July 25, 2013

Bose SoundLink Mini Review

July 25, 2013/ Nir Schneider

High-end speaker harbinger Bose, has recently released a much more compact and portable version of its successful $300 SoundLink wireless speaker appropriately named the SoundLink Mini. It's Bose's smallest wireless Bluetooth speaker that competes against offerings from some of the most notable brands in the ferociously competitive portable speaker category. The SoundLink Mini packs innovation, proprietary audio drivers and dual-opposing passive radiators that recreate Bose's signature deep sound beloved by most if not all humans. And if you've already seen our guide for the best wireless portable speakers, well then we've spoiled it for you. But if you haven't cheated already, then we've got a great comparison and review lined up just around the break. How does the SoundLink Mini compare to our top rated portable wireless speaker, and more in the full review down below!

June 27, 2013

JBL Charge Portable Wireless Speaker Review

June 27, 2013/ Nir Schneider

JBL's Charge sells itself as a portable wireless stereo speaker with impressive gadget-charging capabilities all rolled into one attractive and compact device. If there ever was a portable speaker that combined all-day long battery life, an ultra-fast backup battery charger with big sound in a small package - it would definitely have to be the Charge, and the Charge alone. As you might know, JBL gave us the $100 Flip late last year which at the time blew us away with its elite audio performance we called jaw droppingly powerful.

But like any good product, the Flip had its inconveniences and treble-heavy sound signature we pleaded JBL to fix and improve upon. Now that we've got our hands all over the Charge, we're going to find out if JBL did things a little differently this time around. And it also means putting the Charge up against today's leading portable speakers. Want to see who comes out on top? So do we! Our full review is just around the corner.

June 15, 2013

Ultimate Ears UE Boom Review

June 15, 2013/ Nir Schneider

5.1 speaker systems? Who needs them. The only speakers being expeditiously released lately are portable Bluetooth speakers you can take along with you everywhere you go. Ultimate Ears, now a Logitech brand, are one of the many names fighting to sell you their own take on these self-powered speaker modules. You're in for quite a treat if you're shopping around for that awesome package of portable audio goodness because Ultimate Ears has recently come out with the UE Boom, a powerful wireless Bluetooth speaker capable of pushing out loud 360-degree sound to liven up your boring party wherever it may be.

Marketed as a versatile "life-resistant" wireless portable speaker with speakerphone features and oversized on-board volume controls, the UE Boom also carries an origianl design we think might land it a wireless speaker modeling contract. We said the day will come, and that day is today. JBL had a great run with the outstanding Flip portable wireless speaker, and now there's a new speaker on the block that we are thrilled to dive into. Head past the break for the full review!

June 09, 2013

Audyssey Desktop Wireless Speakers Review

June 09, 2013/ Nir Schneider

Here they are, Audyssey's latest Bluetooth enabled desktop speakers. They're white, wireless and unmistakably called the Wireless Speakers. We can literally end the review right here. Other than that really, they're identical to the wired black models we've reviewed earlier, Audyssey's Media Speakers. Audyssey's Wireless Speakers are just as beautiful to place next to your desktop machine, and sound just as amazing as the wired and less costly Media Speakers, which I've got to say are one of my most favorite set of desktop speakers that we have reviewed. To back that claim up, I've actually been using these for a little over a year and I couldn't be more pleased with their performance and space saving convenience. For you wireless fanatics looking to cut the cord on everything with an electric pulse, the Wireless Speakers practically sell themselves. But do you really need wireless capabilities in a set of desktop speakers?

April 02, 2013

JBL OnBeat Venue LT Review

April 02, 2013/ Nir Schneider

Following our most recent review on JBL's hardwired OnBeat Micro speaker dock comes the OnBeat Venue LT - a much larger, more powerful wireless speaker with a Lightning connector dock that's designed to work with Apple's full line of Lightning connector-equipped iDevices including the iPad mini, iPad 4, iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5. After spending an intimate time with the Flip (the best portable speaker of its stature based on our findings) as well as the OnBeat Micro, we now have a clear perception of what we can generally expect from JBL on audio performance terms. The OnBeat Venue LT is a modified and updated version of JBL's original OnBeat Venue, which supported Apple's now obsolete 30-pin Dock Connector. JBL's OnBeat Venue LT pretty much met our expectations, but it isn't without its flaws as you shall soon discover.

December 23, 2012

Boombotix BoomBot2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

December 23, 2012/ Bobby Zhang

Rarely do we find a pair of speakers that scream their personality at us, but the BoomBot2 by BoomBotix just might be one of them. It's unlike anything we've seen before, and it packs an unique oomph that we can't help but notice. It's Japanese urban design that set these as one of the first portable speakers with as much character as sound in a portable package. Check out how the BoomBot2 stands up against our relentless testing and if it's as good as it looks in the full review after the break.

December 21, 2012

Hidden Radio Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

December 21, 2012/ Nir Schneider

Over the years, we have covered a few successful Kickstarter products funded and backed by you, the consumers. Some were as promising as we had hoped, while others let us down. Backing up a certain Kickstarter product doesn't necessarily mean you'll be glad you did at the end. Today, we're going to be taking a look at Hidden Radio. A Kickstarter product so successful, it gathered in nearly $1 million.

Hidden Radio is such an incredibly unique product, you would never have guessed it was born thanks to Kickstarter. What is it? Hidden Radio is a wireless Bluetooth portable speaker that's intuitively designed with simplicity in mind. Don't let the future-esque design fool you though, because as the name suggest, there's a hidden FM radio built right in. An FM radio! Who would have thought an FM radio would make the cut these days with services such as Spotify readily available.