[ad_1]
External speakers with sound transmission via Bluetooth or via a 3.5 mm jack have become very popular recently. Many manufacturers are rapidly improving the performance of their products, bringing better products to market with each iteration. One of the brightest representatives are JBL speakers that can play sound and work as a charger. They have, in fact, become the standard in the industry. However, today we will not talk about them, but about the column of one well-known Chinese company – Xiaomi. In our review today, we’ll take a look at the second iteration of the Square Box Bluetooth Speaker.
First, let’s go over the declared characteristics of the device:
| Dimensions | 155x60x25.5 mm |
| The weight | 237 g |
| Charging current | 5 V, 1 A |
| Bluetooth version | 4.2 |
| Supported profiles | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP |
| Working distance | 10 m |
| Continuous playback time per battery charge | around 10 o’clock |
| Speaker Power | 2 speakers 2.5 W |
| frequency range | 100 Hz – 18 kHz |
| Working temperature | -10 .. +45°C |
| Speaker impedance | 3 ohm |
The Square Box Bluetooth Speaker 2 is delivered in a very concise package: only the speaker itself and instructions for it in Chinese were found in the box. Not even a charging cord. By the way, the device is charged via the microUSB 2.0 connector.
The entire front of the column consists of a mesh, behind which two 2.5-watt speakers are hidden. The body of the speaker is made of aluminum, the back side is covered with white plastic. At the back, there are also connectors for connecting the charging and speaker cables. The top end houses the power and volume buttons. There is a column on two rubberized legs that will not allow it to “roll” on the table at high volume.
Two types of connection are supported: via a 3.5 mm jack and via a Bluetooth connection. If everything is clear with the connection via a cord, then in the case of a Bluetooth connection there are some control features. But about them below.
The speaker turns on and off simply – just hold the power button for about 5 seconds. At the same time, a red-blue indicator will begin to flash at the bottom. This means that Bluetooth pairing has failed. To pair with the speaker, just turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone and click on XMFHZ02. Everything, the device is connected, the indicator on the speaker will turn blue. It is also worth noting the following display modes, in addition to the above: red means that the column is charging, flashing red – the column charge is less than 10 percent.
The volume of the speaker is quite enough to cover a large room or even a two-room apartment. The declared 10 meters of coverage and a total of 5 W (2 to 2.5 W) of sound at maximum volume, turned on at night, are enough for the neighbors above and below to start banging on the battery to the beat of the music (we absolutely do not advise you to do this , just gave an example for comparison). The speakers of the previous version of the Square Box Bluetooth Speaker gave out 1.8 watts.
The column fulfills its audio characteristics one hundred percent. It accurately covers the declared 100 Hz. Bass speakers for such a baby sounds very decent. However, both mids and highs did not go to waste – the overall sound picture is as decent as two small speakers can afford.
To control music, you can use the buttons on the speaker itself. A single press of the power button pauses music or resumes playback, a long press of the volume down button reduces the sound to zero. You cannot restore the previous volume level, you can only manually raise the volume to the desired level. The volume of the speaker and the volume of the music in the smartphone work symmetrically. Someone likes it, someone prefers separate controls on a smartphone and speaker – it’s hard to say whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage.
In the process of testing the speaker, one minor, but not very pleasant bug was revealed: when you double-click on the power button, the speaker loses synchronization with the smartphone. You have to turn off and turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone or reboot the speaker.
When an incoming call arrives, the Square Box will be silenced and the smartphone’s incoming call melody will start playing. Pressing the power button picks up the handset, pressing again puts it down. It should be noted here that this trick will not work if they call you on Skype, Telegram or another messenger. When you call Telegram, the music on the speaker stops, but when you try to press the power button, the speaker starts playing a ringtone, and the call, of course, continues. However, this problem is more related to the interaction of various processes and the operation of the programs themselves on the smartphone than to the column.
The quality of the microphone and noise reduction leaves much to be desired. The interlocutor normally hears us only if we speak directly into the column. If you move a couple of meters away from her, then the speaker on the phone begins to complain that he hears you “like from the toilet”. Sometimes the interlocutor has an echo, but this is a non-permanent effect. In general, the speaker is not very suitable for speakerphone.
After 10 minutes of inactivity, the column will automatically turn off. As stated by the manufacturer, a full charge of the battery will last for 10 hours of continuous music playback. He modestly kept silent about the battery capacity, but we do not think that it is very different from the battery capacity of the previous Square Box – 1200 mAh.
At the end of the review, we can say that Xiaomi has another great product. The disadvantages of the Square Box Bluetooth Speaker 2, in addition to the speakerphone and the bug with double pressing the power button, include the inability to recharge from the speaker. However, given its size and battery capacity, this is hardly worth taking seriously. Those people who need a 2 in 1 device (speaker + power bank) or a more powerful sound should pay attention to the products of JBL, Sony and other brands that have long established themselves in this field.
[ad_2]