Introduction
Bluetooth speakers are, to coin a phrase, a dime a dozen in this day and age. Aside from the fact smartphones are capable of some quite clear, loud and indeed crisp low end output now, there are still situations where bluetooth speakers come in handy.Trips, holidays, picnics, and of course when you want something to sing along to in the shower!Sandberg has launched a new speaker,which is the Buddy wireless speaker.The market has no shortage of wireless speakers, and so finding a way to stand out is imperative.Sandberg managed to do that cause Buddy is a Bluetooth Speaker with a 3000mAh Power Bank which can also be used as a handsfree call device,music remote,Selfie remote and torch.
Specifications.
Packaging & Bundle
Sandberg have done away with the solid plastic case and replaced it with a simple cardboard box.It doesn't feel as luxurious but I don't mind, as I never used the case again.I'd rather Sandberg save money on packaging to make better quality speakers.
At the rear of the box we see a description of the product printed in many languages right above the contents and specifications lists.
Looking behind the door, on the front of the box, shows a window with a full view of the speaker.
Within the packaging you'll find the speaker, a 3.5mm interconnect cable, a Micro-USB to USB cable used for charging and a manual.
A Closer Look
The speaker is relatively compact but not absurdly small.It still consider it portable given that you can easily put it in a bag to transport it.
The Buddy is powered by three 6 Watt speakers.They are housed within the elegantly placed black aluminum speaker grill.
A hard plastic covering the rest of the speaker.
A photo of the bottom of the Buddy, which includes a black plastic panel with regulatory information displayed.There are also two small,black, rubber pads on either end upon which the Buddy is intended to sit, to give it some grip on smooth surfaces.
At the front of the speaker there is a Sandberg logo written on the plastic, whilst near it there are five buttons used to control certain aspects of your speaker.The buttons will enable you to power on, play/pause, volume up/down and skip/previous tracks.There is also a torch button.
Around the back of the speaker there is an auxiliary 3.5mm jack and a Micro-USB port. When the speaker is connected through a 3.5mm jack it automatically disables its Bluetooth connection.Also there is a 5V out USB port for charging a mobile phone,a 5V microUSB dc in for charging the Buddy and a torch LED light.
The speaker has in-built microphone which means you will be able to take calls directly from your speaker.
Performance
The Buddy paired quickly with both iOS and Android devices. To put the speaker in pairing mode, you push the Bluetooth button on for a couple of seconds. In iOS, go to Settings > Bluetooth, where the Buddy Speaker should appear under Devices. On an Android device, you just have to go to Settings and look for the speaker listed in Available Devices.Charging it will take 3 hours.
Starting off with the bass, the sub-bass response is unbelievable for such a portable speaker. The sub-bass extension this speaker has is so powerful and well extended that when placed in a wooden drawer can shake your entire wardrobe or desk. Speaking of which, we would recommend placing it on the floor or on a sturdy non-closed location, or else you'll find yourself overloaded with sub-bass tones.
Its mid-bass is also very impressive with a strong slam, making it ideal for those more bass-orientated songs. The mid-bass has enough quantity, but also boasts great quality through its control in the low-end tones.
Despite having a strong presence in the bass department, the mids are relatively unaffected where they are quite forward sounding and have a great overall tonality. It should be noted that the mids are slightly pushed back making the sound signature slightly V-shaped.
The highs are very well extended and provide an excellent sparkle to the speaker's sound signature. The high frequencies are also positively impacted by the great soundstage and instrument separation that the Buddy is able to deliver through its three 6 Watt drivers. The overall soundstage is wide and has good depth to it, providing you with an engaging sound.
The microphone was decent for calls and we faced no connection drops during testing.
Finally we come to battery life. This device does not disappoint. We managed to get just over 17 hours of continuous playback from our smartphone before the device tailed off. This is within the 20 hours of battery life Sandberg calls out in its literature. We were playing music at just over normal (about 60% volume) for that period which seems more than acceptable to us.
Final Thoughts
The Sandberg Buddy Bluetooth speaker is a nice little portable speaker. Its form factor makes it compact enough to take it along just about anywhere, while its matte black, anodized aluminum unibody case with grey accents give it a handsome enough appearance for your desktop or patio. Bluetooth connectivity was a snap and the controls work well.The Buddy can be connected through Bluetooth 4.1 or an auxiliary 3.5mm jack. We found the speaker able to play at over 10m through several walls and we were impressed by its overall Bluetooth transmission quality.The sound quality is by far one of the most impressive aspects of this speaker. It is able to reproduce all sound frequencies extremely well, especially sub- and mid-bass tones, which are desk shatteringly good.It has Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR, which means that it'll connect to any recent Bluetooth-compatible PC, laptop, tablet or phone. With A2DP it defines how multimedia audio can be streamed from one device to another over a Bluetooth connection (it is also called Bluetooth Audio Streaming). For example, music can be streamed from a mobile phone, to a wireless headset, hearing aid/cochlear implant streamer, car audio, or from a laptop/desktop to a wireless headset.Also, voice can be streamed from a microphone device to a recorder on a PC.With AVRCP it provide a standard interface to control TVs, Hi-fi equipment, etc. to allow a single remote control (or other device) to control all of the A/V equipment to which a user has access.For those of you that shy away from Bluetooth (for reasons such as audio compression or connection issues) there is other way to connect. It has an Aux In connection for use with an audio cable with a 3.5 mm jack and a cable is included with the speaker. There are benefits to using the physical connection opposed to Bluetooth with the main one being no further audio compression. When you use Bluetooth to play music, the audio stream undergoes lossy compression, reducing overall sound quality.
No other portable Bluetooth speaker that costs $60 can match the Buddy's 6 in 1 combination. In fact, few devices that cost $60 can match the Buddy's audio performance.Overall, the Buddy packs an impressive punch for its size and price tag. It is heard more than seen, and enjoyed far more than its price justifies.Skip the expensive brands, save yourself some cash and please your eardrums with this amazingly premium device from a surprising budget contender!
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