Classic tunes.
There was once a time,
not so long ago, when people either had bang up to date,
modern-looking sound systems, or they owned older stuff that they had
inherited from their gran. These days, you can have both; a modern,
tech-packed speaker that merely looks like something your gran
would've owned. We review one such device, the Intempo Classic Retro
Reverb Bluetooth Speaker.
In a nutshell, Intempo
have taken a classic 'retro' looking speaker, with a pleasingly 1950s
wireless aesthetic (wireless meaning radio, not what you're probably
currently connected to right now) and stuff it full of the latest
sound innovations, namely Bluetooth and a portable battery. The
result is something that not only looks great, but also performs very
well.
Those chrome dials and switches on top really pop in contrast to the wooden and faux-leather body. It feels great in the hand, and it is one of those speakers that you want to handle and move around – despite it capability of being completely remotely operated. Still, adjusting the volume, bass, and treble with those shiny knobs (tee hee) is a pleasure.
But... using Bluetooth
to connect your phone, tablet, or laptop is by far the best way to
use the Intempo Classic Retro Reverb Bluetooth Speaker. Connecting a
multitude of devices was easy, with the maximum range being the
fairly standard 30 feet-ish. We never experienced any glitches or
pauses within that range, so the connection seems strong. Should you
wish, there is also an aux-in port on the top, to let you connect
non-Bluetooth players to it. Like your equally retro-looking vinyl
record player, perhaps?
In terms of sound quality, the Intempo Classic Retro Reverb Bluetooth Speaker is very good. It sounds like you'd expect modern speaker of this size and price to sound; good, but not amazing. It seems to be have been designed to nestle into a spot on a shelf and blast out music for that one room, and no further. It certainly wasn't underpowered, but don't go buying this if you have church hall to fill with tunes.
The bass was quite impressive, and holding the speaker in your hand during a beat-heavy track resulted a deep vibrating sensation, while highs and vocals were nice and crisp. Crank up the volume and a slight degree of distortion will creep in, but a steady level to fill that room produces great sounds. And, obviously, as it is battery powered, you can move it from room to room.
So a great option for
the retro-inclined music lovers, and a pretty bang-on fifty quid
speaker for everyone else.
£49.99
Visit
www.intempo.co.uk
Get 25% off your order! Use discount code TESTPIT25 at the checkout.
