Whirlpool CoolVox fridge plays music to cook by

Refrigerators with built-in TVs never quite made it to prime time for a public that apparently responded with a collective yawn. But what if you could listen to your music collection, catch up on an audiobook, or hear step-by-step spoken recipes without leaving the kitchen?

Whirlpool hopes that possibility will spark your interest in its new French-door refrigerator, which was announced as a concept at last year’s International CES. This year attendees can see it and listen to it. Expected to be available at Lowe’s this summer, the Whirlpool Refrigerator with CoolVox Sound System sports low-profile Harman/Kardon speakers mounted out of view on top.

Whatever you can currently listen to from your phone, provided it’s Bluetooth-enabled, is fair game for the CoolVox fridge. And if you’ve got a sleeping infant, you can keep tabs on her if the baby monitor supports Bluetooth. Pricing details have not been announced.

If you prefer your refrigerator to be seen and not heard, read our refrigerator buying guide before checking our Ratings of 330 top-freezer, bottom-freezer, side-by-side, and built-in refrigerators. And for more CES coverage, check out our Insider’s guide to CES 2014.

—Ed Perratore



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