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The Logitech UE Air Speaker is a worthwhile third-party AirPlay speaker for homes demanding premium sound from iOS devices, but bargain hunters can save $100 and go portable with the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker.

At its current price, Air Speaker merits our general recommendation; if and when it’s discounted, we’d suggest that you take it very seriously unless substantially better rivals have appeared.

For a first dalliance into the cutthroat world of premium docks Logitech and Ultimate Ears should be commended for producing the Logitech UE Air. It performs well, is beautifully designed, well-made and comes with AirPlay at a reasonable price.

There is nothing wrong with it that knocking a hundred off the price wouldn't fix, and if you find a store selling it for under £200/$300 before the end of 2012, it's worth picking up.

To be fair to Logitech, the Zeppelin Air costs $200 more than the UE Air Speaker. But for an audiophile, that price difference is justified many times over.

$400 puts it into audiophile territory, where any deficiency has to be accounted for ... the UE Air Speaker is difficult to recommend for that reason. It hits all the essential marks but doesn't do much better.