disclaimer: nothing to disclaim, except that i’m not an audiophile — just someone who likes to have music playing.
i love music, especially as something to keep me company while i’m working or putzing around the internet. as i’m not often in a hotel room when i travel, let alone one with something i can hook a music source up to, i’m stuck listening to music either on my laptop speakers or via earphones. while my laptop speakers aren’t bad for what they are, they could definitely be better, and i’d rather not use earphones when i don’t need to (it’s just plain unwieldy).
i was toying with the idea of a jawbone jambox mini but saw on amazon there was a much more affordable (and still pretty highly-rated) speaker, the oontz angle by cambridge soundworks. for only $40, i figured it was worth a shot.
Pictured on top of something for scale that some readers may recognize. It has a battery but it’s pictured plugged in.
after listening to it for a while, there are several things i enjoy:
- it’s rechargeable (charge it up via micro-USB cord, included in package; same as many phone charging cords).
- bluetooth paired easily with my windows 8 laptops and iphone 5s.
- sound is a definite step up from laptop speakers.
- haven’t tried it out, but it also functions as a speakerphone for your paired phone or computer.
- it’s pretty lightweight without feeling overly cheap, so i don’t think i’ll mind it in my carry-on.
- it seems the sound quality is better when it’s a little louder than normal than a little softer than normal. play that funky music loud!
the not-so-great:
- it was supposed to come with a pouch, but none in the box (ordered via amazon). doesn’t really matter, though; i’ve kept the original cardboard box to repack it in since i don’t want to dent the speaker grille (how ghetteaux would that be?!). too bad it’s too big to fit into a rimowa amenity case.
- naming it “oontz” and having “oontz! oontz! oontz!” all over would suggest that it has amazing bass, but no. again, better than laptop speakers, but c’mon, it’s a rechargeable portable speaker, so set your expectations accordingly. you’re not going to be blown away like the maxell ad.
- unrelated to the speaker, i think: i thought it was just my bluetooth mouse that causes my laptop wifi to go wonky, but alas, it must be bluetooth interference in general. i tried the speaker with my aspire s7 and wifi pretty much stopped working. for now i have my iphone playing to it, and i suppose in the future i can just use the (included) cable to connect the laptop if i need to. one of the solutions is apparently to change the channel your wifi router is using, but that’s probably not an option when you’re on someone else’s network.
personally i can’t imagine paying more than $40 for a portable speaker (#cheapskate), but for what i paid i think it’s certainly worth it. i can totally see myself using this in airbnbs while i work or even in a car that doesn’t have an AUX or bluetooth and i must listen to a song. now if only i had a custom rimowa to carry it around in…
p.s. if you want to see what sort of music i listen to, check out my last.fm profile.
p.p.s. i’m kicking myself for not keeping the rimowa amenity case from my royal laurel flight…i’m trying not to be a packrat but i think i could use another case!