Category: bluetooth speaker

X-mini Click Bluetooth Speaker Quick Review

Daniel Morial

X-mini Click is a tiny Bluetooth speaker which is as small as a shot glass. For us, its main purpose should be a bathroom speaker but it’s not waterproof. So, how can something small be of any quality? Here’s a quick review of it.

Design and Construction

The Click is designed to be compact and, if you have sizable pouches, pocketable. The whole device is mostly a single driver speaker enclosed in a plastic cylinder with a grille on top. The waist is devoid of any buttons except for the labels. There’s a circular rubber foot to stand the speaker on a surface and inside it is the lone button for power and control function of the device.

x-mini-click-2

The base of the device also houses the microphone pinhole and LED status indicator. On the bottom side is the micro-USB for port charging the 300mAh battery.

x-mini-click-4

Seeing the speaker in actual will give you a lasting impression of how small it is. It can be fully gripped by a relatively large hand or be compared to a stack of coins. The polycarbonate construction is enough to make its build satisfying but perhaps waterproofing should be added since we see the speaker to be most suited in the shower or any small space you’ll most likely need a tiny speaker to play your tunes.

Features and Setup

Despite its size, the Click has the basic features of a wireless speaker today like Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity and hands-free calling thanks to the built-in microphone. Setup is fairly simple and straightforward. Just hold the button for at least 3 seconds to allow the device to power on and it will automatically fire up its Bluetooth signals and allow devices to pair to it. Once connected, just fire up your preferred player and it shall do its thing.

x-mini-click-3

It also functions as a Bluetooth clicker for the phone’s camera. It works fine on my test device which is a Moto E (2nd Gen) although we don’t find it useful but it’s there when the need arises.

Sound Quality

The speaker is tiny, compact, pocketable or just really small. So we’re its size putting into major consideration. For something slightly larger than two fat thumbs, it can get loud enough to fill in an average bedroom but the quality is nowhere near the best out there.

x-mini-click-6

At max volume, it’s tinny and does lack bass. Acoustic tunes should be fine but once EDM gets into the playlist, it’s going to disappoint.

Battery Life

A 300mAh non-removable battery powers the device which is charged through micro-USB port. According to the manufacturer, minimum charging time is 2.5 hours and playback should be at 6 hours. With our use, playback time is between 4.5 to 5 hours, but that’s in full volume most of the time.

Conclusion

The X-mini Click Bluetooth speaker is commendable not for its audio quality but for its size. It’s the same dimensions as your smallest shot glass yet it’s a full featured Bluetooth speaker that can do hands-free calls and as a clicker. For Php1,399, there are some better options out there but not as tiny as this.

x-mini-click-5

X-mini Click specifications:
Bluetooth v3.0
Range: Up to 10 meters
Speaker: Magnetically Shielded 32mm
Output: 2W
Frequency Response: 180Hz – 16KHz
Signal-to-Noise: ?90db
Battery: 300mAh
36 mm x 41.6 mm
47.5 g

What we liked about it:

  • Compact design
  • Loud enough

What we didn’t:

  • Gets distorted in max volume
  • No IPX certification

The post X-mini Click Bluetooth Speaker Quick Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

X-mini Click Bluetooth Speaker Quick Review

Daniel Morial

X-mini Click is a tiny Bluetooth speaker which is as small as a shot glass. For us, its main purpose should be a bathroom speaker but it’s not waterproof. So, how can something small be of any quality? Here’s a quick review of it.

Design and Construction

The Click is designed to be compact and, if you have sizable pouches, pocketable. The whole device is mostly a single driver speaker enclosed in a plastic cylinder with a grille on top. The waist is devoid of any buttons except for the labels. There’s a circular rubber foot to stand the speaker on a surface and inside it is the lone button for power and control function of the device.

x-mini-click-2

The base of the device also houses the microphone pinhole and LED status indicator. On the bottom side is the micro-USB for port charging the 300mAh battery.

x-mini-click-4

Seeing the speaker in actual will give you a lasting impression of how small it is. It can be fully gripped by a relatively large hand or be compared to a stack of coins. The polycarbonate construction is enough to make its build satisfying but perhaps waterproofing should be added since we see the speaker to be most suited in the shower or any small space you’ll most likely need a tiny speaker to play your tunes.

Features and Setup

Despite its size, the Click has the basic features of a wireless speaker today like Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity and hands-free calling thanks to the built-in microphone. Setup is fairly simple and straightforward. Just hold the button for at least 3 seconds to allow the device to power on and it will automatically fire up its Bluetooth signals and allow devices to pair to it. Once connected, just fire up your preferred player and it shall do its thing.

x-mini-click-3

It also functions as a Bluetooth clicker for the phone’s camera. It works fine on my test device which is a Moto E (2nd Gen) although we don’t find it useful but it’s there when the need arises.

Sound Quality

The speaker is tiny, compact, pocketable or just really small. So we’re its size putting into major consideration. For something slightly larger than two fat thumbs, it can get loud enough to fill in an average bedroom but the quality is nowhere near the best out there.

x-mini-click-6

At max volume, it’s tinny and does lack bass. Acoustic tunes should be fine but once EDM gets into the playlist, it’s going to disappoint.

Battery Life

A 300mAh non-removable battery powers the device which is charged through micro-USB port. According to the manufacturer, minimum charging time is 2.5 hours and playback should be at 6 hours. With our use, playback time is between 4.5 to 5 hours, but that’s in full volume most of the time.

Conclusion

The X-mini Click Bluetooth speaker is commendable not for its audio quality but for its size. It’s the same dimensions as your smallest shot glass yet it’s a full featured Bluetooth speaker that can do hands-free calls and as a clicker. For Php1,399, there are some better options out there but not as tiny as this.

x-mini-click-5

X-mini Click specifications:
Bluetooth v3.0
Range: Up to 10 meters
Speaker: Magnetically Shielded 32mm
Output: 2W
Frequency Response: 180Hz – 16KHz
Signal-to-Noise: ?90db
Battery: 300mAh
36 mm x 41.6 mm
47.5 g

What we liked about it:

  • Compact design
  • Loud enough

What we didn’t:

  • Gets distorted in max volume
  • No IPX certification

The post X-mini Click Bluetooth Speaker Quick Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

LG Music Flow P7 (NP7550) Review

Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

LG is trying to show their versatility as a tech company by introducing a set of well-designed speakers in last year’s Computex which includes a portable wireless speaker dubbed as the LG Music Flow P7.

Design and Construction

Here’s a quick visual tour of the LG Music Flow P7:

LG Music Flow P7 Hands-on

For a small portable speaker, the Music Flow P7 is deceivingly heavy which can be both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, the speaker’s heft adds more stability to the speaker, making it more difficult to accidentally tip it over when it’s placed on a smooth surface.

On the other hand, the added weight can make the NP7550 a bit cumbersome to lug around inside your bag when you’re out for a trip.

Controls

Controlling the Music Flow P7 can be done though the physical buttons on the speaker or through a companion app called Music Flow Bluetooth which is free to download in iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

lg music flow app

Through the Music Flow Bluetooth app, users can control almost every aspect of the NP7550 and adds the other basic controls like skip forward/backward and mute which were notably missing on the physical buttons of the speaker.

The app also doubles as a media player. It automatically pulls songs from your device’s library and can even provide songs suggestions based on the user’s current mood.

Bluetooth functions

Setting up the LG Music Flow P7 for the first time is a breeze and can be done in three easy steps: turn on the speaker, press the Bluetooth button, and your other Bluetooth-enabled gadget should be able to seamlessly identify and connect to it in no time.

The speaker will produce a short beep once the Bluetooth connection is established, accompanied by a non-blinking white LED on the Bluetooth button.

Once the initial setup is complete, users won’t have to go through the process again. All that’s left to do is make sure that the Bluetooth on your device and the speaker is on, and both devices should sync to each other.

Music Flow P7

But what separates the Music Flow P7 from other portable wireless speakers is the additional Bluetooth functions on top of the basic ones. For one, the NP7550 can accommodate up to three Bluetooth devices simultaneously which makes it easier to switch from multiple devices without the need to disconnect the other.

Another nifty thing about the Music Flow P7 is that in addition to being a standalone speaker, it can be paired to another Music Flow P7 and can be assigned to function in Stereo or Twin modes.

The former allows the two speakers to function as left and right speakers, while Twin mode will just duplicate the setup for louder sound output. The Stereo mode can also be used with a compatible Bluetooth-enabled LG TV for a surround sound setup.

Sound Performance

We usually associate sound output with the speaker’s size; the bigger it is, the louder the sound it can produce. That was not the case though with the LG Music Flow P7. Despite of its small size, this portable speaker can easily fill a medium-sized room when the volume is cranked to the max.

Unlike other portable speakers, the loud sound output of the Music Flow P7 didn’t come at the expense of quality either as the sound had only minimal (and very acceptable) distortions at high volume.

Flow P7

Sadly, we can’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed with the quality of the sound we got out of the Music Flow P7. It’s not crappy per se, but the unbalanced sound signature of the speaker is just not versatile enough to be suitable for a wide variety of music genres.

This is because the Music Flow P7 produces a midrange-heavy sound. The Mids drown the other sounds so much that little of the bass and highs could be heard once the vocalist struts his/her stuff.

The rare times that we heard any bass from the speaker, it failed really short on providing a deep and rumbling thump which is rather disappointing to say the least.

The same can be said for the highs which are, for the most part, indistinguishable and lacked clarity. Noticeably missing are the sweet and sparkly tune from instruments like the chime and tambourine.

Battery Life and Charging Time

The Music Flow P7 is being billed by LG to last for 9 hours on a single full charge, and during our time with the speaker, we can attest that the company’s claim is true. In fact, there are times when the speaker even surpassed its rated mileage when cranked the volume a little bit, giving us around extra hour and half of battery life.

Music Flow P7 Philippines

Conclusion

Overall, the LG Music Flow P7 is one of the more well put together portable speakers we’ve seen. The speaker’s uncluttered and minimalist design, coupled with its reassuring heft, gives the speaker a classy look that should complement your current living room setup or a nice fixture on your desk.

Sadly for all of its good design traits, this portable speaker was only able to deliver a mids-centric sound output that may potentially be a huge dealbreaker, especially for demanding audiophiles.

What we liked about it:

  • Minimalist design and sturdy build
  • Well-padded bottom panel for added stability
  • Charging through micro-USB
  • Commendable companion app layout and features
  • Accommodates up to three Bluetooth devices
  • Dual-play and TV Sound Sync features
  • Loud sound output
  • Long battery life

    • What we didn’t like about it:

  • Surface can easily be scratched
  • Unsatisfying tactile feedback from the physical buttons
  • Lows and Highs are excessively drowned by the Mids
  • Lacks hands-free function
  • No battery indicator
  • A bit pricey

    • The LG Music Flow P7 is available locally for Php6,890.

    The post LG Music Flow P7 (NP7550) Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

    SOL REPUBLIC Punk Quick Review

    Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

    There are a lot of wireless speakers available in the market today that function through the use of Bluetooth, but the selection narrows down when you look for a Bluetooth speaker that’s really easy to carry around. The SOL REPUBLIC Punk is a compact wireless speaker that promises to be able to tag along anywhere you go.

    The Punk, as we’ve already established, has a small form factor. It has a square body that easily fits inside the hand and at just 318 grams it’s also pretty light. Its design follows the company’s grid-like patterns across the entire face which we’ve seen with the DECK Bluetooth/NFC speaker that we reviewed before.

    SOL-REPUBLIC-Punk-4

    This compact speaker equally measures 5,1 inches in length and width, and is no bigger than an average computer mouse. It is surrounded with a rubber protection making it able to withstand accidental drops and liquid spills, while the top and bottom are made of hard plastic with matte finish.

    SOL-REPUBLIC-Punk-3

    It has a rubber flap on the side that covers its microUSB port, Audio IN, and Audio OUT via 3.5mm jacks. The IN port connects a music player to the Punk using a cable, while the OUT port lets users connect the speaker to another (maybe bigger) speaker and use the Punk as a Bluetooth streamer. This flap also seals the opening from water or dirt — as the entire device is water, dust, and shock resistant.

    SOL-REPUBLIC-Punk-1

    Navigational buttons for the Punk come embedded inside the rubber protection and can be accessed by pressing said rubber that are textured to represent the buttons. Referring to the above photo, we have the Bluetooth, volume up, play/pause, volume down, and power buttons. There is also an LED indicator below the play/pause button to indicate power, battery, and Bluetooth pairing.

    Underneath, SOL REPUBLIC made a threaded mount so you can use it on more instances. For example, it can be attached to the handlebars of a bike using an additional bike mount so you can still listen to your music while going for a spin. It’s a nice touch and it shows that the company was thoughtful enough to include it and add more ruggedness to the device.

    SOL-REPUBLIC-Punk-5

    As for sound quality, its drivers give out bigger sound than you’d expect. It can go loud and would fill a medium-sized room. We also took the time to mount it on a bike as mentioned earlier and it provided good volume for us — and those near us while on the street. Sound quality was overall clear, although turning it up to the maximum volume showed some slight distortions.

    Highs and mids are pleasant, but the lows/bass are lacking. This is quite understandable since the Punk was made to be as portable as possible and not to sound perfect.

    Through Bluetooth, the company boasts that it can go up to 60 feet which is around double the usual range of an ordinary Bluetooth speaker. So we left the speaker in one room and tried moving the wirelessly-connected device in different rooms to see where the connection would be cut off, and we had to go one floor down and into the room on the opposite side of the house until the signal was interrupted. We’ve never reached this far with the previous Bluetooth speakers while testing them, so that’s good news.

    The company claims it can last 8 hours of continuous playback, but it only got us a few minutes past 2 hours. Keep in mind, though, that we streamed music via Bluetooth and set the volume to maximum. The stated battery life probably refers to playing music through wired connection and moderate volume.

    SOL-REPUBLIC-Punk-7

    SOL REPUBLIC’s Punk is a handy speaker to have around. It not only functions well indoors, but also outdoors with its protection from water, dust, and accidental drops. The strength of Bluetooth connectivity was above average and it won our favor. If you’re out for an ultra-portable wireless speaker, make sure to put this lil’ Punk on your list.

    SOL REPUBLIC Punk specs:
    Amplifier Power: 5.7W
    Frequency Response: 150Hz – 20 kHz
    Wireless Range: up to 60 feet
    5.1 x 5.1 x 2.3 inches (dimensions)
    318 grams (weight)
    Water, dust, and shock resistant
    Price: Php4,000

    The post SOL REPUBLIC Punk Quick Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

    Luxa2 Groovy W Wireless Charging Speaker Review

    Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

    Lazada Philippines

    The Luxa2 Groovy W is a speaker that promises a host of features — it’s got Bluetooth, NFC, a wireless charging station that doubles as a personal powerbank, a microphone for calls, and a dedicated app. Will all these work together positively to make it stand out from all the other wireless speakers out there?

    Physique

    The Groovy W is a mid-sized rectangular box that comes with a separate charging base (which we’ll get to in a bit). The speaker is not at all heavy, weighing in at 596 grams. A speaker grille that protects its dual drivers is what makes up the majority of its face.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-8

    Up top is a glossy plastic panel that holds touch-sensitive capacitive buttons like Play/Pause and volume up and down, as well as indicators for the NFC, battery life, speakerphone, and Bluetooth. For us, we would be happier if the company went with a matte finish rather than a glossy one for its panel.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-3

    The entire device is lined with chrome platings that go hand-in-hand with its glossy finish. Two metallic strips go around the entire speaker that positively gives an accent to the Groovy W.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-5

    At the back is where the power button is placed right beside the microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack for wired connection.

    Sound Quality

    Let me say that the Groovy W has a decent sound reproduction in general. This means that overall sound is clear and loud, but we eventually saw a few niggles after using it for more than a week.

    Although mids were impressive, we noticed that highs could be overpowering at times and bass lacked authority. We would be happier if the former was set down a notch and the latter had a little more oomph in it.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-4

    Cranking it up to maximum volume delivers pretty loud sound. We used it on a beach trip and we’re happy to report that it could keep up even on outdoor use. One thing we noticed, though, was that slight distortion was present on full volume. It wasn’t a deal-breaker for us. It’s just that we tend to nitpick sometimes.

    In this department, we were satisfied with the Groovy W’s performance despite minor gripes.

    Special Features

    This speaker carries a handful of features to offer its users. One of the main ones is its Bluetooth connectivity which is the most common way of connecting to the Groovy W next to utilizing its 3.5mm audio jack. Bluetooth connectivity was easy to use and takes a short time to pair so that’s good, but we couldn’t say the same for its NFC.

    We’ve tried pairing it multiple times to an NFC-equipped smartphone and what we got was an error message. We also tried using a different device thinking that the first phone had issues, but we were proven wrong — we still experienced the same error regardless of what device we used. Sadly, NFC was of no use to us during our entire time with it.

    Another feature that it carries is the ability to use it as a loudspeaker. Once a phone is connected to it, users can make calls and talk to their contacts through the speaker thanks to its built-in microphone. We could clearly hear the person talking on the other end of the line and same was the case when we tried speaking.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-2

    A noteworthy feature the Groovy W has is its separate charger. This 4000mAh slab of battery pack has a USB port meaning it can act as a standalone powerbank and charge your other devices — smartphones, tablets, cameras, etc. as long as it can be charged using a USB cable. It has its own LED indicator to show you how much power is left.

    Luxa2-GroovyW-6

    You may think that’s cool but it’s not the best part. Since the separate battery wirelessly charges the Groovy W through the use of Qi, users may also charge their Qi-capable devices just by placing it on top of the circular area seen above. I can personally say that I would probably buy the Groovy W because of its charging capabilities rather than its sound quality.

    Luxa2App

    The company also made a dedicated app for all its speakers. The Luxa2 app is available both in Apple store and Google Play store for download. With it, you can choose what music to play and control its volume but that’s pretty much it. The app is very basic with all your songs compiled in one long, alphabetical list. There are no categories like Artist, Genre, or Playlist — you only have your entire music library in one place.

    Battery Life

    To test its battery life we played music continuously via Bluetooth on full volume. The Groovy W lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes on its own battery. After which we placed it on top of its charging station that added 2 more hours of play time, netting a total of over five hours of continuous playback. The result was far less than its 15-hour claimed battery life, but do consider that we were streaming via Bluetooth the entire time and volume was on full blast.

    Conclusion

    Luxa2-GroovyW-1

    The Luxa2 Groovy W is a wireless speaker that can definitely be a travel buddy. It’s not that compact but its functionality regarding charging batteries is a good backup plan for your devices when no outlet is in the area. Sound quality is good, but with minor gripes. It also gives you a choice in terms of connectivity whether to use Bluetooth or NFC although in our case, NFC didn’t work at all.

    Luxa2 Groovy W specs:
    Output power: 7W
    Drivers: 2-piece 35mm drivers
    70 x 25 passive radiator
    Bluetooth 3.0
    NFC
    Qi wireless charging
    Dimensions: 66 x 82 x 180
    Weight: 596 grams
    2,200mAh built-in battery
    4,000mAh separate battery charger
    Price: Php4,850

    What we liked about it:

    • Overall decent sound quality
    • Charging station acts as standalone powerbank
    • Volume loud enough for outdoor use
    • Packed with features

    What we didn’t like:

    • App lacks categories for tracks (only displays all songs in one long list)
    • NFC didn’t work on various NFC-enabled devices
    • Glossy panel is susceptible to smudges

    The post Luxa2 Groovy W Wireless Charging Speaker Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.