August
all year round.
Use
a portable Bluetooth speaker? If you've ever wondered how to get the
very best sound out of a small and relatively cheap speaker, the
trick is to double it. Why have one when you could have two, easily
achieving stereo sound without pushing the price or size? That's the
thinking behind the August
International Bluetooth Stereo Speakers MS515.
We'll
be honest; this is the first time we've even heard about August
International, but after playing around with these speakers for a
couple of weeks, they are definitely a name we'll be watching out
for. Essentially the August
International Bluetooth Stereo Speakers MS515 solve the issue of
depth of sound with single Bluetooth speakers – namely you don't
get any. There is a reason all good speakers and sound systems use
two outputs (or at least dual outputs from the same source) and that
is because immersive stereo sound is just simply better.
Regardless
of how good your single Bluetooth speaker is (or how much you paid
for it), sound that comes from one point never sounds as rich. The
August International Bluetooth Stereo Speakers MS515 cracks that by
splitting itself in two: you get two separate but identical speaker
units that are linked via a USB cable. You then connect your phone,
tablet, or laptop using Bluetooth... and you're rocking.
Your
headline here is that each of the units possesses a 5W speaker,
combining to create a 10 W output. Already that puts the August MS515
waaaaay above the competition at this size and price, so if you're
looking for a powerful sound from a small package, here it is. What's
more the clarity of that sound was very good. Obviously the stereo
capabilities of these speakers goes a long way to improve quality,
but both music and spoken word tracks sounded great. Highs and lows
are managed well, with only a slight bit of distortion creeping in at
high volume levels.
Yes,
there's two of them, so you'll be lugging around a slightly bigger
package than what you might be used to from a portable Bluetooth
speaker (not that much more, mind), but for the improvement in
quality and depth it is more than worth it. Furthermore, you'll be
partying for even longer thanks to the August International Bluetooth
Stereo Speakers MS515's 15 hour battery life. Yes, 15! Holy crap.
Great
for both travel and as static desktop speakers, we really love these
plucky little guys. Check 'em out.
Around
£40