Best portable Bluetooth speakers (Oluv's personal favorites 2014)

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUDydWP1_DGtJOhRU9J2yQ72vHt2NZTVY-FaoWpEYsXqfkN84GLTsfG5HxEftzI0Q9UMVCIcNhVgqcc3tDP8Jzmip7QFhZSza0SblYb_h6j2IBo9I27dYyxiNZH9ToZXSX8mAkeMDNkQT/s1600/all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUDydWP1_DGtJOhRU9J2yQ72vHt2NZTVY-FaoWpEYsXqfkN84GLTsfG5HxEftzI0Q9UMVCIcNhVgqcc3tDP8Jzmip7QFhZSza0SblYb_h6j2IBo9I27dYyxiNZH9ToZXSX8mAkeMDNkQT/s1600/all.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />With this list I want to show you my personal favorite portable speakers that I use on a regular basis including some explanation why I have chosen them over some others and when I use this instead of that. It's been quite a long time I wanted to prepare a kind of best-of list of all portable speakers I know or that I have heard. But after having heard so many, I thought that a real best-of is simply not doable as each speaker has its own strengths or weaknesses. After all those years it seemed I would still not be able to find a single speaker which would satisfy all my needs not until I have heard the new <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/12/review-denon-envaya-mini.html">Denon Envaya Mini</a>, which mixed up my whole perspective and made my whole list until now pretty useless. The Denon Envaya Mini finally persuaded me to sell all other speakers I currently own, including <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/review-jbl-charge-2-failed-new-benchmark.html">JBL Charge 2</a>, <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/08/fugoo-bluetooth-speaker-first.html">Fugoo</a>, <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/07/review-sony-srs-x3-bose-soundlink-mini.html">Sony SRS-X3</a> etc. Therefore I would like to present *drum roll* the Denon Envaya Mini as my current favorite portable speaker.<br /><br /><a name="more"></a>As it had already taken me some time to prepare this whole list, I will nevertheless add all the other speakers below, although I probably wouldn't consider them at all anymore. Please let me clarify that my main goal is high audio quality. Most will have probably noticed that I have a weekness for a full-bodied sound. There must be at least some base for the music with enough bass to make it sound satisfying, otherwise I cannot enjoy music and prefer not to listen at all. I don't care about speakers that can play screamingly loud but fail completely at lower levels, or speakers with tons of nice features that only sound like my old clock radio. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Denon Envaya Mini </b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRWAXz-sQ-RQFUM9_bFB3zKml2MkeZZ7aHDZ6nZibK_w13ThZA7vfg5PjXQUQb-9OlGqIEAbPeiByAAH6YyuLYE4ylItY57zUfqEHZkrijpYMkPss2TbHW9O9MdVQosyyyP8z0w8u5dCb/s1600/denon-envaya-mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRWAXz-sQ-RQFUM9_bFB3zKml2MkeZZ7aHDZ6nZibK_w13ThZA7vfg5PjXQUQb-9OlGqIEAbPeiByAAH6YyuLYE4ylItY57zUfqEHZkrijpYMkPss2TbHW9O9MdVQosyyyP8z0w8u5dCb/s1600/denon-envaya-mini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Buy it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SFZ4EWC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SFZ4EWC&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-20&linkId=CFYDE7W7J7FAKJNY">amazon.com</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NBXJ9NW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B00NBXJ9NW&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-21&linkId=JGWZNAJDL5OFG3HG">amazon.co.uk</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00NBXJ9NW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creative=6742&creativeASIN=B00NBXJ9NW&linkCode=as2&tag=oluv-21&linkId=SOY2BX3R45BYYGK5">amazon.de</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-de.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oluv-21&l=as2&o=3&a=B00NBXJ9NW" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" width="1" /><br />I doubt there is any better sounding speaker available that small right now, therefore the Denon Envaya Mini gets my first vote to become the overall "winner". It is extremely portable, splash water resistant and has a professionally close to hifi tuned sound. It is not the loudest speaker nor the one with the biggest bass, but it sounds as close to flat as possible at that size with full bass response down to 80hz which appears even deeper thanks to some psychoacoustic algorithms. There is some stereo separation and the Envaya Mini sounds perfect at low and at highest levels with hardly any distortion or dynamics compression at all. It should satisfy 70% of most needs, just if you need higher loudness, you will probably wish for something more powerful, this is where my Infinity One jumps in, which you can find next in this list below. <br />Another alternative to the Envaya Mini would be the the <b>JBL Charge 2</b>. Until I heard the Denon, JBL Charge 2 might have been close to a "near-perfect" portable speaker, but unfortunately JBL managed to screw it up making it unsable at low levels and unlistenable with many tracks because they cause noticeable distortion, otherwise the JBL Charge 2 would probably be the best sounding speaker in its class that I would recommend over all the others more or less on par or above the Denon. I feel still so sorry about all the issues it suffers from, and that JBL doesn't really care to offer any fix. It seems they just recently started to sell a new batch of devices, which don't suffer from any distortion, although they still seem to have some issues at lower levels. Apart from that I also hate the status tones the JBL Charge 2 will play if you turn it on, or when it will connect to a device. The tones are so annoying that you cannot even turn it on in a silent enviroment. The JBL Charge 2 is not usable at low levels, it will sound just poor with bass sounding strange and with additional artefacts noticeable during the first 4-5 volume steps. I usually welcome a mirrored volume control between speaker and device, but in case of the JBL Charge 2 the volume steps are very rough and the speaker becomes too loud too quickly. The JBL Charge 2 has pretty non directional treble response. It still sounds quite good from above or from the side unlike most other similar speakers. I also like the fact that the JBL Charge 2 will retain more bass and sound more dynamic than most other competing models. Even at maximum volume you will be able to hear every drum-kick attack, while the Bose Soundlink Mini or the Sony SRS-X3 will compress them away. Sometimes I would prefer it even louder, especially outdoors, that's why I finally settled for an Infinity One described below. <br />Other speakers in this smaller class worth having a deeper look: I really liked the <b>Fugoo</b> a lot as an all around speaker but also for use at home from room to room etc. It might not be a very loud speaker and bass could take some stronger punch, but it is small enough to be carried around and thanks to its "jackets" is rugged to be just tossed inside some bag or stuffed inside a jacket pocket without any additional protection or pouch needed. Unfortunately none of the jackets does have any clip-on option without the additional mount-pack. It would have been great if Fugoo had included some simple lug in any of the jackets, so that the speaker could be quickly clipped on somewhere. The Fugoo is also one of the few speakers that really withstands a complete submerge under water, it is not just splash resistant like many others, but entirely waterproof.<br />Bluetooth connectivity is great and the Fugoo connects automatically to any found device unlike most other speakers, which seem to be still waiting for the latest one. <br />I also like the fact that the Fugoo remains nearly silent during operation if all voice prompts are disabled. Overall the sound of the Fugoo is quite full-bodied, it is not overly bloated but pleasant to listen to, with a similar bass-amount to many larger speakers like Soundblaster Roar etc, although the sound starts falling apart a little bit above half volume which is not very loud and does not come close to the sound of the Denon Envaya Mini, which is much more serious, and much louder at the same time. If the Fugoo was slightly louder overall with slightly more bass, it would be definitely on my top list if I had to pick just one single speaker, but now the Denon Envaya Mini took this honour and the Fugoo has to go. Another strong contender loved by ones, hated by others is the <b>Bose Soundlink Mini</b>which has no problems like the JBL Charge 2, but I found the sound to be too muffled and too directional and sometimes too boomy. The <b>Sony SRS-X3</b> might be another worthy alternative and I think it sounds best for low volume listening, especially because you can fine-tune the final bass amount with the input-volume of your streaming device, a welcome side effect of the dynamic sound-processing, which becomes confused with lower input levels and dials bass back, because the speaker output needs to be raised. The X3 has some problems at higher volume levels though and battery life is not as stable, especially when cranked. Unfortunately both Sony and Bose play some kind of annoying tones if they are either turned on/off or if they establish a Bluetooth connection. Another alternative might be the <b>Bose Soundlink Colour</b>. The sound is not as mature or not as refined as of all the others, but it is nevertheless a pretty solid speaker with a nicely tuned sound for all volume levels. It will sound good at low and at high levels, without any side-effects or artefacts. Treble is less directional than that from the Soundlink Mini and the Soundlink Colour will not sound that boomy in most cases although mid-bass has quite an obvious boost with some stronger resonance, which can start sounding annyoing with some particular tracks. Also Bluetooth connectivity is one of the best I had experienced so far with automatic reconnection to 2 previous devices after power on, just don't expect any stereo sound as the Soundlink Colour is rather a stereo speaker with mono sound. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>Infinity One</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b></b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2wzXWW4ldbLDipKpHmQ_jD20nXHnWYV7gIQO3eW-z1kZOWG07IK_oNzoy7CgLQLPC4ewJ5kRI4OM4QoKYNCCHq1EO6nSZyoA7QilAZ6_F-Drq_sHto415q4ZFO8eKezFuDhexVzE7p7a/s1600/infinity-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2wzXWW4ldbLDipKpHmQ_jD20nXHnWYV7gIQO3eW-z1kZOWG07IK_oNzoy7CgLQLPC4ewJ5kRI4OM4QoKYNCCHq1EO6nSZyoA7QilAZ6_F-Drq_sHto415q4ZFO8eKezFuDhexVzE7p7a/s1600/infinity-one.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Still only available from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LOL7HDC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LOL7HDC&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-20&linkId=ITAEPPSEXO4IMGCQ">amazon.com</a>, funnily the Infinity One does not sound really that much better than the Denon Envaya Mini, the Infinity One's sound is just more powerful, which is not surprising given the size being 3 times as large. the Infinity One is basically a blown up JBL Charge 2. The sound is similar between both, with the Infinity One just sounding more blown up. The Infinity One is a bit too large and heavy to be carried around whole the time. But if you know that you will need a portable speaker which manages to deliver enough power at higher levels too, the Infinity One might be the best choice. When the Denon Envaya Mini is already at its top volume, resulting in some heavy bass-loss, although perfectly usable without any distortion, the Infinity One will still have enough headroom, although the Infinity One will suffer from some intermodulation distortion at these higher settings, but the Infinity One will be able to keep much more bass at comparable loudness settings and maximum volume should still be loud enough for any smaller outdoor event. The stronger intermodulation distortion at high levels is the biggest letdown of the Infinity One, it sounds more enforced than the Soundlink III and many bass-heavy tracks may start sounding really harsh because of this, while others might still sound perfect, Infinity should have added some simple tweeters to the front drivers, as the back drivers sound pretty clear as they are fitered for higher frequencies, where intermodlation becomes most obvious. Similar to the JBL Charge 2 the Infinity One will also manage to retain the dynamics of kickdrum attacks, unlike the Soundlink III, which will rather iron out any stronger punches. For house-music I would prefer the Infinity One over the Soundlink III, which might be better for Jazz and acoustic stuff due to less intermodulation distortion problems.<br />Unfortunately the Infinity One has the same loud status tones and the same mirrored volume control with even rougher steps than the JBL Charge. In case of an iOS device the volume control is not fine enough to really allow any sensitive adjustment. Thank godness the Infinity One does not suffer from any of the processing artefacts which plague the JBL Charge 2. I think that the Infinity One delivers the best performance of all speakers I have tested in this larger speaker-class aroung 1kg, including Bose Soundlink III, Beats Pill XL, TDK A34, Loewe Speaker2go and even the B&O Beoplay A2, which has its own qualities and problems, thus as total package I just regard the Infinity One as the best option right now.<br />A big problem for all non U.S citicens might be that the Infinity One is only offered in the U.S so you will have to import it on your own if you live outside, which is what I finally did. But for casual listening at home I prefer the Denon most of the time, even though it has slightly less bass, it sounds more natural with more stereo separation and is much easier to carry around.<br />Other possible alternatives: <b>Bose Soundlink III </b>sounds quite similar to the Infinity One, but has a more directional and more "edgy" sound while the Infinity One sounds rounder and more open. The Infinity One also has the option to be charged through USB in case of need and it can charge external devices too. Overall I prefer the Infinity One over the Bose Soundlink III, although the Bose has the better tuning for low levels with a more profound sound and obvious intermodulation distortion should be less of an issue. Other alternatives might be the <b>TDK A33 </b>which is pretty cheap now or the newer<b> A34</b> as both<b> </b>are pretty balanced sounding speakers unfortunately with a pretty bad battery and a questionable charging logic. I never manged to make the A33 play for longer than 6 hours even at lower levels, the A34 seems to suffer from the same problem. The <b>Soundblaster Roar</b> is very similar to the TDK A33 in sound but has tons of additional features which you might need or not need. It doesn't play as loud as the TDK, but overall it is the better speaker I think. It doesn't sound as full bodied as the Infinity One or the JBL Charge 2, but the sound is still quite nice, although it won't knock your socks off.<br />You might also like the <b>Denon Envaya</b> which sounds quite similar to the Bose Soundlink III although not quite as loud but also cheaper. The <b>B&O Beoplay A2</b> would have been my personal favorite if battery life was more predictable and the sound more constant on higher levels. I really like the design and sound tuning is simply impressive, but I couldn't live with the added distortion on many tracks especially at the given price being one of the most expensive speakers shown here. I would also like to add the <b>Beats Pill XL</b>, which is not a very good sounding speaker per se, but a very powerful one with great features, wireless stereo pairing etc. It is still one of the loudest I have heard at this size and manages to sound pretty controlled when the others are already struggling or reaching their limits with the Pill XL still being much louder than all of them.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>Bose Soundlink Wireless Music System </b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Xq3CPKlQvsU2HVgSoCIS4KIluYWU1TsVGuTOL5_HGn7xqrYFuPaQhIVcMvqT0DiHgKnlpfRpz6u7DzwicSrdNYAWM7mG0o5bc_Bv9CD_oqQNSmgZyjw0IVFh30LAeuSOVttktXeWAaLI/s1600/bose-soundlink-wireless-music-system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Xq3CPKlQvsU2HVgSoCIS4KIluYWU1TsVGuTOL5_HGn7xqrYFuPaQhIVcMvqT0DiHgKnlpfRpz6u7DzwicSrdNYAWM7mG0o5bc_Bv9CD_oqQNSmgZyjw0IVFh30LAeuSOVttktXeWAaLI/s1600/bose-soundlink-wireless-music-system.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Although I currently don't use it that much, I still think that this old and discontinued Bose system is a spectacular and underrated portable Bluetooth speaker. It is based on the Bose Sounddock portable which was also discontinued in the meantime but with Bluetooth instead of the Apple-dock.<br />Thanks to its flat design it is still pretty portable despite being larger than the Infinity One and with just 2kg including the swappable battery it should find its place inside any even smaller rucksack. The Bose Soundlink Wireless Music System is one of the most powerful systems at this size. The amplifier delivers 40Watts (unlike the 25W of the Infinity One), and thanks to Bose's DSP processing they manage to push the loudness level quite above the limits of what the 2 fullrange drivers are able to handle by applying some stronger dynamics compression and dialing bass back. Although there is some stronger distortion at maximum volume the Soundlink Wireless Music System nevertheless manages to fill a large outdoor area with sound if you don't want to carry any larger boombox with you. It sounds very full bodied with the deepest reaching bass although it has a tendency to sound a bit muffled, especially at lower levels and off-axis.<br />A possible alternative might be the <b>IK Multimedia iLoud</b>, which is able to reach a similar loudness, but not without distortion either. Unfortunately the iLoud won't sound that full-bodied at lower levels and the built in battery seems to have some issues not being able to hold a charge after some time of usage according to my friend who had used his quite often.<br />Another interesting speaker might be the <b>Harman Kardon Onyx</b> or the much cheaper <b>Onyx Studio</b> which omits auxiliary input, Airplay and DLNA compared to the expensive version. They sound slightly better and are more powerful than the Bose, but are a bit lacking at lower volumes. They are also larger and not that easily portable with the battery life hardly exceeding 4-5 hours at high volumes. <br /><br />If you need still more power and more loudness, you must have a look at all the larger systems like the <b>Klipsch KMC-3</b> or some <b>Pioneer Steez</b> units or the<b> JVC Kaboom</b> series etc. But nearly all of them need extra batteries for portable use and will quickly exceed several kilos of weight. Maybe the new <b>Teufel Boomster</b> could do the trick as it has a built in battery which can be even extended by some additional AA-cells. So far I didn't feel the need for such a unit, it is just overkill for home use, I previously had the Altec Lansing IMT800, but didn't use it much because of the size and the hassle with batteries. But my friend loves his KMC-3 and uses it regularly for outdoor parties with friends.<br /><br />What is still completely missing though are speakers that can be easily put inside a pocket, or attached somewhere thanks to a dedicated clip or carabiner without adding any bulk or becoming tedious. Most of these I have tried so far sound rather tinny, not really comparable to those above, although I am sure with some clever DSP processing and really high-quality drivers even smaller speakers than the Denon Envaya Mini could be brought to respectable output. Here are my best findings for this class:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>TDK A12</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b></b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyeIbHlZQ9lPKGLLtPKSAbBgxbIoGs-vHG3kpz58PPSUsrbisnpvJWsdgaa2vkz6REDvCWHFgFh5rCXBMAkRPaQc-Y0DbsWHpkWWal7TbqRUMdeR_O9HmZ0tSpoOU6eet_IonkN4LHl_t/s1600/tdk-a12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyeIbHlZQ9lPKGLLtPKSAbBgxbIoGs-vHG3kpz58PPSUsrbisnpvJWsdgaa2vkz6REDvCWHFgFh5rCXBMAkRPaQc-Y0DbsWHpkWWal7TbqRUMdeR_O9HmZ0tSpoOU6eet_IonkN4LHl_t/s1600/tdk-a12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I think the TDK A12 (micro Trek) produces quite a balanced sound for being that small. It is not the loudest speaker at this size, but it just sounds "right". There is some upper bass which makes it sound appealing, but the TDK is not able to produce any deeper bass, thus it is not really full-bodied and quite a bit too thin for my own taste, but still better than not having a speaker at all. If you put it flat on some resonating surface, you can boost basst slightly, but the passive radiator doesn't really play anything below 100Hz, so don't expect any miracles like with many other vibrating speakers or like with the FoxL Dash 7 that are tuned much lower, but won't produce any hearable bass until they suddenly sound much more mature depending on the surface they are placed on, as shown in my <a href="http://youtu.be/etk4Xu_NGck" target="_blank">example video for the FoxL Dash 7</a>. Unfortunately most of the time there are no suitable surfaces around outdoors for enhancing the sound.<br />Therefore the TDK seems to apply some "virtual bass" algorithm. It sounds a bit as if the lower frequencies not reproducable with the tiny driver were subtly added transposed one octave higher (similar to what MaxxBass is doing). The A12 manges to give an even more full-bodied impression than the similar JBL Clip, although bass reaches considerably lower on the JBL Clip, when looking solely at the frequency response measurements. There is also some bass compression going on, maybe a side-effect of the virtual bass algorithm, but when directly compared it is quite noticeable that the TDK does some processing, which is not a bad thing, as any unwanted artefacts are still kept to the minimum.<br />The TDK A12 has no distortion even at maximum volume, but there seems to be some sample variation as I have tested several different units and on many of them the passive radiators started to rattle heavily at higher volume levels with bass heavy tracks, the resonance-frequency seems to be around 125Hz where rattling is strongest. Because of the single passive radiator at the back side the TDK A12 also has a tendency to vibrate or even creep around when put on certain surfaces. If you attach the included carabiner, this may rattle against the body at higher loudness-levels, that's the drawback of single passive radiator designs.<br />Battery life is somewhat short, especially at high volume. A nice feature is that you can pair 2 of them for true wireless stereo, in fact I have 2 of them and both cost me less than 60�. Strangely stereo pairing doesn't work that well sometimes. I am not sure if this is the speaker's fault, or if the Bluetooth connection of the iPhone is too blame here, but sometimes when in wireless stereo mode the audio quality is reduced considerably resulting in a sound which resembles that of a lower bitrate mp3-file. Sometimes only one will play, although both confirmed the connection. I have not found any regularity, but in case they behave unexpectedly, I have to go through the entire pairing process again to get rid of it.<br />Other similar speakers to consider: <b>JBL Clip</b> produces a similar overall sound but can play quite a bit louder. The JBL Clip can be daisy chained with another one with its built-in wire and it has speaker phone included. Due to its rounded design it is easier to put inside a pocket and the carabiner is already built in unlike with the TDK A12, which has the carabiner separate. The battery life of the JBL Clip seems to be even shorter than that of the TDK A12 though, but due to the included bassreflex port instead of the passive radiator the JBL Clip won't vibrate even at highest loudness levels.<br />I would regard the <b>Mini Jambox</b> as another alternative, although nothing special it is still able to deliver quite a solid sound and will also sound rounder and more full-bodied than both the TDK and JBL, although the maximum possible volume is quite limited. I have yet to find any better sounding speaker that small. Most of them might be louder for sure, but they just don't sound good at normal listening levels. Of course I welcome any other tips!<br /><br />3 years ago it was still unheard of a beverage can-sized speaker that it would be able to produce any bass down to 60Hz. After the Soundlink Mini which was pretty unique at the time of its release there are meanwhile some other alternatives available. The portable speaker market is evolving pretty quickly. So please just take this personal list as some temporary snapshot which may suddenly turn around with any new speaker released, just like it did, when I heard the Devnon Envaya Mini.<br /><br />There are some interesting speakers on the horizon like the electrostatic BenQ treVolo (formerly known as eVolo) or the Massfidelity Core, there is also some rumor about an upcoming larger and more powerful speaker from Fugoo, but I am not sure if I will be able to receive any of those units for a review. As soon as I can get my hands onto something interesting I will let you know. </p>

With this list I want to show you my personal favorite portable speakers that I use on a regular basis including some explanation why I ha...

Review: Infinity One - Premium wireless portable speaker

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWW6u3Tds_BkFSK6PDrDHbv67ZhfdwX86AN44Cs9ZuNZotmGSSTk5wuAdVQ6OV8iHCpqiL6yYHp86q3KqX2O2TcHHzVHYm2e4GC34Z9D3ZJHkGnAyotqRNWfc8tfyjek1BcSSozoaCFS6/s1600/infinity-titel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWW6u3Tds_BkFSK6PDrDHbv67ZhfdwX86AN44Cs9ZuNZotmGSSTk5wuAdVQ6OV8iHCpqiL6yYHp86q3KqX2O2TcHHzVHYm2e4GC34Z9D3ZJHkGnAyotqRNWfc8tfyjek1BcSSozoaCFS6/s1600/infinity-titel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I must confess that the Infinity One was the most awaited speaker I wanted to try lately. My request for a review sample directly from Harman was denied with the statement the Infinity One not to become available outside the U.S. I am not sure if they might change their mind, but even in the U.S. availabilty still seems quite a bit limited.<br />At least my good old friend is dependable as he took the risk of ordering one overseas paying some premium taxes and import fees. But this is what you are ready to pay for a "Premium wireless portable speaker", which the Infinity One is called according to the <a href="http://www.infinityspeakers.com/estore/inf/us/products/Infinity-One/INFINITY%20ONE_INF_US?skuId=INFINITYONEAM_INF_US" target="_blank">Infinity site</a>.<br />For all desperate potential buyers living outside of the U.S. there is still the option to buy the Infinity One directly from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LOL7HDC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LOL7HDC&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-20&linkId=OUWNGOH2BQAT5AFE">amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oluvsgadgets-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LOL7HDC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> as they seem to be shipping their units to Europe too or maybe even worldwide. Ultimatively you can try a delivery service like "<a href="http://www.myus.com/" target="_blank">myus.com</a>". <br /><br /><a name="more"></a>At the beginning I was not quite sure what makes it "premium", but the price it isn't, the Bose Soundlink III costing the same, or the Beats Pill XL, which therefore all might be called premium models as well. I am sure Infinity could have priced their "premium" portable speaker even higher, like other companies willingly do: Libratone, B&O, etc. Laudably they didn't because usually also Harman is known for offering higher priced speakers than the competition, but at the same time most Harman speakers do simply sound better than speakers from other companies. Many speakers from Harman that I know just sounded good, maybe not fully balanced, but just good with a professional tuning that makes listening to the speaker pleasant and enjoying without any weird frequency humps. I really liked the Harman Kardon go&play a lot (although it sucks when run from batteries). The JBL Radial being no excpetion with a very mature and deep sound from a rather compact body, or the JBL OnBeat Xtreme, which all sounded better than most similar competing models.<br />But most small and portable speakers from Harman were not up to this level, with either reducing sound quality when run from battery (like most onTour models), or just delivering tinny sound (JBL Flip, JBL Charge etc), the JBL Charge 2 being the first portable speaker from Harman which finally really manages to trump the competition in sound quality, albeit with some minor problems that I mentioned <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/first-impressions-jbl-charge-2-new-king.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />After the JBL Charge 2 which impressed my soundwise but let me down due to the soundprocessing issues, I was eagerly waiting to hear the Infinity One in person, as it seemed to be a blown-up version of the JBL and could even become the reference for portable speakers in this size and price range, which includes models like the already mentioned Soundlink III, BIG Jambox, Beats Pill XL, several Braven models etc.<br />I currently still own a Pill XL, which I decided to sell but still only kept for a direct comparison with the Infinity One, and I even managed to get a Soundlink III directly from Bose, so I will be able to compare them all. I will also do a comparison with the JBL Charge 2, which of course is not as powerful but it is my current sound-reference for beer-can sized speakers, easily beating the Soundlink Mini, which suddenly started sounding pretty tired when directly compared to the JBL.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKzH782ByXrsxuCn-dSovr89WUNN1Em99TwICkchzcZq9opi-7XGH-wopXY6-hTbmBFBHOnp_viOGdRzeu7c2xe0L65y9xVxSgI5TMwHggkh-mjhPFQyty5_RnOBVLGb3P9DluSgbUzlP/s1600/outdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKzH782ByXrsxuCn-dSovr89WUNN1Em99TwICkchzcZq9opi-7XGH-wopXY6-hTbmBFBHOnp_viOGdRzeu7c2xe0L65y9xVxSgI5TMwHggkh-mjhPFQyty5_RnOBVLGb3P9DluSgbUzlP/s1600/outdoor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The main features of the Infinity One are an amplifier with 25 watts of power driving 4 speakers facing to the front and back <strike>thus offering close to 360� sound</strike> with 2 additional passive radiators at the sides for enhanced bass reproduction. A strong battery for up to 10 hours of run-time and the ability to charge other external devices directly from the speaker. The Infiniy One is also water resistant. I am still not quite sure to what degree, but I doubt you can really toss it under water and still expect it to work, like with the Fugoo. I rather think it is splash resistant only so that you can use it outdoors during rain without severe damage. Last but not least the Infinity One was tuned in collaboration with Linkin Park!!! Hmm..., I really don't know who that is. I haven't heard a single song from them and I would be probably more impressed if it was tuned by Quincy Jones, or Herbie Hancock, therefore I really do hope Linkin Park know something about speaker tuning, we'll see later!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C8gZFZ5nmEeNY13skNsdTwWPxNV5d6xKLoXKsOOIdRG5BD1nlzaDBnyiSuo8WivVmlZsieZDuoc4O3oGXWWy5-tCrKWAf_9nHtK-7YY0hYnZP1caQyVavyUBn165Zla21QHa0Q1s0C04/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTfCRz6CO1ZDRE0pJXopROxdwA2ueRAncYeWPpgqaQjj7TQE1HbBa6hOxxGi71aFhHJYrfqSCG_smtM7VvBDrfGMtkFhaqwlcGI5nVn9kQA9mUbNITP9dsat381mxYW8H8zjuv9eDg6DT/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTfCRz6CO1ZDRE0pJXopROxdwA2ueRAncYeWPpgqaQjj7TQE1HbBa6hOxxGi71aFhHJYrfqSCG_smtM7VvBDrfGMtkFhaqwlcGI5nVn9kQA9mUbNITP9dsat381mxYW8H8zjuv9eDg6DT/s1600/back.jpg" width="400" /></a><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C8gZFZ5nmEeNY13skNsdTwWPxNV5d6xKLoXKsOOIdRG5BD1nlzaDBnyiSuo8WivVmlZsieZDuoc4O3oGXWWy5-tCrKWAf_9nHtK-7YY0hYnZP1caQyVavyUBn165Zla21QHa0Q1s0C04/s1600/front.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />The Infinity One definitely feels good in your hand, the body is made of aluminium with some additional ceramic coating. It doesn't feel plasticky at all, obviously this is what gives it this "premium" label. The design is pretty cool and reminds me a bit of a powerful grenade. Of all portable speakers I have tried, the Infinity One is definitely one of the better looking ones. But similar to the JBL Charge 2 the passive raditaors are fully exposed here thus quite easily to be damaged.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVCnDAfJepI_YtsaQiey1QPPgQS_SC4UlB12FGOPqqsFQMBZwBeRTVpEnEV8P0fkAM6FeKLWmcAC6k0o-3gTbU-d2-yWvvxwEDElMBGRaknsNG9luVukSkfEHwuoEUHZRbuR5mMsoA85D/s1600/passiveradiator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVCnDAfJepI_YtsaQiey1QPPgQS_SC4UlB12FGOPqqsFQMBZwBeRTVpEnEV8P0fkAM6FeKLWmcAC6k0o-3gTbU-d2-yWvvxwEDElMBGRaknsNG9luVukSkfEHwuoEUHZRbuR5mMsoA85D/s1600/passiveradiator.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />Together with the shiny chrome rings around them, I really find this design questionalbe especially for a portable speaker, which you usually toss inside a bag for transport together with many other objects. No bag is included with the Infinity One and so far no suitable bags or covers are available although it was announced that some accessories might come in future (all of them probably being "premium"). As for now you need to wrap the speaker in a towel or shirt for transport, or you are creative and manage to tinker some own protective caps. I initially thought about a yoghurt cup, but my friend had a better idea to try it with a plastic bottle.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqFa3R5tdwvWBmHPgmwDa9UCfDvdEYDnK23rXxXIqsC3v5dGFy6w8v51NfZ3wrK9zql8XsN2-9hDWyFLtx5FKvkHoDku6uSDbCU4TQqNnWNFGg2S_Ucr1X4iDWr7mpL04BNuIioUIwDyy/s1600/infinity-cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqFa3R5tdwvWBmHPgmwDa9UCfDvdEYDnK23rXxXIqsC3v5dGFy6w8v51NfZ3wrK9zql8XsN2-9hDWyFLtx5FKvkHoDku6uSDbCU4TQqNnWNFGg2S_Ucr1X4iDWr7mpL04BNuIioUIwDyy/s1600/infinity-cap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Infinity One is not a small speaker anymore. I measured around 1.3 litres capacity, which makes it comparable to the <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/05/review-creative-sound-blaster-roar-sr20.html" target="">Soundblaster Roar</a> and about twice as large as the <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/review-jbl-charge-2-failed-new-benchmark.html">JBL Charge 2</a>. The Soundlink Mini would fit inside almost three times. And although the Soundlink Mini is already quite a brick, the Infinity One is around twice as heavy. It is definitely portable, but you will hardly carry it around in your jacket or in your trousers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-bKsK9iIgixDM8hLV8UJu-4u8ZMzUnB9_uANmfvRcOmJNR3arS7xTygFF0tSnDcnMgQN4RVDFh9VsAnzy-dQJ4cwD-NnV-ifcu151B_WnMrtJEsPvmMpD-CWZn3BEhXP_GHmIlYWQ8ts/s1600/infinity-charge2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4suB3g3uagN-eqW-I044j8dJONdQtIuwqIKZ6Ku4U4bJ051dPRZars1j-tfeJ9zTr9hY2swMWqaXGS7MqGWRubMg1Sjbz8RRc_CfIeMRXqXWb7yyOHwbRLWe2mg1YYd3NyQpeJ9xJ3tT/s1600/infinity-charge2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4suB3g3uagN-eqW-I044j8dJONdQtIuwqIKZ6Ku4U4bJ051dPRZars1j-tfeJ9zTr9hY2swMWqaXGS7MqGWRubMg1Sjbz8RRc_CfIeMRXqXWb7yyOHwbRLWe2mg1YYd3NyQpeJ9xJ3tT/s1600/infinity-charge2-2.jpg" width="400" /></a><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-bKsK9iIgixDM8hLV8UJu-4u8ZMzUnB9_uANmfvRcOmJNR3arS7xTygFF0tSnDcnMgQN4RVDFh9VsAnzy-dQJ4cwD-NnV-ifcu151B_WnMrtJEsPvmMpD-CWZn3BEhXP_GHmIlYWQ8ts/s1600/infinity-charge2-1.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhl2ck6qaqeo0aB2Bg5nIS0CaDiiTWGTYNJSRxSXwh3poELyb10VxT9b3dzqqfznv0fBzc_LSnizKAa7R1ba8qwo1AIGgRE3Wn9blxFc0nLVsO-bIF_cICzaU5wBkofmaoLssqxGFIaL9/s1600/infinity-soundlinkmini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhl2ck6qaqeo0aB2Bg5nIS0CaDiiTWGTYNJSRxSXwh3poELyb10VxT9b3dzqqfznv0fBzc_LSnizKAa7R1ba8qwo1AIGgRE3Wn9blxFc0nLVsO-bIF_cICzaU5wBkofmaoLssqxGFIaL9/s1600/infinity-soundlinkmini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />There is no carrying handle, so you really have to be careful how you are going to grab it, as it is quite thick for a secure grip. But there are some lugs at the top of the speaker on both sides, which might even give you the option to let it hang from your neck like a BIG FAT Gangsta-chain! <br />My friend already used those lugs to strap the speaker to his rucksack during biking. I think there are hundreds of ways how these lugs can be used or misused...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HVGuLUlA2bltujHvY8Dn_ypwgTJR8xHCrYslVam3HP2btjPu4Vkf8liOTZp0JOTmEmtiblJJUhaNcqhPKh_0L8VxQqACXIgJsZWyw5xlBrG8Dn7hPVyJQvjXRDwpph1R58ef7bRoIsG6/s1600/grab1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yF-2abfYk32q2Bwr6UT1NrqL9fTDXRVILikHUkY1suggdjI2gXBBnYSoAFPf68WeD6N92SGdEsdisdlHR_Tt6YmknCJx3cMKMhgYoV8zjbTHCNs9kbD84gO-ERrdAZve-29TJrarhET7/s1600/grab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yF-2abfYk32q2Bwr6UT1NrqL9fTDXRVILikHUkY1suggdjI2gXBBnYSoAFPf68WeD6N92SGdEsdisdlHR_Tt6YmknCJx3cMKMhgYoV8zjbTHCNs9kbD84gO-ERrdAZve-29TJrarhET7/s1600/grab2.jpg" width="400" /></a><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HVGuLUlA2bltujHvY8Dn_ypwgTJR8xHCrYslVam3HP2btjPu4Vkf8liOTZp0JOTmEmtiblJJUhaNcqhPKh_0L8VxQqACXIgJsZWyw5xlBrG8Dn7hPVyJQvjXRDwpph1R58ef7bRoIsG6/s1600/grab1.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />On top you will find all buttons underneath a rubber coat easily reachable, unlike the Pill XL, which has them somewhere at the back. The Infinity One is also equipped with an own playback button which you can use for starting or stopping music or skipping tracks forwards by double pressing or tripple pressing for backwards, this button also works for taking calls or for starting calls if you keep it pressed for several seconds.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmWVXBrOCP7EZBnPrGr5QN9pIGbaHbJkMuMo9tfzf-6fTRfq2VvDoKrY8J3idpWbDWbGZnz2GPAJzLaThQqNFrZMQwCViDJM-1pFk9Yk4xTdQQVW3T9fH8R-J1_bLORmpXDkkgtVJDoWd/s1600/buttons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmWVXBrOCP7EZBnPrGr5QN9pIGbaHbJkMuMo9tfzf-6fTRfq2VvDoKrY8J3idpWbDWbGZnz2GPAJzLaThQqNFrZMQwCViDJM-1pFk9Yk4xTdQQVW3T9fH8R-J1_bLORmpXDkkgtVJDoWd/s1600/buttons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D3Q3nNyMfhLPTyAk1IRrqvElsdx1Y3bx0rCWMSRukqxs8uZFraD41uf8XnTypsDT7-qbekKqzQIcA6YhV4iRdgurJ92bHZTb5SzCdMmUVHGSbuadbHFcb4sAzel3fsdllkBnRDm1IGLA/s1600/back-flap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D3Q3nNyMfhLPTyAk1IRrqvElsdx1Y3bx0rCWMSRukqxs8uZFraD41uf8XnTypsDT7-qbekKqzQIcA6YhV4iRdgurJ92bHZTb5SzCdMmUVHGSbuadbHFcb4sAzel3fsdllkBnRDm1IGLA/s1600/back-flap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />At the back you'll find the battery indicator, it has 5 distinct LEDs similar to the JBL Charge 2 although I am not sure why they had to be hidden at the back. They usually stay off and only light up if you press a button. Below a rubber-flap are all ports to be found. Thankfully this flap doesn't feel flimsy like on the TDK A33 for example, but really solid and well made and seems to be a part of the speaker, not just an additional flap.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi963Yu4HoS1_ov6zX5xHG7gKkLSCB_FyLAZ9NydveamKj-q0wWaO78LzheU_3elZudzCLUidmY98oCJdGLtUTCmA_xvEeEugjszICOA-EEwJitsvoRBxD5AvfDiZUXakRi07ow1jgLSOFd/s1600/charger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi963Yu4HoS1_ov6zX5xHG7gKkLSCB_FyLAZ9NydveamKj-q0wWaO78LzheU_3elZudzCLUidmY98oCJdGLtUTCmA_xvEeEugjszICOA-EEwJitsvoRBxD5AvfDiZUXakRi07ow1jgLSOFd/s1600/charger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />You can charge the Infinity One either with the included charger which provides 13V at 1.7A or through Micro-USB which will definitely take much longer to fully charge the battery. An obligatory auxiliary input and an USB-port for charging external devices is also here. Btw. the included charger will work with 220V too, it is only that you'll need an own adaptor because there is no European plug included.<br />I cannot say much about the battery life yet, but according to my friend who already used the speaker more often,it should last for more than 7 hours at close to maximum levels, which is quite impressive as many similar speakers claim 12 hours, while shut off after 2 hours when played at maximum volume.<br />Update: meanhile I was able to test the Infinity One at its maximum volume and it didn't reach full 5 hours. This is not a bad result, but it falls a bit short of the Pill XL, which manages 2-3 hours more out of one charge being quite a bit louder at the same time. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAHlbD1qD9k4qaeyS9UN575sAU8uSCCmQX4coi7cEwLJl_zxcu2JL09VxhKRNNvXc_jvCh6OMcaYCS3JU6st3cM9vtxNkQE9VFfchUDkcaVEYI7dKvur7E9sMloPFrOXIS_HxD2ZiNhqf/s1600/base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAHlbD1qD9k4qaeyS9UN575sAU8uSCCmQX4coi7cEwLJl_zxcu2JL09VxhKRNNvXc_jvCh6OMcaYCS3JU6st3cM9vtxNkQE9VFfchUDkcaVEYI7dKvur7E9sMloPFrOXIS_HxD2ZiNhqf/s1600/base.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluqJBwmbCCnKqzUb4U-Fh18Xqgb0o2Ix5h0cnvd2pAHnMv9yCJJs3bXEEGM3uU88Wncb74lWLfmevsNXSOA9-VV7ajBvieCvaM-Do_1EhADavcJypfHhVFZgfHXl4av5qHwMNWqVZzlln/s1600/float.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluqJBwmbCCnKqzUb4U-Fh18Xqgb0o2Ix5h0cnvd2pAHnMv9yCJJs3bXEEGM3uU88Wncb74lWLfmevsNXSOA9-VV7ajBvieCvaM-Do_1EhADavcJypfHhVFZgfHXl4av5qHwMNWqVZzlln/s1600/float.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The rubber-flap fades into an own rubber-base, which acts as a foot for the completely round design of the speaker and makes it float a bit so don't need to worry about scratching the bottom part of the body if you place it on concrete or stone. I am not sure how durable this special ceramic coating is to tell the truth, as it is pretty unique for a portable speaker and feels like, well stone or ceramic hahaha... I am quite a bit afraid, that this material might even be a bit brittle, and might quickly crack if knocked against another object, it might be quite scratch resistant though, although I haven't dared to really test this.<br />Despite the rather narrow base the Infinity One seems to stand more stable than the JBL Charge 2, which has an overall similar design, but if you nudge the Infinity One slightly it will immediately stop after 3 bounces, while the JBL Charge 2 will bounce more than 10 times back and forth or simply roll away.<br />Unlike the JBL Charge 2 the Infinity One doesn't seem to be meant for upright placing. The edges on both sides are rubbered though, so you could indeed put it vertically, but you would cover one passive radiator like this. Thanks to both radiators firing in opposing directions, vibrations of the whole speaker are minimal and the speaker shouldn't rattle around, let alone dance or creep at higher levels.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes7bEBajfVx8hLYlEsSwE57uP5cb4xw8-4MyBbQQr_ax0ObA8TqnrSrUv3bfLQwRAsqfRC2PdxRr6LoT1KlxOi6HZJxn_ZOtGapEGwlo7CvxFscRrHLRjhpprk26CMQNneJIY8FjCuuWe/s1600/vertical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes7bEBajfVx8hLYlEsSwE57uP5cb4xw8-4MyBbQQr_ax0ObA8TqnrSrUv3bfLQwRAsqfRC2PdxRr6LoT1KlxOi6HZJxn_ZOtGapEGwlo7CvxFscRrHLRjhpprk26CMQNneJIY8FjCuuWe/s1600/vertical.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />After power on, the front logo will magically light up which really looks cool. There seem to be several LEDs behind and if looked from a higher angle the light magically starts to disappear. Also the powerbutton is lit, as well as the Bluetooth button when a connection is established. When playback is started the play-button will glow too. I just don't understand why the volume-buttons are not lit either. They are black on black thus hardly visible, this was already strange on the JBL Charge 2 as I don't care if I can see the Bluetooth button in darkness, but would rather prefer to know where to press to change volume.<br />The status tones are exactly the same as on most other JBL/Harman speakers. You will get the same bubble-sound after power on, the same sonar-sound when in pairing mode etc. It is a pity that you cannot turn off the sounds completely, or make them softer. Funnily you will also hear some slight background-hiss every time a sound is played, nothing I had noticed on any other Harman speaker so far.<br />Pairing is pretty simple, at the back you have the NFC-area, or just press the Bluetooth button and start pairing directly from your streaming device until you hear the typical "ping" sound, when both devices are connected. Unfortunately the Infinity One seems to be expecting the latest connected device every time after power on. If that is not present but some other already paired devices instead, it still won't pair to them automatically. In this case you have to force a connection to the speaker directly from any of the other devices. This seems to be exactly the same behaviour that I noticed on the JBL Charge 2. Sometimes it even takes up several seconds until the speaker finally connects to the desired device. Many other speakers mange to connect immediately within a second after power on.<br />Update: Me and my friend suddenly managed to establish 2 simultanous Bluetooth connection from 2 different devices to the Infinity One. This is an undocumented feature and I have no idea what we did to get there. But we were able to switch playback from our both phones just in the same way as the social mode works on the JBL Charge 2. A pity this function is not explained anywhere in detail.<br />Unfortunately Bluetooth reach seems quite limited with the Infinity One. Outdoors it may start breaking up after 5-6 meters. It seems better indoors but far not as good as on many other speakers. Sometimes even when standing close to the speaker it can be enough to turn away with your phone and playback will start stuttering.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIzcbnwFe5lpZCq1W0DjHYCceg9CNs27upWHZgx1U_fAkWn-tH1CnmbaBg9ypqoVgoC8fKbmddzgJvunWbjGt3-wCLN-gPdtIk8StUPMi_Q37oVjBKlaSHRulJ81zzhFci_oGRzyxFSku/s1600/infinity-pillxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIzcbnwFe5lpZCq1W0DjHYCceg9CNs27upWHZgx1U_fAkWn-tH1CnmbaBg9ypqoVgoC8fKbmddzgJvunWbjGt3-wCLN-gPdtIk8StUPMi_Q37oVjBKlaSHRulJ81zzhFci_oGRzyxFSku/s1600/infinity-pillxl.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />On iOS devices volume is mirrored between speaker and player. But there are still only about 20 distinct volume-steps. The speaker will allow more presses from min. to max, but you can hear that the volume will not always change with each step. This is a pity because other companies show that even 100 own steps are possible like on the new Soundlink Colour.<br />Although the first volume step is not really loud (it is comparable to the second step of the JBL Charge 2), I sometimes wished an even softer level. At least the lowest possible volume on the Infinity One is still lower than that from the Pill XL, which meanwhile also gained a synced volume control with the latest firmware-update. While you could previously still lower volume on your device to bypass this first level, it is not possible anymore, which makes the Pill XL hardly usable for background listening now. Thank goodness I haven't noticed any processing artefacts on the Infinity One which are mainly present at low levels on the JBL Charge 2. While the Infinity One might share many other aspects of the smaller JBL brother, the sound processing is without flaws here!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3shgOdsAPq2OSAkoL-RQ-1ZFcH4yIUMkaLkCYongjLLYtNGINQLkfOhledKpWqj1rKZ15nh8dUzgXt9Vi2KQVpZOAXPeGImnsCQ1d4XXR62GfZLxng4lBGX2J3x0mRHWaj4xhXr4Dw32/s1600/infinity-soundlinkIII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3shgOdsAPq2OSAkoL-RQ-1ZFcH4yIUMkaLkCYongjLLYtNGINQLkfOhledKpWqj1rKZ15nh8dUzgXt9Vi2KQVpZOAXPeGImnsCQ1d4XXR62GfZLxng4lBGX2J3x0mRHWaj4xhXr4Dw32/s1600/infinity-soundlinkIII.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Now let's hear if the Infinity One really can meet the high expectations for a "premium" speaker.<br />First thing you notice is that although it has drivers to the front and back it is not a real omnidirectional speaker. Although I expected full 360� sound similar to the Fugoo, the Infinity One still has a backside, as treble will only be hearable at the front. It doesn't seem to be a true 2-way system with an own crossover for the back and front drivers, but I rather have the impression as if the back drivers were just low-pass filtered compared to the front. I am not sure about this approach, maybe they wanted to "spread" around the sound more or there was not enough place for all drivers at the front, but I initally really hoped the Infinity One to be a 360� speaker. Thanks to the back drivers it still manages to add a bit more ambience to the sound, while most other speakers sound much more focused. The Infinity One has a more diffuse sound, which gives the music a bit more space around, giving the impression as if the speaker was larger than it is. I noticed the same effect from the Fugoo, but the Fugoo takes this even further, as it spreads the sound to all 4 sides, because it has all drivers facing all 4 directions. I am not counting the passive radiators as full drivers, because due to the omnidirectinal character of low-frequency acoustic waves, the passive radiators might be even mounted at the top or bottom and still sound pretty much the same.<br />Overall the Infinity One definitely manages to impress soundwise. It is a powerful well balanced sound, although you'll notice quite a bit of boom from the bass part, while bass doesn't reach overly deep. I really hoped for more bass extension than the JBL Charge 2. I wouldn't call the JBL Charge 2 an anemic speaker, but the Infintiy One is twice as large and should definitely play deeper. Instead the bass is boosted more, but it also has a similar falloff at about 70Hz already. Even the much smaller Soundlink Mini manages to play deeper, albeit at lower loudness levels only. If you like the sound of the Soundlink Mini, you should love the Infinity One as well, as it sounds much more refinded, with much better treble extension and less directional dispersion and a more dynamic sound, but the general tuning is rather similar, which is boosted bass and boosted treble, with the boost starting at 3kHz already. It is especially at medium levels and above, where you will notice the advantage of the Infinity One over the Soundlink Mini or even the bigger Soundlink III which both seem to start sounding a bit edgy. At lower levels though the Soundlink Mini even manages a fatter sound, with a more punchy bass. Bose usually applies loudness processing with an additional bass boost at lower levels to compensate for the human loudness curves. The Infinity One doesn't do this, it sounds equal at the first volume step as it does at its medium volume step. It is only above half volume that bass is starting to get reduced, but the Infinity One still manages to keep more lower bass punch than most other similar speakers, which only leave some mid-bass. At really low levels though (I would say the first 3 or 4 volume steps) the sound din't impress me that much as it did above. The Infinity One doesn't sound bad, but at low levels you simply don't hear all the potential it can offer. When switching back and forth between the Infinity One and the Soundlink Mini, I found the Soundlink Mini to be more impressive, despite the weaker treble rendition, but the sound was more full-bodied and sounded more serious with bass that just had more oomph. Although the Fugoo has even slightly less bass than the Infinity One, at low levels the differences between both were less, than between Infinity One and Soundlink Mini, but thanks to the very clear treble and mids reproduction of the Fugoo for soft background listening I sometimes even peferred the Fugoo over the Infinity One. You really need to turn the Infinity One up some notches to get the best out of it.<br /><br />A more disturbing fact is that at higher levels close to top volume there is considerable intermodulation distortion noticeable, something that is completely missing from the JBL Charge 2. It is not as severe as on the Sony SRS-X3, and the levels needed to notice it are usually quite high already, but demanding ears will hear it easily. Some punchy bassheavy mixes may already start to distort at levels below half volume, while others remain quite clean up to maximum volume. But music prone to that problem (lots of deep bass notes played together with cymbals etc) will sound quite disappointing through the Infinity One as it will start sounding pretty harsh and strained when volume is raised to higher levels. When I compared both JBL Charge 2 and Infinity One side by side, the dynamic compression as bass-reduction seemed even stronger on the Infinity One, it nearly sounded like a gated effect with some songs, while the JBL Charge 2 was still perfectly usable at its maximum volume despite all the applied dynamics compression. The sound of the Infinity One becomes too mouldy, together with the intermodulation distortion it also sounds more scruffy while the difference in overall loudness between JBL Charge 2 and Infinity One is in reality not that much higher (maybe 25-30%). The Infinity One can play with a comparable loudness to the Bose Soundlink III, although the Bose doesn't manage to keep that much low bass, it sounds cleaner at the same time, without that obvious distortion and with dynamics compression being not that invasive.<br />I also noticed some rattling from the passive radiators with many songs. Usually the problem shouldn't be noticeable as other instruments will most likely mask and side noises. But if you listen to Jazz with some pure upright bass playing, there might be some rattling noticeable. I rather rule out sample variation, as I have tried 2 different units and both behaved exactly the same (the left passive radiator showed slightly stronger rattling both times). <br />Regarding loudness the Beats Pill XL is in another class than both though. The Pill XL doesn't apply any compression and while it also dials back bass at top volume, it still sounds very dynamic and punchy and at the same time manages to play about 4-5dB louder. On the Pill XL you really can feel every kick-drum of a house-song, while it starts to become quite a mush on the Infinity One.<br />This left me a bit unimpressed to tell the truth. I didn't expect the sheer loudness of the Beats Pill XL, which still remains one of the loudness kings at this size, but I expected a cleaner and more controlled sound, similar to the JBL Charge 2, just louder. This is not the case unfortunately, sometimes you really hear the negative side effects of the dynamic compressor and together with the distorted and ringing treble the Infinity One seems to be struggling while still not being really loud enough for those circumstances where high loudness is actually needed. The UE Boom will play nearly as loud, but of course with less bass but also with less obvious distortion. <br />Speaking of volume, the volume curve of the Infinity One is tuned pretty strange. The speaker becomes quite loud very quickly, but then above half way loudness won't increase much more. At half level the Infinity One will already reach the top volume of the JBL Charge and you might think it will play that much louder, but in reality it is already much closer to its top setting than to the lowest setting. Within the upper volume levels you will only notice more added dynamic compression and more bass reduction, which are both tricks in order to achieve a higher perceived loudness at the cost of loosing all peaks and stronger drum-hits.<br />If the 16 possible volume steps of an iPhone are taken as reference when directly accessed through its volume buttons, the Infinity One will still sound good without that strong intermodulation distortion or too strong bass reduction until step 9-10. At levels above it will only become slightly louder, but the sound will deteriorate more. Some songs may already distort below step 8 though. The problem of that strong intermodulation distortion seems to be based on missing tweeters because the front drivers are forced to playback lowest and highest frequencies at the same time, but are unable to cope with both. When listening to the back drivers which are filtered for higher frequencies, the intermodulation would be hardly noticeable even at maximum volume. It would have helped if the sound designers had added some simple tweeters taking over the entire treble-range, while filtering the front drivers to the same degree as the back drivers. It is a pity this design choice was not considered as the sound would definitely become cleaner and more controlled. <br /><br />I was quite a bit torn to decide if I liked the flatter tuning of the JBL Charge 2 more, or the more bloated sound of the Infinity One and I am not sure what impressed me more in the end: the JBL Charge 2 and that it managed to keep up with sound (except overall loudness), or the Infinity One because of the added bass-boost and a slightly smoother sound.<br />The JBL Charge 2 has clearer treble which sometimes might even appear a bit harsh as the frequency-hump at 14kHz is pretty obvious, but the JBL Charge 2 is less directional too. Altough the Infinity One doesn't become extremely muffled when not listened on-axis, the JBL Charge 2 definitely has an edge here. The drivers on the Infintiy One are tilted upwards, I cannot say at which angle exactly (I assume they fire slightly above the front logo, at the height of the side-screws), so you should get the best sound, when listened slightly from above, put it on ear height and unlike most other speakers treble from the Infinity One will already suffer, it will sound better if placed on a lower desk than on a higher shelf.<br /><br />Of course I also took some effort to do several measurements. First is an in-room response from 50cm at all available volume levels (smoothed with 1/6 octave). You can also see that bass is being reduced more aggressively from about the 15 level and that within the latest steps there is hardly any change in loudness anymore:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlAspx5jsM849lsTpbUbsubzlsgCOBpTfqs7iGuEUX9DGZGZw0jNUIvBaTIKjibjSisgsZoA6gnb8el194MB0kcX77mpf2bS9S-RIYLB2LahFZmutpcjEDGnzGR6y2GCXcdDTwBSuTsWX/s1600/volume+range.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlAspx5jsM849lsTpbUbsubzlsgCOBpTfqs7iGuEUX9DGZGZw0jNUIvBaTIKjibjSisgsZoA6gnb8el194MB0kcX77mpf2bS9S-RIYLB2LahFZmutpcjEDGnzGR6y2GCXcdDTwBSuTsWX/s1600/volume+range.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I also wanted to know how the sound differs between the front (red) and backside (blue) of the speaker, this measurement is done at the 8th volume level. There is some frequency boost between 1-2kHz from the backside, which might hint at a different tuning of both front and back-drivers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7InWpLpB_ZzTF7AQnNkluZTJlT6WswaULvSDwtjzLMtumTBFbhOmB_St7Z1wiooF-QEHgDezwyfmyzQpttlmEsRZLilaISEC24KUltdB98r3BAUCPu4GolhnEC0U1w7QagbXk4MtKjdBT/s1600/front-back.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7InWpLpB_ZzTF7AQnNkluZTJlT6WswaULvSDwtjzLMtumTBFbhOmB_St7Z1wiooF-QEHgDezwyfmyzQpttlmEsRZLilaISEC24KUltdB98r3BAUCPu4GolhnEC0U1w7QagbXk4MtKjdBT/s1600/front-back.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I tried to demonstrate the effects of different listening angles with the following measurements. All my measurements were done with the Infinity One tilted slightly forward, so that the drivers would aim directly at the microphone, which is usually placed horizontally at the same height as the drivers. If the speaker was standing flat on its base, the microphone would aim below the drivers with a certain angle and would give a slightly duller response. <br />The black curve is the on-axis measurement with the speaker tilted forward, the green measurement is with the speaker standing flat, without changing the microphone position. Blue and cyan are the measurements from 30cm above (about 37� off-axis), with the blue curve for the speaker tilted forward and the cyan curve for the speaker standing flat. There is an obvious treble loss when listened off-axis, which is quite a bit stronger than what I measured from the JBL Charge 2. Maybe this is also the reason why the drivers are mounted with an angle, as the engineers probably expected the speaker to be placed below ear height most of the time, like on a table for example and wanted to give the best results. Most other speakers standing on a table need to be either tilted back towards the listener, or placed at an elevated position.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC-HbwpCpONktWkdShFAJBCfhLCvzROgQ6Ki5X0ND1R4h7rInnHpE-06aL4qRxFfjXZEbMOhJteZKmcj0O1EKNC38wx9AD2eGLubOHO3VNygyTT_6oWGhlSIyjFAwIhnY3pzk9NbTJ7Pr/s1600/off-axis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC-HbwpCpONktWkdShFAJBCfhLCvzROgQ6Ki5X0ND1R4h7rInnHpE-06aL4qRxFfjXZEbMOhJteZKmcj0O1EKNC38wx9AD2eGLubOHO3VNygyTT_6oWGhlSIyjFAwIhnY3pzk9NbTJ7Pr/s1600/off-axis.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />For a more accurate response I also did some close measurements from 10cm which should minimize any unwanted room influcence. If we compare the 1st volume level of the Infinity One (black) to the corresponding level of the Bose Soundlink III (red) which is about 25%, you can clearly see, that the bass from the Bose reaches deeper with a similar overall boost:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxJgoLAVDpn9YREgmWuvyw_7kgjghdry_c4Llmivk6BjpcfEtgOxFjCZBcSpzVd0BLBrk5SU8rkYV2fznGhJEgU8N8EouXH1nQxXa1NgmHRswx5x8Wkolc6v_nQ575tXsQqoiVE-B1BJE/s1600/low-volume.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxJgoLAVDpn9YREgmWuvyw_7kgjghdry_c4Llmivk6BjpcfEtgOxFjCZBcSpzVd0BLBrk5SU8rkYV2fznGhJEgU8N8EouXH1nQxXa1NgmHRswx5x8Wkolc6v_nQ575tXsQqoiVE-B1BJE/s1600/low-volume.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />At the 7th step (which is about 50% on the Soundlink) differences in bass response become nearly negligible. Up from there the Infinity One manages to maintain a stronger bass, while the Soundlink III starts reducing bass more and more to become rather mid-focused at its maximum volume.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhEBKBoCt7Wl1wMeO1NMneYtvh9tMi_krtF0JEvN_-zHEFLAylq5c1HqHGm2lQq_Wqa3Qi4ufDfLe-qJ2Qz0nT6P2I0V_u2TUak-glpXHiLX3-o0tmSNYLleS9E_YUfea54G0NZTeNYtS/s1600/medium-volume.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhEBKBoCt7Wl1wMeO1NMneYtvh9tMi_krtF0JEvN_-zHEFLAylq5c1HqHGm2lQq_Wqa3Qi4ufDfLe-qJ2Qz0nT6P2I0V_u2TUak-glpXHiLX3-o0tmSNYLleS9E_YUfea54G0NZTeNYtS/s1600/medium-volume.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here another comparison with the JBL Charge 2 at the 5th level for the Infinity One and the 7th level for the JBL Charge 2 which is shown in grey: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKWRzkChyaTMw2pWykzm2m3BTvmAgZVzehPRIPYMGjpkQQNmu5_0AXPmEFEA3eII3XjFz_2wJaE6wg6-kHfpS9p5t4pYJQ1M57YN0YaP_tdnvZY05xGECSja1xtizvRqdZ1AgofxTeRJ-/s1600/one-charge2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKWRzkChyaTMw2pWykzm2m3BTvmAgZVzehPRIPYMGjpkQQNmu5_0AXPmEFEA3eII3XjFz_2wJaE6wg6-kHfpS9p5t4pYJQ1M57YN0YaP_tdnvZY05xGECSja1xtizvRqdZ1AgofxTeRJ-/s1600/one-charge2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Next I prepared some comparison videos with the biggest contenders: A comparison with the Bose Soundlink III at various volume levels and a comparison with the Pill XL, which generally doesn't sound that impressive, but skip over to the last part of the video (from about 2:23) to hear both at their maxium volume level and how much louder and cleaner the Pill XL manages to play.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/45mX0gfLrp4?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P34hYjGCFgY?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>For those interested, I also prepared a comparison video with the half as small and half as cheap JBL Charge 2, so that you can judge if the difference in sound is really worth the extra:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ap_8t68vfhc?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Last but not least another video for everyone who cares about loudness. This time all 3 contenders are playing a very dynamic house-track at their maximum volume, with lots of punch from the kickdrum and a groovy bassline. At the same time I let the measuring microphone monitor the sound pressure level and filmed the result live from the notebook screen which you can see overlaid and synced at the right. I chose A-weighting and slow decay, but should have maybe went for fast decay instead because of the strong dynamics changes within the song. I also had to put back the measuring microphone 10cm compared to the recording microphone because the Pill XL was so loud it caused overload as 108dB seems to be the maximum limit for the microphone. The Pill XL has 40 Watts thus 60% more power than the Infinity One, therefore the difference in loudness shouldn't be that surprising. It is nevertheless impressive how clean the Pill XL manages to remain even with this strong dynamic track, it doesn't give the impression as if it was playing at maximum volume. There is hardly any limiting or compression noticeable, only bass is reduced down to a more healthy degree. In contrast both Infinity and Bose are struggling quite a bit with this track.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/czvEe9X0alA?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>There is not much not to like about the Infinity One. I think it is one of the best looking and sounding speakers in its class, I have yet to find a better sounding one. I like the sound more than that of the Bose Soundlink III and much more than the strange nasal sound of the Beats Pill XL. The Infinity One just falls short of overall loudness as it cannot play that loud but will already struggle with a forced and distorted sound.<br />I would have wished for a more natural tuning with a less boomy bass but reaching deeper instead. Harman/JBL have already proved often enough that they can really build nicely natural sounding speakers, I think the obvious frequency boosts are just thanks to Linkin Park and my suggestion would be to hold them back doing any future speaker tunings. It is not that the Infinity One sounds bad, but it would be definitely more hifi, if the tuning was rather kept laid-back similar to the JBL Charge 2.<br />Although the total package is really compelling, including sound, design and functionality, there is certainly room for improvement. Bluetooth connectivity seems pretty simple, the speaker <strike>does not support multipoint connections</strike> seems to accept simultanous Bluetooth connections somehow, although this feature isn't documented anywehre, neither I am sure if it is AptX enabled at all. A great addition would also be the ability to connect 2 speakers for wireless stereo. These are all features that are already present on the Beats Pill XL for example.<br />My biggest wish would be some finer sound tuning at low levels with added loudness compensation and a different volume curve or at least more distinct volume steps for a more sensitive control over loudness. My biggest point of criticism is the sound at higher levels which gives the impression as if it was getting out of control a little bit. The intermodulation distortion is becoming pretty obvious with many tracks, while the added dynamic compression has a big impact on overall sound quality too resulting in some mushy dynamics response. I expected a bit more finesse from Harman to tell the truth. Especially the intermodulation issues are putting me off as the speaker can already start sounding quite bad at not that high levels.<br /><br />The Infinity One is an impressive speaker without doubt, I would willingly recommend it as the best all around portable speaker to anyone who asked about my favorite. Unfortunately like many other speakers the Infinity One doesn't manage to cover all applications satisfyingly, because if you really need highest loudness, there are better choices out there. If you like listenting to music at lower levels, there are better or even cheaper solutions available as well.<br />Despite those cutbacks I nonetheless think that below 300$ the Infinity One could currently be one of the best choices for a compact portable speaker easily outperforming the Bose Soundlink III on sound but also offering more features and an outstanding design with a unique finish. The same goes for the Pill XL which wins on features though and on maximum loudness, but loses big time on sound-quality or on looks. <br />In the meantime I was really tempted to order the Infinity One for myself, but for my general purpose I am still quite happy with the JBL Charge 2 despite its processing issues. If not those issues, I wouldn't even think about the Infinity One more as it does not sound that much better than the JBL but is already considerably larger and less portable not to mention twice the cost...<br /><br />Big thanks to my friend who lent me his brand new baby for this review!<br /><br /><br /><b>+ gorgeous design</b><br /><b>+ premium finish</b><br /><b>+ water resistant </b><br /><b>+ great punchy overall sound</b><br /><b>+ back drivers add a bit of ambience to the sound </b><br /><b>+ track control directly from the speaker</b><br /><b>+ synced volume control between speaker and streaming device</b><br /><b>+ charging with dedicated charger or through MicroUSB</b><br /><b>+ recharging of external devices</b><br /><b>+ NFC </b><br /><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>- sound quite forced at higher levels with strong dynamics compression</b><br /><b>- too strong bass reduction at levels above 2/3</b><br /><b>- passive radiators tend to rattle with pure bass notes </b><br /><b>- intermodulation distortion can already become noticeable below 1/2 volume with bassheavy mixes</b><br /><b>- rough volume control with first volume level being too loud</b><br /><b>- no loudness compensation thus a bit lifeless sounding at low levels</b><br /><b>- treble quite a bit more directional than on the JBL Charge 2</b><br /><b>- passive radiators completely exposed without any protection</b><br /><b>- Bluetooth functionality very basic without <strike>multipoint or</strike> wireless stereo pairing</b><br /><b>- Bluetooth reach quite limited </b><br /><b>- status tones too loud </b><br /><b>- durability of ceramic coating questionable</b></p>

I must confess that the Infinity One was the most awaited speaker I wanted to try lately. My request for a review sample directly from Harma...

Infinity One - the better Pill XL?

<p>Harman Kardon which meanwhile owns some known audio brands like AKG, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Revel will now also launch new products for their Infinity brand, one of them being the <a href="http://www.infinityspeakers.com/estore/inf/us/products/Infinity-One/INFINITY%20ONE_INF_US?skuId=INFINITYONEAM_INF_US" target="_blank">Infinity One Bluetooth</a> speaker.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF72gPvfo02gTE8xkPE5_qNeWWb_1q0DocxKCktfwrEuCUjiRaLtZI4ClGAuDE1A7vU24yOfNm6RM2VxEmmn1mBW4SbhhzcPXXaQi0_vkddOLX7XKn0-2jQonAu4Pkmawh-b_ZinLn6a73/s1600/infinity+one.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF72gPvfo02gTE8xkPE5_qNeWWb_1q0DocxKCktfwrEuCUjiRaLtZI4ClGAuDE1A7vU24yOfNm6RM2VxEmmn1mBW4SbhhzcPXXaQi0_vkddOLX7XKn0-2jQonAu4Pkmawh-b_ZinLn6a73/s1600/infinity+one.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><a name="more"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It is probably no coincidence that the Infinity One looks like a blown up <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/08/jbl-charge-2-out-now.html" target="">JBL Charge 2</a>, which was also just launched.<br />Similar to the new JBL Charge 2 the Infinity One also houses 2 opposing passive radiators, one at each end. And the drivers face forwards and backwards, making the speaker emit sound to the front and back with bass to the sides. This is not a fully omnidirectional approach, but pretty close and could sound quite convincing when put somewhere in the center of a listening circle. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUDLuSUZ4C_2UPMvCP8JClUgDqcNLedIoYlsKcnQCxu-l3MeN3skTp_YNvjPZXH7I9yN_XMHXkKVB1y3IW4Fhh2Pf7nCaTEQP2fHDZp0CZiYYfdJufi-SyskgQNYEKxDOrnonOg6NNAJ8/s1600/InfinityOneExploded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUDLuSUZ4C_2UPMvCP8JClUgDqcNLedIoYlsKcnQCxu-l3MeN3skTp_YNvjPZXH7I9yN_XMHXkKVB1y3IW4Fhh2Pf7nCaTEQP2fHDZp0CZiYYfdJufi-SyskgQNYEKxDOrnonOg6NNAJ8/s1600/InfinityOneExploded.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The Infinity One is quite large already, making it rather comparable to the Beats Pill XL, than to smaller speakers like the Soundlink Mini. But it is 10cm shorter than the Pill XL and slightly slimmer and lighter overall, weighting "only" 1.3kg.<br /><br /><a href="http://stereos.about.com/od/Compact-Portable-and-Wireless-Audio-System-Reviews/ss/Review-Infinity-One-Bluetooth-Speaker_4.htm" target="_blank">Brent Butterworth</a> already did some measurements of the Infinity One and the frequency response although not entirely flat looks quite impressive with some deeper bass that the Pill XL cannot reproduce at all. I overlaid both measurements scaled to the same size with the thin lines representing the Infinity One while the thick lines belong to the Pill XL, and I think you can see pretty well, that the Infinity One has much more lower bass than the Pill XL which rolls off below 100Hz already, while the Infinity One still has usable bass at 50Hz. Although both have boosted treble as well, the Infinity One looks smoother without that strong dips and humps from the Pill XL and will probably sound more natural too: <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NSgFk2bo9oT5mgMbh1HVJhnudvExJTPFyqHwv0Y618xBATGnPEUl2wwyXPNLQdd2PZSjIinTu2VXt1BpLlm1KgdUfgGbDc_HR_1qcmQqMM7CMO0OmrZlUpA-_p3MNPmeq3kU9BsLVj4-/s1600/infinity-one+frequency+response.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NSgFk2bo9oT5mgMbh1HVJhnudvExJTPFyqHwv0Y618xBATGnPEUl2wwyXPNLQdd2PZSjIinTu2VXt1BpLlm1KgdUfgGbDc_HR_1qcmQqMM7CMO0OmrZlUpA-_p3MNPmeq3kU9BsLVj4-/s1600/infinity-one+frequency+response.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Brent Butterworth</td></tr></tbody></table><br />What we also know is that the Infinity One won't be able to reach the same impressive loudness of the Pill XL, which is a pity, because Brent measured 102dB for the Pill XL, while the Infinity One only reached 93dB, which is nearly half as loud and thus not much louder than most other current portable speakers like the Soundlink III, TDK A33 etc. The Pill XL will probably still remain the "king of loudness", however with a less than ideal sound.<br /><br />There's no word about availabiltiy yet, but as the first test-samples are already out, I guess it should be issued during the next weeks. It is already available for <a href="http://www.infinityspeakers.com/estore/inf/us/products/Infinity-One/INFINITY%20ONE_INF_US?skuId=INFINITYONEAM_INF_US#" target="_blank">preorder</a> on the Infinity site.<br /><br />I would have loved to check this speaker out and put it through some tests and comparisons, but I am afraid I am not important enough to deserve a test-unit <img alt="Zunge rausstreckender Smilie" border="0" src="http://www.hifi-forum.de/images/smilies/12.gif" /><br /><br />Thanks to a friend, I was finally able to test the Infinity One, you can find my final review <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/10/review-infinity-one-premium-wireless.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /></p>

Harman Kardon which meanwhile owns some known audio brands like AKG, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Revel will now also launch new products...