Budget-friendly wireless speakers are understandably popular these days, thanks to the sheer volume of options available and their general high quality at ever lowering prices. While some of the popular brands available today are known for their audio products, others are popular for different things. Today's review covers a product from a company that fits into the latter category.
LeEco is best known for its phones and content services, but does also manufacture some interesting budget audio products, including the Leme Bluetooth headphones. Also a part of the audio range is the Letv Bluetooth Speaker, which is available at Rs. 1,999 on LeEco's own website LeMall.com. How does this small and colourful speaker perform? Find out in our review.
LeEco Letv Bluetooth Speaker design and specifications
The LeEco Letv Bluetooth Speaker isn't the fanciest or most premium-looking speaker around, but it doesn't look too bad either. It's available in four colours: black, blue, orange, and pink. We liked the light blue colour of our review unit. The rectangular body has rounded sides and stands upright in ordinary use, with front-firing speakers and rubber grips at the bottom to keep it in place. It's incredibly stable in operation, unlike some of the other speakers in this price range.
The device has two full-range drivers and a third bass driver on the side. The metal grille extends all around its body, while the top and bottom are plastic. There is just one button on the entire device, which handles power, play/ pause, call answer, and pairing functionality. It has a light ring around it to indicate when the speaker is in use. Volume and audio controls have to be handled from the source device, since there are no buttons for those on the speaker itself.
Charging is through a Micro-USB port at the back, and connectivity is exclusively through Bluetooth due to the lack of an auxiliary port or any other form of input. The Letv Bluetooth Speaker has a 1200mAh battery that keeps it going for about eight hours on a full charge. There's a microphone that lets you use the speaker as a hands-free device with your phone. Sound and microphone quality are both decent for this purpose.
LeEco Letv Bluetooth Speaker performance
We tested the LeEco Letv Bluetooth Speaker with our OnePlus 3 (Review) paired over Bluetooth. Focus tracks for the review were Skrillex's Rock and Roll, Martin Solveig's Intoxicated, and Kala Chasma from the Baar Baar Dekho soundtrack.
Starting with the dubstep track Rock and Roll, the first thing we noticed was that the sound has an excellent tone, with music feeling clear and strongly defined. Thanks to the dedicated bass driver, there's a significant sense of thump to the bass, and the low-end feels strong as well. The sub-bass range sounds better than the mid-bass, which seems to be a bit recessed. The speaker also gets very loud when used at maximum volume, although the strong tonality gives it a sharp edge that makes it a bit hard to listen to when the volume is too high. The speaker is a lot more stable and toned down than the identically priced Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker, although the sound isn't quite as exciting and attacking.
Moving on to Intoxicated, we found that the mid-range of the Letv Bluetooth Speaker is clean, with crisp vocals that are boosted by the excellent tonality of the speaker. Highs and lows are decent as well, but a sensitivity spike can be noticed in the mid-range. The shape of the speaker gives the impression of sound emanating in all directions, but the firing angle ensures a targeted sweet spot at the expense of a wider soundstage. The horn elements in the track felt particularly pronounced and clean, while imaging was decent as well.
Finally, with the Bollywood track Kala Chasma, we found a fair sense of excitement and drive in the speaker, but the dominant aspect of the sonic signature remained its clean tonal superiority. It can occasionally be a bit sharp, particularly with vocals, but at reasonable volumes it sounds very good for the price. It's good with Indian music, as well as international pop and electronic music. Vocal-oriented tracks sound good thanks to the clarity and tone.
Verdict
The LeEco Letv Bluetooth Speaker is basic and single-minded in its approach. With just a single button and only one way to connect to your music source, the speaker is as easy to use as it can be. The sound is tonally excellent, with good reproduction through the range and decent sub-bass thanks to a dedicated bass driver.
It's also decent for calls, thanks to a decent mid-range. It does the basic job of a Bluetooth speaker for a low price, with excellent clarity and tonal strength being its biggest advantages. This product is definitely worth considering if you're looking at an affordable Bluetooth speaker that's loud, clean and crisp. However, the market is competitive, and there are plenty of options available at a similar price, including the Mi Bluetooth Speaker and Portronics Posh.
Price: Rs. 1,999
Pros
Cons
Ratings (Out of 5)
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