Spaced out
We've reviewed a lot of Bluetooth speakers in the past, most
of which had been designed to be portable, waterproof, barbecue proof, and
generally a bit of a novelty. But what about Bluetooth speakers for the home?
What about a brand new way of listening to your music that hasn't been designed
to withstand a dog chewing it, but rather to be unique and elegant while
providing amazing sound? That'll be the Spaced 360.
The Spaced 360 is different from other speakers - as you can no doubt see. Designed with onmi-directional music in mind, the Spaced 360 achieves just that: 360 degree sound. The three speaker drivers point in three different directions, while between each bass radiators add a bit of oomph.
In the hand the Spaced 360 feels reassuringly weighty, while
not being cumbersome. Although a perfect speaker for around the home, thanks to
the built-in battery you can still take this plucky chap out and about with
you. Charging is achieved not by the standard USB cable, but rather by a very
clever base plate charger onto which the Spaced 360 can be placed and then
easily removed. Just a couple of hours on charge will fully juice-up the
speaker, which in our tests of near constant playback provided about seven or
eight hours of music. Very very decent.
Connecting your Bluetooth device was extremely simple. The
connection is very robust, even beyond the standard ten metre range that most
Bluetooth speakers tend to drop out at. You get aptX Bluetooth for HD streaming,
as well as Active NFC. And yes, if you're old school, an auxiliary phono cable
is also provided. Additionally you can purchase colourful silicone wraps which
fit over the Spaced, presumably to add a touch of colour - not necessarily any protection.
Personally, we prefer it nude.
Having the speakers facing in all directions really does
enhance the quality of sound. At first we thought that placing it behind our PC
monitor would be a total waste, especially considering that one of the speaker
heads would be facing a wall. We were wrong. Seemingly no matter where you
place the Spaced 360 you will always get rich and clear sound.
Putting it in the middle of a room is definitely an
advantage though, if only to be able to walk fully around the device without
getting that 'speaker facing the other way' feeling you get with most other
systems. We also experimented a bit by (very carefully and safely - this thing costs
£250 after all) fixing it to a ceiling mount in the middle of a room. Being
able to walk under as well as around the source of your music was pretty
amazing and we urge the makers to create their own mounts for consumers
(because ours was made from cable ties and luck).
Bluetooth speakers really don't come much more stylish and
innovative as the Spaced 360, so if you're looking to truly stand out from the
crowd, this is the one for you.
£250