As I went on another quest for the perfect
budget-friendly bluetooth speakers, I came upon a familiar brand to me, yet
relatively unknown to most. I reviewed the Divoom Bluetune-Pop about a year ago
and I was impressed with it. I should point out that I searched high and low before
ending up with the OnBeat-500. Let’s list down the specs:
Specs:
- Powerful sound from 2.1 design and a
proprietary passive bass radiator
-Tap-to-pair NFC technology for easy and
instant Bluetooth connection
- Built-in powerful speakerphone,makes and
takes call from your computer, tablet or mobile
- Rechargeable Li-ion battery for 8 hours
playback
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Dimensions:
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225L x 75W x 105H mm
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Driver size:
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2'' x 2
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Output power:
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13 W
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Signal to noise ratio:
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≥75dB
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Battery Capacity:
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3000 mAh
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Battery Voltage:
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3.7 V
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Battery Charge Time:
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4 hours
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Wireless Range:
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Up to 10 meters/33 feet
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Bluetooth compliant:
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V4.0
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Bluetooth profile support:
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A2DP Stereo
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Talk Time:
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Up to 8 hours
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Microphone sensitivity:
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-36 db
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Price
Php 3,500 (lazada.com) $90 (Amazon)
Design
and Sound Quality
Like a kid, I still get excited over nicely
wrapped packages. The quality of the box is worth mentioning because it has
unique magnetic flaps that hold it together.
It gives the impression that it holds a very high quality product. In terms of design, it does not disappoint.
It looks very similar to the Jawbone Big Jambox, which is a good thing. Build quality
is flawless, despite the plastic finish. It’s deceptively heavy with a solid
and hefty feel.
I tried out a few other popular speakers in
the market like the JBL Charge, Supertooth Disco2, Braven 600, Sony SRSBTX500
and the Bose Soundlink Mini. I almost dismissed the OnBeat 500 altogether as I was
convinced getting a known brand was the way to go. Boy was I wrong! I was
really shocked that it sounds as good and perhaps even better than any of
them with only the Bose Soundlink Mini sounding marginally better. I’ll even go
out on a limb and say that the Bose is almost three times the price but it
definitely doesn’t sound three times better. Sound quality is very subjective
but to my ears, it has very solid base with clear mids and highs. You can
play it at maximum volume with hardly any distortion. This is more than I can
say for the others I tested. It also has more features than almost anything in
its price range like Aptx support for better sound quality and NFC pairing.
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| from Divoom website |
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| 2.1 Speakers |
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| Onbeat 500 vs Logitech Mini Boombox vs Bluetune Pop |
Verdict
While I may be all praises for this product,
there are a few minor drawbacks like the lack of a USB charger (you only get a
cable) and the amateur looking user manual that has such small print and looks
like a photocopy that was just stapled together. This is an outstanding
Bluetooth speaker for the price. Sure, you can find something better but you
will need to spend more than $200. If you’re looking for a good set of
Bluetooth speakers and you’re not brand conscious, then you should definitely
try out the Divoom Onbeat 500. Just like me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised, if
not shocked.
The
Good:
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Price
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Outstanding Sound Quality
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Aptx and NFC
- Bluetooth 4.0
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Packaging
The
Bad:
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No included charger (just USB cable)
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User manual
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On sale now so perhaps a new model will be out soon
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Fingerprint magnet
