Cambridge Soundworks Bluetooth Portable Speaker (Black)

tl;dr: I'm happy with the sound and the build quality, as well as the ease of use. I'll keep them, assuming they don't auto-bork within the warranty period. _________ I've had these speakers for a couple of days (bought two to use either in dual or stereo setup). They are smaller than typical inexpensive square plastic computer speakers and weigh quite a bit more. They also sound better, unless your PC speakers cost more than $30 and include a sub-woofer. They are easy to connect via Bluetooth on both PC and Mac. I haven't tried them on Linux or a phone. The stereo connection function is easy as well. The included instruction booklet is clear and concise. I haven't tried the Dual function yet. I haven't tried them farther than 10 feet (approx. three meters) apart from the sound source or from each other. Things like walls and the transmitting power of the Bluetooth circuit in the audio device are going to have an impact on range and performance. The volume control is + or - 16 steps, and the little red power light on the control end of the speaker will blink once when you reach either 0% or 100%. TIP: Turn the speaker on and, before you connect it to an audio source or device, reduce the volume to 0% then press "+" eight times to take the volume to around 50%. You may also want to adjust the audio volume on your device to a lower level until you get a feel for the speaker. My guess is that there is quite a bit of audio processing and active EQ going on inside the speakers, and it favors and boosts bass frequencies. If you have EQ presets on your audio device, then hopefully there will be a few that roll-off or attenuate the bass. They'll have names like Spoken Word, Bass Reduce, Treble Boost, etc. For my purposes, these are "micro field" speakers that I'll use to listen to music or news while sitting at a laptop. I also tried them out as speakers for an audio device on a bookshelf. They work just fine for background music and podcasts, and fill the room. Obviously the won't move as much air as good quality bookshelf speakers but the sound is clear and pleasant. If I were going to crank up the volume I'd decrease the bass EQ on the music player first. The slightly raised control buttons are easy enough to memorize - a good thing given that they are the same matte black rubber as the rest of that end of the speaker. I suppose I would use little stickers or a white-on-black tape in label maker if I wasn't going to be handling them often. The speakers power off after a little while (haven't timed it yet) if there is no source audio, so using them to have a louder phone alarm in the morning probably work out.

Me está gustando mucho la experiencia con esta mini-bocina. A volumen máximo suena muy fuerte, con poca distorsión del sonido, en niveles medio-alto suena de muy buena calidad, aún no he hecho una prueba de batería, pero de momento dura bastante. La recomiendo mucho. Por buscarle algo malo, el plástico parece frágil, por lo que si se llegara a caer, probablemente se rompa.

Powerfull bass,clear mids and highs, better than sonys and jvc 40 dollar range speakers, good quality for the price, designed in usa.

I picked this speaker up because I wanted something inexpensive and relatively durable I could use to listen to music and podcasts in the shower. My previous shower speaker (one of the round ones with the suction cup on the bottom) put out barely enough volume to be audible over running water. This speaker however, despite its small size, is easily loud enough to be heard clearly even at half volume. At near full volume it is easily capable of being heard from at least the next room over, and delivers a fairly full bass sound and clear high range as well. My only criticism is that at maximum volume I did notice some distortion, however it is not at all necessary to set the volume this high if you are in remotely close proximity to it. I was so impressed with the device that I elected to use it more generally around the house in place of a smart speaker. On a single charge I was able to listen to use it for more than 8 hours, at a louder volume that the speaker in my iPhone is capable of outputting (which was roughly 30-35% of the maximum volume of the Oontz), and the battery was only depleted by 50%. All this for only $20. I can't recommend it enough.

It works really well, good sound, easy connectivity, US design, alas made in China, big, big sigh.