Lights and sound play a vital role in one’s mood. This new trend is everpresent in various lifestyle activities like playing video games, working from home and dining. This is exactly one of the reasons why more and more devices are mixing lights and sound at the core of their features. This is also probably the reason why Hong Kong-based tech lifestyle technology, Havit, made their first LED Bluetooth speaker.
LED Bluetooth speakers aren’t actually new. Yell and JBL are among the pioneers in this category, and even Shenzhen-based Olike has also been trying to snatch a piece of attention. Havit’s own LED Bluetooth speaker boasts a unique design, acceptable sound quality and a unique feature that none of its competitors have – 4000mAh power bank.
The speaker is made of anodized aluminum, with a texture and overall feel quite similar to Apple’s MacBook series. If you put this beside a MacBook, you’ll mistakenly think that it’s a new Apple speaker. It also features a cowhide handle, which allows you to carry it wherever you want to go. I must say that I’m really impressed with how they designed this, and how they made sure it appeals fans who adore minimalist design.
Weighing exactly 691g, this portable speaker is quite heavy. This is quite understandable though because it sports a 4000mAh battery, plus – as Havit would say – tough aluminum shell. Expect to lug around a speaker that weighs like 3 stacks of Xiaomi 10400mAh power bank, but at least you’ve got yourself an LED speaker, plus a power bank just in case your smartphone runs out of battery. Priorities, man.
Pairing your Bluetooth-enabled speakers is quite straightforward. Turn it on, press and hold Play/Pause button until you hear a chime. That should be your trigger to start scanning for HV-M9, the speaker’s Bluetooth ID. Pairing takes less than 7 seconds, and that’s fast enough in our books. Connection range is pretty decent at 10 meters.
The speaker has 4 LED colors: red, green, blue and white. There are also 4 LED light mode to choose from: flash, fade, smooth and monochrome. Cycling through the available modes is as easy as touching the dedicated light button on top of the speakers. Unfortunately, there is no way you can jump to a specific mode so you’re stuck with cycling and selecting your preferred mode.
Control buttons are touch enabled. I noticed that I didn’t have to apply too much pressure to trigger the switch. It’s a double-edged sword, actually. It’s a novel thing to have on this device, but the lack of tactile feel is a bit of letdown especially if you really wish to physically feel that you’re actually controlling something.
Now let’s get to the probable reason why you’re getting this – sound quality. I must say that I’m not much of an audiophile, but I’m pretty much well versed in understanding what sounds great or not.
The speaker lacks emphasis on lows and focuses much on producing highs. This is the problem of having a metal enclosure, just like the Havit LED Bluetooth Speaker. Metal enclosures tend to compromise acoustic performance. This is the reason why I choose speakers with wooden enclosures as acoustic fidelity is much better. I also had minimal issues with audio clarity and fidelity because of the apparent distorted quality the speaker produced.
Voice is supported on this speaker, so if it’s paired with your smartphone with Google Assistant enabled, you can basically upgrade its level of utility.
However, let me note that the speaker does not sound bad. Havit M9 is actually good for its price of PhP2,800. I pitted it against its close competitors such as Yell, Gear4 and Tronsmart, Havit M9’s sound quality, plus its additional features, are enough reasons to consider getting one. It’s hella loud too at around 100db, so it’s as loud as Jet take-off (at 305 meters). Throw in the fact that you can turn it into a power bank is another plus factor.
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.
