April 27, 2016

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A1 Review

April 27, 2016/ Nir Schneider

Bang & Olufsen's strong design and audio prowess is a lethal and desirable combination that makes consumers want to throw their money at anything this Danish household name crafts. In a competitive move towards making its wireless speakers more affordable, B&O has set out to create a smaller version of its A2 portable speaker with a more appealing price of admission. Meet the BeoPlay A1. This much smaller, lighter and more portable speaker features everything you'd come to expect from B&O - impressive use of high quality materials and a contemporary design that might be worthy of an award or two. It's arguably one of the better looking portable speakers on the market right now...and it sounds bigger than it looks too. So how does the BeoPlay A1 compare to some of the best portable wireless speakers out there? We've got it all covered in our full review down below!

October 21, 2014

JBL Charge 2 Portable Wireless Speaker Review

October 21, 2014/ Nir Schneider

JBL recently updated one of its most sought-after portable speakers with the second generation Charge 2 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker. If you thought the original award-winning Charge speaker sounded good, wait until you hear the Charge 2 in action. It has been outfitted with larger, better dual 45mm drivers and a pair of passive side-firing radiators for that much needed special delivery of bassy low-end goodness to liven up your music experience. With the addition of improved internal hardware, the Charge 2 has been redesigned to look sleeker than its predecessor with a more contemporary design along with a more polished build quality. JBL's Charge 2 still features the same useful added features like the ability to charge external portable devices while you're on the move, and make hands-free speakerphone calls thanks to a built-in microphone with noise and echo-cancelling technology. The Charge 2 sounds like a worthy successor, but is that enough to compete with today's leading portable Bluetooth speakers? Let's find out!

July 26, 2014

NudeAudio Move M Portable Speaker Review

July 26, 2014/ Nir Schneider

NudeAudio is an up-and-coming audio brand, and it's serious about making affordably priced portable Bluetooth speakers look and sound great too. And it does so without spending all of its audio engineering and speaker design budget on marketing. NudeAudio's Bluetooth speaker lineup consists of two very pocket-friendly speakers including the Move S and Move M (above), as well as a larger Move L speaker model which balances indoor and outdoor portability prowess along with the suitable horse power to help it deliver that extra kick some of you are looking for.

One thing NudeAudio's portable speakers all have in common is an 8-hour rechargeable battery and a travel-friendly, contemporary design that utilizes a protective shock-absorbing silicone bumper-like outline and a neat, colorful built-in lanyard cord. NudeAudio sent us two of their greatest wireless speaker offerings to have a look at – the mid-level Move M and the higher-end Move L. We will be reviewing them both in two separate reviews where they'll each have to face a rigorous comparison test. So make sure to check out the Move L review here, or jump past the break for our full review on the Move M!

June 17, 2014

Logitech X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker Review

June 17, 2014/ Nir Schneider

After quietly separating itself from Ultimate Ears, Logitech is finally and once again making portable Bluetooth speakers under its own name. Logitech recently introduced the X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker, the exuberant stereo variant of the company's ultra-small and pocket-friendly X100 offering. Though unlike the X100, the larger X300 is not only a stereo wireless Bluetooth speaker, but has four times as many drivers to help produce richer and more powerful immersive sounding audio whilst still maintaining that highly portable form factor we so very much like. Last week we tested and put JBL's small, albeit very capable $50 pocketable Clip speaker up against Logitech's comparable X100. Although the Clip has narrowly won that battle, we are even more interested to find out if paying an extra $20 is worth overlooking both of these very small speakers in favor of a superior music experience. Better yet, can Logitech's performance-driven X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker beat its Ultimate Ears cousin? Let's find out!

June 11, 2014

JBL Clip Ultra-Portable Wireless Speaker Review

June 11, 2014/ Nir Schneider

In 2012, JBL introduced what was then considered to be the most impressive and highly portable wireless Bluetooth speaker that let users enjoy better sounding audio using their smartphone or tablet from a palm-sized device that could easily fit into a pocket. This time, the Clip by JBL is the company's latest travel and pocket-friendly offering that takes JBL's Micro speaker series of ultra-portable speakers to new heights with a more rugged and adventurous design. And although the Clip is just as small as its Micro Wireless predecessor and could be carried inside your pocket, its name suggest a more exposed means of transport. That's right, JBL's Clip features carabiner clip conveniently built into the top so you can practically hook it onto anything that can fit through its spring-loaded gate clip. Technically speaking the Clip is a wearable speaker. So should you consider picking one up? We think you should, but before you do, be sure to read up on our full and in-depth review down below!

December 09, 2013

JBL Spark Wireless Speaker Review

December 09, 2013/ Nir Schneider

JBL's most recent speaker offerings can only be described as creatively ambitious. From the Pulse to the Voyager, and now the Spark, JBL is pushing ahead with some of the most uniquely designed and innovative speakers we've seen yet. But we're here to talk you about the Spark, not the AllSpark, but JBL's new and trendy Spark speaker. With a unique funky translucent design which just so happens to be Harman Kardon's signature weapon of design language choice, the Spark brings a visually fun play on wireless speaker styling. Jump into our full review to find out what we think about JBL's Spark, and how it compares to other wireless speakers!

November 27, 2013

id America TouchTone Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review

November 27, 2013/ Nir Schneider

That’s right, id America has brought its own portable speaker to market called the TouchTone. This touch controls-featuring compact speaker is looking to compete up against some incredibly known brands in the audio world. And at $80, the TouchTone is asking for a piece of Ultimate Ears' ultra-compact and nicely balanced Mini Boom speaker, JBL's all-too familiar Flip speaker and many more that plague the shelves of electronic retail giants and the likes of Amazon and other online retailers.

But what does a case company have anything to do with audio gear? We asked the same exact question numerous times before, notably when Incase launched its line of headphones more than a year ago, we questioned the accessory brand's ability to put out decent sounding headphones. Needless to say, we were astounded by how amazing Incase's Sonic headphones actually turned out. So before we doubt another case company's ability to expand its line of products, we are giving id America's first ever speaker an honest shot as we go ears on with the new TouchTone portable Bluetooth wireless speaker. Be sure to head past the break for our full review!