Surround Sound: Portable Speakers
How
do Logitech's UE Boombox, the JBL Flip and Bose's Soundlink mini compare
against one another
With our lives moving increasingly
to tablets and phones, mobile-focused Bluetooth speakers that augment the sonic
capabilities of your portable devices have become all the rage these days, and
I take three of the latest out for a spin to see which earns my recommendation.
Logitech UE Boombox
With the name and the design, the Logitech UE Boombox is clearly a modern ode to the cassette boombox of yore, but packs in a great design that'd look right in place in an industrial art exhibition. Apart from the handy handle, it's mostly all speaker grille, and the wireless-first approach leaves it with little need for many sockets and buttons - you get a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a power jack on one side, and volumn and Bluetooth control buttons on the other. The UE Boombox's internal battery lasts for a little over six hours on a full charge (at low to mid volume levels), and as great as it looks, the feel is solid and it feels like it could take a knock or two. It's not waterproof though.
Under its slim profile sit eight speakers - the net effect of which is deep bass, which can be just right for some tracks and overwhelming for others, and there is distortion as you crank it way up. At moderate volume levels though, the system sounds full and powerful, produces sounds deceivingly bigger than the actual size of the unit. It's the priciest of the lot, and unless you're a boombox loyalist with a need for its distinctive looks, it's a lot of money to pay for slightly off-kilter sound.
JBL Flip
Taking the size down a notch is the JBL Flip, a tube shaped speaker that, like the Boombox, breaks ranks from other rectangular box-shaped offerings. You can lay it down on its side or stand it upright on one edge, depending on what you prefer. It sports a very typical JBL look, and has a nice arrangement of buttons and ports - power, calling and volume on the top/left, and power and auxiliary powers on the back.
Nothing prepares you for the surprise when you turn this baby on - sound is clear and powerful with almost no audible distortion, and impressive treble for its size. Not to mention the vast difference in pricing from the others, which earns the Flip an easy recommendation. If anything, its weakness is its 5-hour battery life, which takes a further hit if you push it to high volumes. If you're not someone who wanders far from a power source, the sound quality and excellent pricing makes the Flip a great buy.
Bose Soundlink Mini
The Mini represents Bose's leap into the palm-sized wireless portable speaker market, and the diminutive speaker offers a good balance of premium materials and a good feature set. With a flat metal grille face and an aluminum shell, the Mini looks right in place in any setting, and you can choose optional orange, blue and green covers should you wish to jazz things up. Bear in mind, that unlike the Flip, this is strictly a Bluetooth speaker, and doesn't have a microphone or support speakerphone calls.
For its palm-sized dimensions, the Mini pushes out impressive room filling sound, and even holds its own against its bigger Soundlink brother. It lacks a tad in bass punch than other larger speakers (which is bound to happen), but the mids and highs are its biggest strengths along with a 7 hour battery life that can outlast most parties.
Logitech UE Boombox
Rating: 6/10
Price: Rs. 21,995
URL: http://bit.ly/1aVZ3AB
JBL Flip
Rating: 9/10
Price: Rs 5,990
URL: http://bit.ly/13RRSHh
Bose Soundlink Mini
Rating: 8/10
Price: Rs 16,200
URL: http://bit.ly/13RQSmq
Tushar Kanwar- See more at: http://www.businessworld.in/news/science-and-technology/gadgets/surround-sound-portable-speakers/1021419/page-1.html#sthash.NRY9s6E4.dpuf
Logitech UE Boombox
With the name and the design, the Logitech UE Boombox is clearly a modern ode to the cassette boombox of yore, but packs in a great design that'd look right in place in an industrial art exhibition. Apart from the handy handle, it's mostly all speaker grille, and the wireless-first approach leaves it with little need for many sockets and buttons - you get a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a power jack on one side, and volumn and Bluetooth control buttons on the other. The UE Boombox's internal battery lasts for a little over six hours on a full charge (at low to mid volume levels), and as great as it looks, the feel is solid and it feels like it could take a knock or two. It's not waterproof though.
Under its slim profile sit eight speakers - the net effect of which is deep bass, which can be just right for some tracks and overwhelming for others, and there is distortion as you crank it way up. At moderate volume levels though, the system sounds full and powerful, produces sounds deceivingly bigger than the actual size of the unit. It's the priciest of the lot, and unless you're a boombox loyalist with a need for its distinctive looks, it's a lot of money to pay for slightly off-kilter sound.
JBL Flip
Taking the size down a notch is the JBL Flip, a tube shaped speaker that, like the Boombox, breaks ranks from other rectangular box-shaped offerings. You can lay it down on its side or stand it upright on one edge, depending on what you prefer. It sports a very typical JBL look, and has a nice arrangement of buttons and ports - power, calling and volume on the top/left, and power and auxiliary powers on the back.
Nothing prepares you for the surprise when you turn this baby on - sound is clear and powerful with almost no audible distortion, and impressive treble for its size. Not to mention the vast difference in pricing from the others, which earns the Flip an easy recommendation. If anything, its weakness is its 5-hour battery life, which takes a further hit if you push it to high volumes. If you're not someone who wanders far from a power source, the sound quality and excellent pricing makes the Flip a great buy.
Bose Soundlink Mini
The Mini represents Bose's leap into the palm-sized wireless portable speaker market, and the diminutive speaker offers a good balance of premium materials and a good feature set. With a flat metal grille face and an aluminum shell, the Mini looks right in place in any setting, and you can choose optional orange, blue and green covers should you wish to jazz things up. Bear in mind, that unlike the Flip, this is strictly a Bluetooth speaker, and doesn't have a microphone or support speakerphone calls.
For its palm-sized dimensions, the Mini pushes out impressive room filling sound, and even holds its own against its bigger Soundlink brother. It lacks a tad in bass punch than other larger speakers (which is bound to happen), but the mids and highs are its biggest strengths along with a 7 hour battery life that can outlast most parties.
Logitech UE Boombox
Rating: 6/10
Price: Rs. 21,995
URL: http://bit.ly/1aVZ3AB
JBL Flip
Rating: 9/10
Price: Rs 5,990
URL: http://bit.ly/13RRSHh
Bose Soundlink Mini
Rating: 8/10
Price: Rs 16,200
URL: http://bit.ly/13RQSmq
Tushar Kanwar- See more at: http://www.businessworld.in/news/science-and-technology/gadgets/surround-sound-portable-speakers/1021419/page-1.html#sthash.NRY9s6E4.dpuf
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