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Klipsch The Three wireless speaker review

REVIEW – Klipsch is a maker of highly regarded speaker systems, yet I’ve only been acquainted with their high-end earphones—the 10Xi and the fantastic X20i. Until now, that is. Klipsch has a line of speakers, amps and headphones under the Klipsch Heritage banner. Their speaker called The Three (is it the The Three?) is Klipsch’s attempt at a premium wireless speaker. And OMG, what an attempt it is! Spoiler alert: The Three speaker is one of—if not the best—wireless speaker I have ever heard. Although not cheap, Klipsch has managed to match both build and audio quality of wireless speakers costing substantially more.

What is it?

The Three speaker is a stand-alone tabletop wireless speaker that utilizes Wi-Fi (for the Klipsch Stream Wireless Multi-Room Audio System), aptX Bluetooth, DTS Play-Fi, and USB, RCA and AUX inputs and a built-in phono pre-amp. A remote control is included.

Specs

  • Acoustic output: 106dB (0.5M near field)
  • Drivers: 2 x 2 1/4” full range drivers
  • Subwoofer: 5.25” long-throw woofer; 2 x 5.25” dual opposed passive radiators
  • Power: 60 watts continuous; 80 watts short-term peak
  • Frequency response: 45Hz ~20kHz
  • Inputs: Bluetooth; 3.5mm miniplug; Phono pre-amp; RCA; USB, Wi-Fi (DTS Play-Fi)
  • Dimensions: 13.7” x 7” x 8”
  • Weight: 10.32lbs
  • Finishes: Walnut or Ebony

In the box

  • 3.5mm aux cable
  • USB Type B to USB Type A cable 
  • Wireless Remote Control 
  • Power Cord

Design and features

I’m going to give my overall impressions by going through The Three’s feature sheet provided by Klipsch and give my thoughts on each feature mentioned.

Mid-Century Design

The Klipsch Three speaker’s design harks back to when speakers (and table-top radios) were meant to be seen as well as heard. The Three has a wood and cloth (grill) exterior that says, “Don’t hide me.” Not only that, the buttons have that Klipsch copper look that is on many of their speakers. It’s a classic look that will never go out of style.

The top of the speaker features an on/off toggle switch, a volume dial and a rotary dial for switching between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AUX, USB and phone connections (read on for more about connections). These copper-colored controls fit nicely into the Klipsch design theme. Switching between the connections is dead-simple but note that the wifi selection will not work except when using the Klipsch Stream app (explained later).

Important: Although it can be easily moved room to room, The Three speaker is technically not a portable speaker since it has to be plugged in at all times—there is no rechargeable battery. Also, The Three is not designed to be an outdoor speaker. It is an indoor speaker.

Tuned Stereo Sound

The Three speaker suffers from what every other single Bluetooth speaker has—or specifically does not have—stereo sound. Yes, The three plays stereo with its two full-range drivers, but they are in one box, so unless your head is right in front of the speaker, you lose any semblance of true stereo as you walk around. The only way to maintain stereo in a room is with genuine separate left and right speakers. Does that mean that audio quality is compromised? Not at all—despite that it’s a single box, the audio is widely dispersed and balanced, no matter where you are in the room.

Superior Bass Reflex 

Let me start off by saying that I am not a bass-head. But oh—that bass! There are few wireless speakers that can put out the kind of bass that The Three can and still sound wonderful. Many Bluetooth speakers I’ve reviewed have decent bass for their size, but this speaker is in a whole ‘nother league. All this comes from a 5.25 in. long-throw woofer with two 5.25 in. passive radiators. 

Note: A long-throw woofer has a bigger depth allowing it to move back and forth much more than a standard woofer, The effect is more air is moved to produce stronger low frequencies.

Wireless Multi-Room Ready

I do not own any other Klipsch speakers, so I wasn’t able to test its multi-room capabilities, but I was able to use the Klipsch Stream app that controls the Klipsch Multi-Room System as well as The Three by itself. The app will play Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, internet radio, Pandora, Spotify Connect (requires Spotify Premium), SiriusXM (requires subscription) and more as well as music from a media server. The app was able to find and list all my music (and playlists) stored in the Apple Music app on my new iPhone XS Max. This kind of music control comes in handy when you can have different Klipsch wireless speakers in other rooms and have each one playing different or identical songs throughout the house. 

For its Stream App, Klipsch uses DTS Play-Fi wireless streaming technology. Play-Fi is a streaming service that many speaker companies use. What this means is that not only can all the previously mentioned services be controlled in the Klipsch Stream app, but other speakers (Klipsch or not) that utilize Play-fi will work with The Three speaker around the house. In other words, you are not locked into one audio ecosystem such as Sonos, for example.

The Klipsch Stream app walks you through the Wi-Fi setup. It requires matching with a home network but it’s straightforward and works quite well. While using the Stream app, I found that some things were not as intuitive as I would have liked. There is also a slight delay when changing songs within the app. Being an Apple Music app user, I’m used to instant response times.

The Klipsch Stream app lets The Three speaker sync with the Amazon Echo making The Three compatible with Alexa. This allows the use of voice commands and other smart features. The Three has 192kHz/24-bit decoding for playback of high-resolution audio from a PC. I was also able to connect to my Tidal Hi-res music account and play hi-res (better than CD) music through the app. Nice! 

Note that Klipsch has just announced even more wireless speakers to its Heritage lineup: The Three speaker with Google Assistant built in as well as smaller, portable speakers. If you’re looking into starting a wireless music system throughout your home, you should include Klipsch as you compare systems.

Multiple Input Connections

The Three speaker is capable of connecting through Wi-Fi (only for the Klipsch Wireless Multi-Room System), Bluetooth, RCA Analog, mini plug AUX, Phono (via its built-in pre-amp) and USB audio. Basically, almost anything can be connected to The Three: Smartphone or computer (wired or wireless), CD player and even a turntable. USB (A to B) and AUX cables are included. 

Klipsch includes a remote that mirrors the functions on the speaker itself. The one caveat is that in order for the remote’s on/off button to work, the speaker’s on/off toggle must be left in the on position.

How does it sound

As I said earlier, the Klipsch The Three speaker sounds great, whether it’s through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or hardwired. Using the Klipsch Stream app sounds more full and much louder than using Bluetooth. As much as Bluetooth has improved, it still compresses music. Wifi has a much larger bandwidth than Bluetooth giving it the ability to stream lossless audio.

A good example of this is Moby’s song, “Almost Home” from the “Innocents” album. Singer Damien Jurado’s eerie falsetto comes across as a heartfelt moaning. Plus, there’s a much more prominent bass line when heard through Wi-Fi—even coming from my iPhone. And like I said, it’s the clean and powerful bass that sets The Three speaker apart.

From the same Moby album, the Andrew Weatherall remix of “The Perfect Life” features bass that can be felt as well as heard—this from a table-top speaker! 

Mason Proffit’s anti-war ode “Black September/Belfast” is hampered by less-than-ideal recording quality from the studio. The Three speaker manages to remove the higher frequency harshness that is apparent on many speakers, but it can only do so much to help the recording—a shame since this is an incredible song.

For fun, I played one of my go-to bass songs, “Written, Forgotten” by Brian Eno. The out-of-place throbbing bass undercuts a pretty melody creating a menacing beauty that The Three speaker reproduces quite well. Each time I hear it, I have to remind myself that this is not a large speaker.

The Three speaker can handle any genre of music: rock, classical, jazz, hip-hop, EDM, techno, you name it. 

What I like

Klipsch has managed to do what many speakers try and fail to do—make music sound as good as on similarly sized bookshelf speakers. Yes, the stereo separation you get from separate speakers isn’t there but if you are tight on space or a traditional speaker setup isn’t practical, The Three speaker may shock you by how good it sounds. 

What needs to be improved

The Klipsch Stream app has some minor quirks to work out. 

Final Thoughts

The Klipsch The Three speaker is not cheap, but this is a speaker that justifies its price. It will fill a room with pleasing audio, has many easy ways to connect to your music and gives you the freedom to be teamed with other Play-Fi speakers for a wireless home system that can compete with any proprietary wireless system available today.

Price: $499
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this product was provided by Klipsch.

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Klipsch The Three wireless speaker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 1, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Bittboy Game Boy and NES handheld game console review

REVIEW – Back in the day I was obsessed with handheld game devices. I had the original Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Atari Lynx, and the original Sony PSP. I still have several of those units but sadly, I no longer have an original Game Boy. But now I have a handheld gaming device that looks like a smaller version of the original Game Boy, but it’s superior to that iconic device because it can play Game Boy games, Game Boy Color games, and NES games. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Bittboy is a small handheld game console that can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES ROMS.

What’s in the box?

  • Bittboy
  • Micro USB charging cable
  • RCA video cable
  • Instruction sheet

Design and features

At first glance, you might mistake the Bittboy from the original Nintendo Game Boy if you haven’t seen one in a while. But while the Bittboy is very similar, it’s significantly smaller (shorter).

The handheld gaming device has a beige plastic shell with a 4-way D-pad and a variety of buttons below the 2.4″ IPS color display that has a resolution of 320×240.

The lower right corner of the device has a built-in front firing speaker.

The back of the Bittboy has the battery compartment.

Inside is a removable and replaceable (if you can find a replacement) rechargeable 700mAh lithium battery.

The top edge of the Bittboy has the power switch and a micro SD card slot which is the pseudo game cartridge slot. A micro SD card isn’t included with the device, and neither are the games. It’s up to you “find” Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and/or NES ROM files. Hint: Google is your friend. 🙂

On the bottom edge is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro USB port. The headphone jack is used for audio (duh), but you can also use it with the included video cables to connect the device to a TV to play the games on a large screen. The micro USB port is used to charge the battery.

The sides of the Bittboy don’t have any buttons or switches.

The Bittboy game console is nicely compact, which makes it a perfect travel companion since it will easily fit in a pocket or a gear bag.

Look, it’s a partial family photo showing the Bittboy beside a Game Boy Color and a Nintendo DS.

Let’s play a game!



The first thing you need to do is get your hands on a micro SD card and fill the root of the card with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES ROM files (file format “.gb”, “.gbc”, “.nes”). Then with the card inserted into the Bittboy, you can turn it on. You’ll be greeted with menu page for each platform: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES. You have to press the A button to go into each menu to see the list of games.

The list page is basically just a scrolling text listing of the ROM files you copied to the micro SD card, but the list gives you enough info to see the game title. Then you can scroll up and down the list to pick the game you want to play and press the Start button to load it.

Games load surprisingly fast and the display on this little gaming device is just fantastic. It’s bright and crisp which makes it a joy to play these old games. Remember the Game Boy Color display? UGH! The Bittboy’s display is so much nicer because it’s so bright and vivid. And if it’s a bit too bright for you, you can use a key combo to adjust the brightness level.



I don’t know if it was the default setting or if I changed it while I was looking at the options, but you can set the display to either fullscreen or default which is a square display like the original Game Boy. Setting it to full will stretch the screen and it can make some games look weird.

You’ll also want to figure out how to adjust the volume on the Bittboy because by default it is way too loud. No worries though as the Select-A/Select-B key button combo can be used to turn the sound up and down.

I tested a half a dozen Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES games on this device and it was a true and happy trip down memory lane. I should admit though that I didn’t have an NES back then, so I can’t really comment on how those games compare on the Bittboy to the actual console.


I will say that the Game Boy games both look great and play/feel like a real Game Boy from the good old days of handheld video game devices. The DPad and buttons are smaller than the original Game Boy control buttons, but that didn’t cause me any problems as the buttons are responsive and didn’t stick or jam.

There’s even a feature that will let you save your game to the micro SD card. There are only 3 save game slots, so choose wisely.

The only Bittboy feature that I didn’t test was the AV out using the RCA cables. That’s because I only have one TV and it’s mounted to the wall. I’m just not that dedicated to take my TV off the wall in order to connect the Bittboy to it. Anyway, who really wants to use RCA jacks these days? The Bittboy needs to use an HDMI port! Am I right?

What I like

  • Authentic Game Boy experience
  • Small size is pocket-friendly
  • Bright crisp display
  • micro SD card (not included) can hold 100’s of games

What needs to be improved

  • Use an HDMI port for video out

Final thoughts

If you want an authentic Game Boy experience, the Bittboy will do it for you. It’s a well-built handheld game console that will let you relive all those fun games from back in the day before there were iPhones, the Xbox, or the PS4. Get one and thank me later. Just don’t blame me if your boss catches you playing Super Mario Bros. when you should be working!

Price: $39.99
Where to buy: Amazon and Aliexpress
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Bittboy.

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Bittboy Game Boy and NES handheld game console review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 31, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Tech Armor Wireless Charging Car Vent Mount review


REVIEW – As I detailed in my recent review of the expensive and functional Naztech MagBuddy Wireless Charger, most newer cell phones are able to be charged wirelessly and there are a growing number of options on the accessory market these days. Following up with that review comes my experience using the slightly more affordable Tech Armor Wireless Charging Car Vent Mount. At $29.99, the Tech Armor Charger has an innovative method of securing your phone and is serviceable but a bit flimsy.

What is it?

The Tech Armor Wireless Charging Car Vent Mount is a car phone holder that can charge your Qi-enabled phone through contact. The charger holds the phone in place with two side brackets and charges through power coils embedded in the mount. The Tech Armor can deliver 10W of power to certain iPhones and Samsung phones, but other phones, like my Google Pixel 3, will only receive the standard 5W of power.

The Tech Armor arrives in a thin cardboard box that has a picture of the device on the front and details its capabilities. The unit and accessories are well protected inside the box in a molded plastic holder.

What’s in the box?

  • 1 Tech Armor Wireless Car Charger
  • 1 Micro USB Cable
  • 1 Base Stand Attachment
  • 1 User Manual

Design and features

When I first opened the box for the Tech Armor Charger I was excited to see that the brackets were made of aluminum, but unfortunately, I was mistaken. The brackets are made of lightweight plastic made to resemble aluminum.

Despite the plastic construction, the Tech Armor Charger does have an innovative solution for holding your phone. The side brackets of the mount are spring loaded to stay open and are triggered to close when weight is applied to lower bracket.

When you drop your phone down on to the lower bracket, the weight of the phone closes the side brackets which keep your phone in place. The system works well and held my phone in place securely.

On the back of the Tech Armor Charger is a small four slotted vent mount. To mount, push the slots on to the vent fins of your car and the pressure of the slots hold it in place. There is a small nut that tightens or loosens a ball and socket joint which allows you to position the phone at a desirable angle.

If your car’s air vents aren’t compatible with the Tech Armor mount, you can use the supplied Base Stand Attachment to secure the charger.

The Base Stand Attachment fits snugly over the vent mount on the back of the charger.

Once the attachment is connected, you can use the 3M adhesive on the bottom to secure the charger to your dashboard.

I’m not sure how stable the Base Stand option is, but I’m glad they provided a way to use the mount in cars that may not have compatible vents.

The Tech Armor Charger is powered via a Micro USB port on the back of the unit.

The included Micro USB to USB A cable connects to the unit and then to any USB power supply. I was disappointed to find that the Tech Armor Charger did not come with a USB car lighter power adapter.

Setup

Setting up the Tech Armor Wireless Charger is very easy to do. Attach the mount to your car vent, connect the unit to a power source, drop in your phone and you’re good to go.

It took some time to adjust the Tech Armor to the right angle. A few times, I thought the angle was correct, only to have it shift because the unit wasn’t securely attached to my car vent.

Performance

For the price, the Tech Armor Charger performs well. Every time I put my phone into the charger, the mount held it in place and the wireless charger immediately kicked in. There were a few stability issues, but I was able to narrow it down to how my car’s vents work and was able to correct it.

One major complaint though is that because of the way the mount is designed, you’re not able to rotate the phone and use it in landscape mode. If the phone is rotated too much in any direction the weight is removed from the bottom bracket and the phone will fall out. This goes directly against Tech Armor’s claim on the website that the angle of the unit is adjustable.

After repeated use, it’s also clear that despite what it says on Tech Armor’s website, the unit is not able to be operated one-handed. When you drop the phone into the mount you need to use two hands, one for the phone and one to support the unit; the same goes for removing the phone. You can’t remove the phone without securing the unit first.

What I like

  • Stable connection and power
  • Easy setup
  • An innovative way of securing the phone

What needs to be improved

  • Can’t rotate the phone
  • Stability dependent on car vent
  • No car charger included
  • Plastic, flimsy construction

Final thoughts

The Tech Armor Wireless Charging Car Vent Mount is a functional, affordable option for those looking for a way to charge their newer phones on the go. The charger supplies steady wireless power and a stable phone holder if your car’s vents are compatible and stable themselves.  Though, I was disappointed that at a cost $29.99 the charger didn’t come with a car lighter power adapter, was made totally of plastic, and doesn’t give you the option to use your phone in landscape mode. The overall construction is a little flimsy, but the Tech Armor Wireless Car Charger does what it was made to do.

Price: $29.99
Where to buy: Tech Armor and Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Tech Armor.

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Tech Armor Wireless Charging Car Vent Mount review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 30, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Phiaton Curve BT 120 NC Earphones review

REVIEW – Last month we announced the launch of Phiaton’s new active noise cancelling earphones. First impressions were great, and I’ve been testing them ever since in my quest for the perfect earphones for the gym. What have we learned? To the review!

What is it?

It’s a neckband style pair of Bluetooth earphones that offer call features, active noise cancelling, and IPX4 water resistance..

Hardware specs

  • High Quality Dynamic Speakers Unit: 12 mm
  • Impedance: 16 Ohm
  • Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
  • Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
  • Max. Input Power: 40 mW
  • Communication Network: Bluetooth 4.2
  • Operating Range: Within 10 m / 33 ft.
  • Call Time (NC on / off): 5 hrs / 8.5 hrs
  • Music Play Time (NC on / off): 5 hrs / 8.5 hrs
  • Standby Time (NC on / off): 12.5 hrs / 290 hrs
  • Full Charge Time: 2 hrs
  • Weight: 25 g

What’s in the box?

Your kit comes with the earphones, three different sizes of silicon ear tips, two sizes of “RightFit+ Ear Wings” (more on that below), a USB charging cable (not shown), a warranty card, and a quick guide.

Design and features

I am on the endless quest for the perfect Bluetooth earphones for the gym. I’ve been trying all kinds of variations from completely wireless buds to neckband-style configurations. Compared to some other models I’ve tested, the Phiaton Curve earphones get a lot of things right. Let’s start with an overview of the design, then delve into performance!

Design Overview

The Phiaton Curve earbuds are actually a two-part configuration. You’ve got your silicone nib (the part that sits on your ear), along with something Phiaton calls RightFit+ Ear Wings. These are little silicone tabs that tuck into the whorl in your ear.

The Internet tells me that this fleshy fold is the part of the ear called the antihelix (thanks, Internet!). And that little tab does a good job of keeping your earbuds from popping out, while being really comfortable. Here’s what it looks like when the tab is in place:

Phiaton includes three different sized nibs and two sizes in the ear wings, so that you can mix and match to find a snug fit. I have two in the earbuds now, the extras are shown below.

The earbud cables drop to two pods that house all the components, which then connect via a neckband (that small pod you see just below my chin is the microphone). Note that the whole unit is IPX4 water resistant, which means it will stand up to sweat and offers water resistance. It’s not designed for sustained water contact or to be submersible, so be careful with your chosen activities.

The neckband itself is made from a thicker rubberized “memory flex” material, designed to stay in place while you are in motion. It’s light and comfortable and generally does a good job staying put. Here’s a shot from behind to see how it hugs the neck:

All of your controls are found in the left-hand pod. There are three buttons on the inside face, each slightly raised for tactile feedback. These three buttons (volume up, volume down, and power) are actually each multifunction buttons with a “one click” and a “click and hold” function. The volume buttons, for example, raise and lower the volume with one tap but switch tracks on a click and hold.

The side of this pod houses the USB port tucked behind a rubber seal as well as a button that enables the active noise cancelling feature:

 

Performance

The Phiaton Curve earphones do a lot of things well. Some areas of general usability may be hit or miss, depending on your intended use.

Let’s start with the big one: compared to numerous other options I have tested, the Phiaton Curve earphones may have the best sound quality I have heard in a pair of minimalist earphones to-date. The audio is crisp and clean with great range when listening to music. You won’t mind using these on the train or during a flight, because the active noise cancelling feature really does the job. Call quality is excellent as well with great pickup on the microphone. I have had no issues making calls, nor have I had anyone complain about sound quality on the other end.

Power management is also excellent on the Phiaton Curve earphones. When you turn them on, a little voice informs you of the current power level. You can charge them for 5 minutes to get an hour’s charge for a quick workout, a great feature if you forget to charge your earbuds! A full charge takes about 2 hours and holds for between 5 and 9 hours of active use, depending on how much music you’re playing. I’ve had them sit for a week powered off, and still come back to nearly a full charge when I power them up. Very impressive.

The fit and comfort on these earphones are also excellent. I really do like the Ear Wings provide *just* enough stability and flexibility to keep the buds in your ears without being irritating. It’s a great little design.

If you’re a runner or doing activities that keep you vertical, you’ll have no issues with the neckband. It’s really comfortable and practically weightless. The neckband does tend to slide around a bit in other situations. I’ve had it get caught on the lip of the weight bench, for example, or flop around when I am doing stretches on a mat. The memory fit neckband doesn’t really hold its shape, you can’t cinch it tightly for more complex maneuvers. I did see that Phiaton states that a clip is included in the package for this purchase. That would help, but my pre-release copy did not come with it.

The other issue that takes some getting used to is the controls. Ideally, you’d like to be able to manipulate the buttons without looking at them, like so:

To make this truly intuitive those controls could use for some fine tuning. The tactile feedback on the buttons is not very pronounced, making it hard to find the right button without looking at the controls. The dual-function features are also super-sensitive, often resulting in you triggering three wrong functions. I’d often find myself pressing the wrong button, or skipping to the next song (press-and-hold on the volume up button) when I just wanted to increase the volume. I’m getting better at it with practice, but I actually find it easier to use the controls on my iPhone directly rather than messing with the pod controls.

What I like

  • Amazing sound quality
  • Excellent microphone
  • Comfortable to wear
  • Great power management
  • Noise cancelling that really works

What needs to be improved

  • The neckband could use some more grip or rigidity to stay in place when you’re not standing or sitting up.
  • Touch controls can be super sensitive and are hard to manipulate without looking at them.

Final thoughts

Some minor issues aside, this is a really great pair of earphones. They’re lightweight, comfortable, and produce great sound quality for the gym or travel. The quick charge feature is fantastic. The active noise cancelling is the real deal, and call quality is excellent. Runners & cyclists will love them, and so will commuters. I’d just a like a better solution to keep the neckband in place for a broader range of activities. Given the rest of the good qualities, however, I’m happy to find other solutions to solve for that.

Price: $79.99
Where to buy: Get ’em on Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Phiaton.

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Phiaton Curve BT 120 NC Earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 30, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Sbode M400 Multi-Function Bluetooth speaker review

 

REVIEW – Music in a cylinder. Ten years ago, no one thought of having a complete music system in a handheld unit about the size of a 24-ounce can of malt liquor or a sleeve of tennis balls. Yet, on sites like ours, there are dozens of these cylinders that vie for the attention of the masses of music-needing folks. Last Summer, I brought you the little brother to the unit under review today. The one we’re looking at today is slimmer, taller, and has a few more features, along with an upgraded moniker. Meet the Sbode M400 Multi-Function Bluetooth Speaker.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

The Sbode M400 is a music playing cylinder that offers IPX-6 weather resistance, networking with another device of the same model for stereo pairing, just about any source for sound, and 8 hours of non-stop music from the 2200mAh battery.

Hardware specs

  • Superior Bass Sound
  • True Wireless Stereo (requires two units)
  • Lightweight Design
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Waterproof (IPX6)
  • FM radio
  • Built-In Mic for speakerphone functionality

What’s in the box?

The box contains the cylinder, with a nylon cord attached, a charging cable (USB A/3 to microUSB), and an eighth-inch stereo plug that will work with your headphones or any device you still have around that connects with this method.

Design and features

As with the Sbode 350 reviewed earlier, the overall design is a cylinder with speakers top and bottom, a cloth-covered body that protects and hides higher-frequency speakers, and a band of buttons and power ports down the side. The fabric looks coarse but is actually soft, but tough. The rubberized areas along both rims and down the side with the buttons is matte-finished silicon or rubber, which provides sureness of touch, but doesn’t show fingerprints, unless you’re on a picnic having fried chicken. In that case, a damp cloth will clean it right up. Speaking of damp, this speaker is IPX6, which means even a huge splash or a drenching shower that spoils that picnic won’t ruin it. The videos show it in the surf or in a mountain brook, but that’s not how the specs read. (Please record the tech support call if you do that and it makes the unit fail. We need the entertainment.)

The buttons provide control over power/speakerphone access, playback mode (more on this later), play/pause for TFF-card playback, and volume up/down buttons. The final button is for syncing two devices together. According to the instructions, this is almost instantaneous, but I was not able to test, having only one unit.

Performance

The Sbode m400 is a very affordable, good-sounding music player. It’s not one of those top-of-the-line, blow-off-the-ceiling-with-no-distortion systems that will make your block parties invite police visits, but it’s perfect for a dozen friends at the beach, on a deck, or camping. If you want even better stereo, apparently you can sync it with another identical system, but this was not tested. (This feature was not tested, as I was only sent one unit.) At $80 ($40 each), it’s way cheaper than $350 for an Apple HomePod or even $200 for a Sonos One.
I tested mine mainly with my iPhone 8 Plus around my house. I could easily clear a room with Joe Cocker’s She Came In Through the Bathroom Window or even something like Crazy Train from Ozzy. I never had the volume up fully, either.

The various input modes, accessed via a semi-long press of the power button (a long press turns the unit off) rotate through Bluetooth, FM Radio, AUX-in, and TF card playback. The FM mode is supposed to automatically tune into a station, but there is no volume control. So, you get this loud static, and the plus-minus keys just cycle through other pre-set stations. It’s horrid. I think there is firmware out there that could automatically sense which device is actively playing, rather than having to manually hold the button in just a touch less than what will turn it off. I wound up using it exclusively with Bluetooth and never missed the other input modes.

Once I entered the initial full charge, I rarely paid attention to the four LEDs that indicate power when you power it on. Once it got down to only one LED, I noticed the Bluetooth connection with my iPhone would seem weaker, but it seemed to last forever.

What I Like

  • Good coverage in virtually any placement area
  • Decent sound, exceptional at the price point.

What needs to be improved

  • The FM mode is useless.
  • Having to switch input modes is kinda fiddly.

Final thoughts

Speakers of this type are everywhere. This unit sounds very good, but there are those that cost more that sound a bit better. If you want something to toss in your camping gear or just to sit on your screen porch, this could be the one. No reason not to recommend it, but I don’t see any reason not to use the one you have, or to buy a better brand if you want audiophile sound. For background and on-the-go, however, this is fine. And for the price, getting two and using linked may be a huge boon to your listening experience.

Price: $39.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Sbode.

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Sbode M400 Multi-Function Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 29, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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