Philips introduces AirPlay speakers, Engadget goes hands-on

No, those units you see above aren't cannons -- they're speakers, released by Philips and branded as the Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800Ws, according to our buddies at Engadget who got to see a version of the speakers wirelessly playing through the AirPlay hookup. Like most great speakers with lots of bells and whistles, however, these aren't cheap. The full size models will run US$800 for the pair, with the smaller models running $400.

Want something a little more affordable? The AD7000W models run (only?) $230. All of the speakers will be out in time for the holiday later on this year, and for more on how well they work, you can check out the video on Engadget.

For my money, a nice headset will probably be cheaper than these speakers and provide sound that's just as solid. If you want some sweet AirPlay functionality to show off to house guests, that's one thing, but if you just want to listen to 16-bit music files, why spend all that money?