It’s quite seldom to find a bluetooth speaker with an eye-candy design and a superb quality. When I got the Braven 570 a couple of weeks ago, I told myself that this is a portable speaker that you wouldn’t mind bringing out if you want to throw an impromptu party. But the beauty of this speaker is not just about how it looks, but it’s more of the convenience it can bring and the sound it can produce. Here’s my review of the bluetooth speaker, Braven 570.
Unboxing
The speakers is placed on a cardboard box that shows the color and all the necessary information about the speakers. (In my case, I got the purple version that made my wife happy.) Inside the box, you will find the following items:
- Owner’s Guide
- 24″ 3.5mm audio cable
- USB to Micro-USB cable
- Braven 570 Bluetooth Speaker
Check out the gallery below for the unboxing photos.
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Design and Features
I like how Braven designed the 570 – minimalist and has this tactile vibe. It is carefully designed and you know that the parts are installed pretty tight. I actually tried shaking it and I did not hear any clanking at all. According to Braven, 570’s case is made up of impact-resistant polymer case.
The design of the speaker grills is reminiscent of the holes on Crocs sandals. Also if you just bought an iPhone 5c (or probably thinking of buying one), you will fancy consider this as one of Jonathan Ive’s inspiration when they designed the phone and its holed cases.
The front portion of the speakers is fully occupied by the speaker grills.
You will find the battery check light, line out and USB charging port on the left side. If you press the battery check light, it will show you much battery is left: white light is medium to full charge, blue light is low charge, and red light is 0-10% left. Line-out is very useful too if you need to extend your sound to a louder external speakers. More over, as this device has ChargeExtreme technology, the USB charging port will let you rapid-charge your mobile devices on-the-go.
On the right side of the speakers, you will find Accept/End call button, volume rockers and line-in for non-bluetooth devices.
Apart from being able to play your media content with very rich and slightly warm sound (more on this later), the Braven 570 may be used to accept and end calls. This feature worked pretty well on our iPhone 5, synched via bluetooth.
Also, the volume rockers double as playback controls – you turn volume up or down by pressing the rockers; and you can skip forward or backward by pressing and holding the buttons. I find this quite handy especially when I want to control the playback of my media through the speakers instead of doing it via my mobile device.
Performance and Price
Setting and synching the speakers to my iPhone 5 is as easy as pie. It even has assistive sound, which helps you know if the speakers is still seeking for devices to connect to and if it has already synched.
The Braven 570 produces clear and slightly warm sound. But that, of course, depends on the quality of your media. During my tests, the ripped versions (from an original CD) of Up Dharma Down’s songs sounded melodic and tuneful, which I find great for a portable device.
In terms of battery life, its internal 1,200mAh battery is enough to let you continuously play your music for 10 hours.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
