Bluetooth Speakers – A Lesson in Research

The market is flooded with the smaller Bluetooth accessories, but the largest category of these are almost certainly the speakers, from the tiny earpieces to the much larger household speakers. The problem surrounding this segment of the market is that frequently companies seemed determined to churn out these devices because they are easy to do so, packing in gimmicks or just providing a significant lack of quality. Here we will take a look at two different approaches to the industry, one done right, one less so.

Aukey’s Tire – The right

Aukey took a small but surprisingly clear 3w speaker and wrapped it in a rugged and waterproof body. The buttons are underneath three of the raised sections of tread marked by small grooves in the rubber. These control your volume and tracks, and a multi-function button for turning on/off, answering/rejecting/ending calls and with the Aukey Play app you can also use it as a shutter button to take photos remotely. From there things are pretty simple, a large metal ring is set through the center and can be attached to a belt or bag etc using the handy faux leather strap provided. The back of the unit contains a lift up rubber panel concealing a micro usb port for charging and a 3.5mm socket for a direct connection to your audio player. The audio surprised me, I was expecting tinny sound with little in the way of low end.

“The entire unit is simple, compact, sturdy and well made”

I rapidly found that it is well balanced and clear to the maximum volume, which is sufficient in my experience to be heard clearly while walking by a main road but not say loud enough to be used usefully at a party. The entire unit is simple, compact, sturdy and well made. It can be found at a reasonable $29.99 on Amazon.com or £19.99 over on Amazon.co.uk. As an added bonus, Aukey even include 24 hour email support and an 18 month warranty. If you happen to be in the market for a portable Bluetooth speaker, you cannot go wrong with this one.

Marsboy Orb – The less so

The Marsboy 5w speaker is the opposite of the above device, I ended up with two of these devices as the first arrived and appeared to not have any Bluetooth functionality at all, upon contacting them they sent me a replacement, but it was still disappointing that it had slipped through quality control. The speaker is slightly too large to be considered portable, it’s not going to fit easily in a messenger bag or handbag. The front half of the unit is covered in large LEDs, surrounded by a thin mesh. These garish LEDs have numerous preset modes, ranging from static red, green, blue and white to all of the above in flashing bands, the final setting causes them to flash in time to the currently playing music. To add fuel to the fire these LEDs are accompanied by a quiet but high-pitched whine changing pitch depending on the colour of LED currently showing. Upon turning the unit on, a sharp and crackly voice with a strong accent loudly declares “Bluetooth device” or “Line in” depending on your choice of connectivity, Bluetooth, microSD or aux.

The audio is lacking with this unit, the audio becomes poor at mid volume which is unfortunate for a unit of this size. A feature that is not often included on Bluetooth speakers is the ability to sync multiple of the same devices as long as they within a few feet of each other. Currently coming in at $49.99 on Amazon.com or £38.99 on Amazon.co.uk although the initial listing price is an extortionate $125.99. I can honestly say I had hoped for better, the device certainly looks high quality, but if you are looking for a Bluetooth speaker you have better options out there.

“The first arrived and appeared to not have any Bluetooth functionality at all”

Out of the two options here, looking at the prices here you would expect the latter to be of a high quality and generally be a better device. Unfortunately, I cannot say that is the case, the audio of the smaller and cheaper Aukey speaker is by far the clearer and louder. Aukey have a solid brand and are renowned for their great value for money and sturdy build quality, whereas in this instance the company creating the Orb have just bought the rights to the brand and the same unit can be found across the net under many varying names. Many electronics consumers already follow the golden rule when it comes to purchasing a device and I will stress it here, read a few reviews of a potential purchase from a few different professional sources before spending your money. Five minutes of your time could mean the difference between buying an over-priced device that just isn’t worth your money and an exceptional product that fills your use case perfectly.

Do you read product reviews before spending your money? Leave a comment below!

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