiences with solutions from Como Audio LLC. have shown.

On the mains or…

Of course, the new Como Audio Blu Stereo will primarily be operated directly from the mains, but like many other solutions from the manufacturer, this system also offers the option of being used with an optional battery pack.

It will probably be a while before the new Como Audio Blu Stereo can actually be found in specialist shops. It will be offered exclusively in the walnut design version at a recommended retail price of € 399.

Getting to the point

The new Como Audio Blu Stereo is basically the little sister of the Como Audio SpeakEasy and Como Audio SpeakEasy Companion combination, a compact stereo system that does without WiFi and concentrates solely on Bluetooth. Considering that many users use their smartphone or tablet as a source for music from a wide variety of streaming services anyway, it probably doesn’t need more than said Bluetooth connection.

Manufacturer:Como Audio LLC.
Distribution Austria:Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH
Distribution Germany:NT Global Distribution GmbH
Price:€ 399,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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