View Point
Design
The design and look of this speaker is very nice. The use or geometric and ergonomic shapes to create a shape that varies in all directions. The smooth curve of the speaker creates and works as a handle. Carrying the speaker in this way is easy as it is balanced either side making it effortless to move around. In most usuall speakers we see ports in the back of a speaker in the form of a hole. This design has erradicated this ugly feature in speakers by using holes in the side of the speaker covered in a black mesh, which allows adequate space for air to enter.
With the speakers set back into the speaker this allows for a more directional positioning of the sound. This design also allows for clean cut edges between the speaker face and the mesh. The mesh used acts great to cover the ugly look of the driver and works well to add some difference to the look however it also works as a dust trap. The mesh catches and holds on to every small spec of dust that is around and bcomes a pain to remove.
There is one major design floor in this speaker and that is the position of where the ports are located. The speaker is all neat and tidy untilll you look at the back where a box has been placed. The box looks out of place and is in the way when puitting the speaker against a wall. The joining of the edges between the box and speaker back is poor where gaps are visible. This presents a product that looks to have been rushed, and lets down the speaker on a whole.
Choice of colour for the speaker is perfect as it suits a modern yet slightly older design, this makes it appealing to older and younger customers.
Conectivity
With a wide variety of smartphones, MP3 players and tablets now emerging they all support different formats and the only thing they have incommon is the AUX jack. This speaker takes full advantage of the Aux port and is the speakers only input of sound. With an Aux jack at the back of the speaker anyone can easily and quickly connect their device to the speaker providing they have a Aux cable. While this allows the speaker to work with any device it becomes a hinderence. Having the speaker connected by a cable means you are limited in the movement of the device as it has to be connected to play music.
I am suprised that this speaker does not support Bluetooth connection especially as this is a new speaker. Looking at other speakers i have reviewed such as the Bose SoundLink this speaker is extremely poor in the way that it doesnt support wireless connection, especially considering the price.
For those of you that are intrestead in making this speaker bluetooth you are able to buy a Aux adapter that you plug into the aux port and are then able to use the speaker wirelessly.
Using the Speaker via AUX means that you are able to control all the music functions from the device and not the speaker. This makes it easier to find songs and change the volume but to also see it visiably. But again all this means that you have to leave you phone with the speaker.
Portable
This is a speaker that has been designed to be portable around the home. i Think that it is perfect for moving around the house as it has a carry style designed into the shape meaning it can be moved easily and when its not being carried it still looks good unlike some speakers that dont achieve this. The size of the speaker is good; not to big and not to small. I expected it to be this size as it was designed to be moved but i dont think that the size of the speaker and the size of the drivers compliment each other.
A Major part of this speaker that hasnt made it fully portable is the power source. Having to be plugged into a wall socket all the time limits the positioning and moveability of the speaker. This means that where ever the speaker is placed it has to be next to a plug socket to work. This means that it cant be used outdoors as there are no plug sockets outside.
Making this battery powered would improve the portability of the speaker massively but that posses problems in terms of the weight, time it can be used and possibly the design.
Sound Quality
The quality of sound from this speaker is average. I was majorly disappointed with the sound quality especially as this product is from KEF who are one of the leading companies in sound. To start off with i think that the speakers used are to small, there is enough room to have larger speakers and i think that would be highly benificial as it would be louder and clearer from greater distance than previously. The Bass on this speaker is what brings it down. Most songs that i listen to our House/Dance orientated, this kind of music relies on basss majorly nd with this speaker no bass is produced. The bass that is produced is muffled and makes the song sound strange.
The Mid's and Treble in this speaker are much better than the bass. This speaker is excellent at giving off clear vocals in acoustic songs and is impressing.
Here is a Review for the all new KEF speaker. I have spent a wek using this product and have decided to review it along side KEF and other speakers like it. This is a very impressive speaker that looks outstanding but lacks in sound quality. For the price it is marked up for i was expecting more.
Below i have gone into depth looking at the key aspects of a speaker and what this achives and doesnt achieved.
This is a speaker that i really enjpyed using and would deffinetly recommend it to others but i would warn on the sound quality.
If you are someone who relies on having a loud speaker im affraid this isnt it. Dont get me wrong this speaker is loud but not as loud as other speakers in this price bracket. Okay for indoor use but not for outdoor and busy loud environments (Party)
Rating's / Opinion
This speaker really does depend on its customers and what they want. If you are looking for a clean modern speaker with a great design and something that will standout, this is the best around in terms of looks when comparing to Bose. The use of high quality materials such as the Aluminum for the buttons and Dark Walnut Wood have created a great stnadout speaker with sufficient sound quality for most people. However on the other hand if you not like most people and crave for a speaker with amazing qound quality this isnt it as it lacks in therequired sound that most sound buffs love. Comparing this to the Bose
This speaker really does depend on its customers and what they want. If you are looking for a clean modern speaker with a great design and something that will standout, this is the best around in terms of looks when comparing to Bose. The use of high quality materials such as the Aluminum for the buttons and Dark Walnut Wood have created a great stnadout speaker with sufficient sound quality for most people. However on the other hand if you not like most people and crave for a speaker with amazing qound quality this isnt it as it lacks in therequired sound that most sound buffs love. Comparing this to the Bose SoundLink it is average and notthing special except the design and look of the speaker.
DESIGN
SOUND QUALITY
PORTABILITY
DURABILITY
CONNECTIVITY
Pros
Fantastic Design
Easy and quick setup
Durable materials used
Simlpe to use controling from phone
Different from other speaker
Easy to carry and move
Supports multiple devices
Con's
Poor Sound Quality
Price is High
Buttons arent level
Not Bluetooth
Not battery powered
Mesh attracts Dust
Box for ports on the back
PRO'S v CON'S