Valco speakers

A Bluetooth speaker is a simple product: it plays music and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. The Nordell series has three wireless speakers. The Nordell Micro (39,90 €) is a small mono speaker that fits in your pocket and sounds bigger than it is. The Nordell Mk3 (99,90 €) is a rugged portable speaker with an aux input and hands-free mic. The Nordell Max (169 €) is the biggest of the bunch, and you dial in the bass and treble yourself. All the identical Nordell speakers can be paired up into stereo, for extra boom.

A speaker for the bath, or even the sauna? Sure, though in the sauna it's best kept on the lower bench. Water vapor is a nasty little menace, after all. The splash protection easily handles water games and a spilled sauna drink: the Micro and Max are IPX6-rated, the Mk3 a full IPX7. They're still not meant for full submersion, though, so don't go dropping the speaker in the hot tub. Except the Nordell Mk3, which couldn't care less about a hot tub either. And yes, every single one comes with a two-year warranty.

Valco speakers. Top-shelf bribes, with zero risk of a court date!

Right after the picture tube, the next most fitting Valco product is, naturally, the speaker. Or as people used to call them back in the day, mini stereos. For the younger crowd: in the 1970s, the Valco name was tangled up in various unfortunate bits of business, in which Salora mini stereos, among other things, were handed out to politicians. These bribes were later argued over in court.

The verdict was clear: a speaker given to a politician is not a bribe; one given to a civil servant is. So check the recipient's title before wrapping that Christmas gift.

We don't know what kind of speakers were handed out back then, but these Valco Bluetooth speakers are most likely from another world entirely. With better sound quality, too. They're designed to play anything between Irwin and Iron Maiden, without overcooked bass or hissing treble.