Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 Quick Review

Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 is one of the company’s latest premium-sounding wireless speaker with high-resolution audio and extra bass feature. Like all such speakers, it will allow you to stream audio from nearly any audio device. But does it offer promising sound for its price? Let’s find out on our review.

Design and Construction

The Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 has five different eye-catching looks in Lime Yellow, Viridian Blue, Bordeaux Pink, Charcoal Black and Cinnabar Red. It is also designed to be portable with just 0.79kg so that you can carry it around wherever you want. Undeniably, this is a sleek-looking speaker with a clean and elegant design that seems well-built.

sony hear go 1

There are five soft buttons on smooth-to-the-touch finish top — Power, Extra Bass, Volume Up and Down, and Hands-free Call. You will also see on this side the six tiny LED lights with assigned labels that indicate the different modes and functions of the speaker — Charge, Link, Network, Bluetooth, USB and Audio In. Pressing the “Extra Bass” button on top allows you to enter Sony’s Extra Bass technology that promises to deliver deep and punchy bass sound, while pressing the “Power” button longer will activate the Bluetooth pairing option. Additionally, the NFC chip is placed on this side for easy pairing to any NFC-enabled devices.

sony hear go 2

Take a look at the back and you will see another grill for the rear bass radiator. There is also a big “Function” button on the upper right corner for you to switch into the different connection modes. The micro-USB and the DC IN are located on the lower back along with the 3.5mm port for wired connection. This is also where the Stereo Pair, Set Up and Update/WPS button are also sitted in line with the Left and Right Stereo indicators.

sony hear go 3

Sound Quality

The Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 features a dual 35mm full-range drivers and passive radiators paired with high resolution audio. It also has an array of connectivity options like the standard 3.5mm audio input, Bluetooth, USB, DLNA and Wi-Fi. We often end up using its Wi-Fi connectivity option to connect into our home network so that we can directly stream music via Google Cast or Spotify Connect.

sony hear go 4

Like any Sony speakers, it boasts exceptional sound quality. The battery life is rated at around 12 hours, which is great. It’s excellent when it comes to highs with clean midrange that made vocals sound crisp and present. It obviously got a punchier bass, thanks to its extra bass feature, which overall improved the sound quality. It also excelled with Chainsmokers’ Closer and Roses with a mellow and smooth bass drop.

sony hear go 5

Furthermore, if you’re a type of person who always want to follow the beat, its precise detail and powerful bass will surely take you anywhere at all times. Since it fusions stunning sound with easy connectivity, this wireless speaker is undeniably a perfect choice. Check out our product demo video below of the Sony SRS-HG1 featuring some of the EXUDE Dancers from our friends at Far Eastern University Institute of Technology.

Conclusion

The Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 is one of the best sounding wireless speakers you can buy with one caveat: it’s a little bit pricey at Php9,999. Additionally, it may not be as compact or have quite sturdy design compare to others, but it still sounds exceptional and visually-appealing. The addition of its wide range of connectivity may also come in handy for users who bring their speaker everywhere they go. This is certainly worth checking out if you are looking for a high-end wireless speaker with high-resolution audio and is capable of delivering deep and clear bass.

sony hear go 6

Sony H.ear Go SRS-HG1 specs:

Dimensions: 204 x 62 x 60mm
Weight: 0.79kg
Speaker Type: Full Range
Connections: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, DLNA, Google Cast, Spotify Connect
Input and Output Terminals: Micro-USB, 3.5mm jack
Power: AC Power, Rechargeable Battery

What we liked about it:

* Great overall sound quality
* Clear sound reproduction
* Exceptional mids and highs
* Powerful bass
* Loud volume
* Wide range of connectivity
* Long battery life

What we disliked:

* A bit pricey

 

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JBL Launches New Line Of Audio Gears in PH

In an event held earlier today, we saw the launch of the new lineup of audio peripherals from JBL which include the Charge 2+, Clip+, Extreme, Flip 3, and Pulse 2.

JBL Extreme – Php15,995
JBL Flip 3 – Php6,495
JBL Pulse 2 – Php9,995
JBL Charge 2+ – Php7,995
JBL Clip+ – Php2,995

These new JBL audio gears are available locally in the following stores:

JBL Sound Gallery – B3 Bonifacio High Street (beside TGIFriday’s and Happy Lemon), 799-9344
JBL Acoustical Space – 4th Floor SM Megamall Cyberzone, 919-6012
JBL Digital Dreams – 4th Floor SM North EDSA Annex, 738-2554
JBL / Harman Kardon – Level 3 Mindanao Wing TriNoma
JBL / Harman Kardon – 3rd Floor Fairview Terraces

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JBL Launches New Line Of Audio Gears in PH

In an event held earlier today, we saw the launch of the new lineup of audio peripherals from JBL which include the Charge 2+, Clip+, Extreme, Flip 3, and Pulse 2.

JBL Extreme – Php15,995
JBL Flip 3 – Php6,495
JBL Pulse 2 – Php9,995
JBL Charge 2+ – Php7,995
JBL Clip+ – Php2,995

These new JBL audio gears are available locally in the following stores:

JBL Sound Gallery – B3 Bonifacio High Street (beside TGIFriday’s and Happy Lemon), 799-9344
JBL Acoustical Space – 4th Floor SM Megamall Cyberzone, 919-6012
JBL Digital Dreams – 4th Floor SM North EDSA Annex, 738-2554
JBL / Harman Kardon – Level 3 Mindanao Wing TriNoma
JBL / Harman Kardon – 3rd Floor Fairview Terraces

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Bose SoundLink III Review

Along with the SoundTouch 20, we also received the Bose SoundLink III a couple of weeks back for review. And after using it as our daily driver, we’re ready to share with you guys our full review of this portable wireless speaker.

Design and Construction

Design-wise, the Bose Soundlink III is as basic as it comes. Truth be told, there’s nothing about this speaker that will immediately catch your attention, other than maybe the small “Bose” logo on the front.

Bose SoundLink III Philippines

We assume that the young and hip crowd will not give this speaker a second-look, and would rather go for the flashy, light-emitting JBL Pulse which we’ve reviewed just recently. However, the more laid-back consumers will certainly appreciate its no-frill design which is complemented by the SoundLink III’s grey paintjob with a touch of white paint at the top.

The same minimalist approach is applied to the speakers control panel which is situated at the top portion of the device. The left portion of the panel comprises of the Power, Bluetooth and Aux buttons, while the other half is reserved for the keys that controls the sound output of the device (Mute, Power Up/Down).

SoundLink III Philippines

The SoundLink III’s front section is mainly occupied by the speaker grilles which hide the quartet of drivers from plain sight. The only other components worth noting here in this area are the four LED lights on the front of the speaker which corresponds to the speakers Bluetooth and Aux functions, as well as the Mute and Battery/Charging state.

Apart from the Micro-USB port and two other ports for charging and Aux-In, the back portion of the speaker looks pretty much like the front end; uncluttered but rather uninteresting.

Other features (or the lack of it)

If you’re planning to shell out almost twenty grand for a wireless speaker, you’re most likely to expect a little some extra on the side than what the competition is offering. Well, we hate to disappoint, but that’s not the case with the SoundLink III.

SoundLink 3 philippines

Although it pretty much have most of the basic things covered (the inclusion of a Play/Pause, Previous and Next buttons would’ve been nicer), this wireless speaker doesn’t have NFC or Bluetooth aptX support which are slowly becoming a staple for mid-tier to high-end wireless speakers.

That said, the SoundLink III, in our opinion, is just a straightforward Bluetooth speakers that functions the same way as a normal wireless speaker would, but costs two times more than what the competitions are offering. But then again, it’s made by Bose so what can you expect.

Sound Performance

A good portion of what you’ll be paying for the SoundLink III goes into the four neodymium tranducers inside of it which, by the way, are also partly the reason why the speaker weighs so heavy despite of its deceivingly lightweight form factor.

Needless to say, these drivers are fine tuned to deliver above-average sound quality that you’d expect from a speaker of this caliber. And although we have to admit that its sound performance alone wouldn’t suffice to cover the whole price of the admission, it certainly helped in making its SRP a little easier to swallow.

Test parameters:
(24 hours of burn-in was done prior to the actual test)
Device: iPhone 4S
Volume: 90%
Equalizer: Off
File format: Combination of MP3 and ALAC
Track bitrate: 256Kbps and above
Tracks:
• Back to You – John Mayer (Good)
• King of anything – Sarah Bareilles (Best)
• Headlights – Eminem ft. Nate Ruess (Best)
• Mrs. Fely Nimfa – Itchyworms (Good)
• 19-2000 – Gorillaz (Best)
• She wants to move – NERD (Best)
• Basket Case – Greenday (Good)
• Perfect – Pink (Best)
• Love Song – 311 (Good)
• Sunset Daze – Selfish (Best)

Let’s talk about its sound signature. Right from the get go, we noticed that there’s plenty of bass to go around with. Perhaps a little bit too much as it tend to somewhat overpower the treble, resulting into a rather veiled output, particularly in the highs and upper mids.

Not only were the highs are slightly attenuated, the chimes (and other similar-sounding instruments) lacked vibrance to point that it sounded flat. The vocals, on the other hand, don’t seem to be affected that much by the SoundLink III’s powerful bass. It sounded very clear and blended well with the speaker’s deep bass.

Battery Life

Apart from its respectable sound output, battery life is another strong suit of the SoundLink III. Bose claims that it can last up to 14 hours of continuous music playback (wirelessly) on a single full charge and based on our test, the speaker, or should we say the battery, works as advertised and sometimes even surpassing the claimed mileage depending on the usage.

soundlink 3

Of course, we didn’t have the luxury of playing tracks for 14 or more hours straight. So what we did was we ran a timer whenever we’re using the speaker, and stopped it whenever we’re out in the field. On average, we got around 16-18 hours’ worth of juice before we reached out for its proprietary charger.

Conclusion

It was back in 2011 when Bose introduced the first SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker. The competition in the wireless speaker arena was not as fierce as compared to today, and all the company needed to do to win the crowd was apply their signature sound and slap it on to a portable speaker that can be synced wirelessly to the audio source.

Three years and two iterations later, the company still decided to use the same principle on the SoundLink III. And while it’s true that the battery life is significantly better than the two previous models combined, not to mention the current version has a more refined sound quality than its predecessors, we think that Bose could’ve done more with the SoundLink III given the technology available today.

With everything taken in to consideration, we still feel that the Bose SoundLink III is a decent wireless speaker that offers superb sound quality for its size and long battery life to last you for hours on end. Yes, it doesn’t have the fancy add-on features that other wireless speakers in the market have, but if you’re just in the market for a Bluetooth speaker from a reputable brand and money is not an issue, then the SoundLink III should definitely be on your list.

What we liked about it:

* Above-average sound quality
* Vocals and Bass are well-pronounced
* Loud enough to easily fill a mid-sized room
* Decent build with a minimalist design
* Long battery life
* Optional Cover (sold separately, comes in 5 color options)

What we didn’t like about it:

* PRICEY
* Highs are a bit recessed and lacked vibrance
* Lacks Bluetooth aptX and NFC
* Proprietary charger
* Doesn’t charge via Micro-USB port (only for service and future software updates)
* Doesn’t come with a remote

The Bose SoundLink III is available locally for Php19,000.

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Top 5 Wireless Speakers of CES 2014

Most of the gears we’ve covered so far in this year’s CES have been laptops, smartphones and cameras. That’s not to say though that there’s no room for new speakers. And for that, we’ve compiled a list of the coolest audio boxes we’ve seen in CES 2014.

Well since our CES coverage primarily consists of Android devices, why don’t we start our list with a speaker that has one built-in to it. Enter the Vizio Portable Smart Audio Player, a wireless speaker and quad-core Android device all rolled in to one shiny piece of audio equipment.

vizio

Vizio’s revolutionary“Smart-Speaker” runs on Android KitKat and is powered by an undisclosed quad-core processor. Furthermore, it’s equipped with a USB port and wireless chips for Bluetooth and WiFi, allowing users to stream contents from an external device.

The company has yet to announce the pricing and availability of their new device.

SRS-X9

If Vizio’s Android-powered speaker doesn’t appeal to you that much, or if you’re looking for a more serious wireless speaker, then you might fancy Sony’s new high-end speaker called the SRS-X9.

The SRS-X9 is imbued with Sony’s proprietary Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) which allows it to produce high-resolution sound output. In addition, it offers a wide range of connection including NFC, WiFi for DLNA and Apple Airplay and Bluetooth with aptX support.

Sony hasn’t announced the SRP of the SRS-X9, but it’s expected to hit the shelves starting on the second quarter of the year.

AirWave Box

Now if you’re looking for a more portable speaker that you can bring during your hiking trip, then Cobra Electronic’s AirWave Box might just do the trick.

Don’t let that colorful exterior fool you now, ‘cause the AirWave Box is as rugged as it gets. It can survive being submerged for up to about 30 minutes in a meter-deep water and has a rubber skin to protect against minor bumps.

The AirWave Box and its little brother, AirWave Mini, will be available this quarter and will retail for USD39.99 and USD79.99 respectively.

pocket kick

Soundfreaq also got a chance to showcase their new line of speakers in CES 2014. But among the speaker’s they’ve unveiled this year, the new Pocket Kick was the one that got our attention.

This wireless speaker looks like a pocket-size version of the Sound Kick which we’ve reviewed in the past. But despite of its 30mm thick body, the Pocket Kick was still able to deliver quite a punch thanks to a pair of 2.5-watt drivers.

You can pair up your device to the Soundfreaq Pocket Kick either through an audio jack or Bluetooth connection. Furthermore, the company claims that it can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. It’s slated to arrive in the second quarter of the year and will be retailed for USD99.

AR for Her

Now here’s something for the tech-savvy ladies in the house. Acoustic Research has released set of chic wireless speakers called “AR for Her”. The collection includes speaker that looks like a lipstick (which BTW is called Zipstick) and another one that looks like a small handbag.

Users can choose to go subtle with the White and Pink Polka variants or go wild by opting for the one leopard paintjob. Both fashionable and purposeful, this AR for Her speaker is equipped with a microphone for hands-free call and provides 8 hours of mileage in a single charge.

The pricing for the AR for Her lineup is yet to be announced, but it’s expected to go on sale in Spring.

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