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Articles by Raphael Boyer
Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM Review
Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM Review True Score 76 72 77 76 Ranking Market Context The Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM is a 2023-model mid-range Bluetooth speaker designed to provide 360-degree immersive sound with deep bass. This speaker joins our list of… The Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM is a 2023-model mid-range Bluetooth speaker designed to provide 360-degree immersive sound with deep bass. This speaker joins our list of the highest-rated speakers today.
Sonos Move 2 Review
True Score 82 84 70 76 86 Ranking Market Context The Sonos Move 2 is a high-end Bluetooth speaker released in 2023, offering a long battery life and powerful stereo sound. If you want to… The Sonos Move 2 is a high-end Bluetooth speaker released in 2023, offering a long battery life and powerful stereo sound. If you want to know how the Sonos Move compares to the highest-rated speakers, read on for details.
JBL Authentics 500 Review
The JBL Authentics 500 offers premium sound quality, well-balanced highs and mids, a strong bass output, and the opportunity to customize its sound output through the Equalizer on its user-friendly JBL One app. A max volume rating of 102.8 dB places it in the top 10% of speakers in its category, but it’ll have to be plugged into a main power source since it is not battery-powered. It also has no water or dust resistance but an AUX and USB port for playing from or charging other devices.
Klipsch GIG XXL Review
The Klipsch GIG XXL has a lot of different controls for its various features. You'll find more traditional controls like a play/pause button, as well as buttons to skip to the next or the previous track. Pairing to Bluetooth is easy with the dedicated button, and you can hold it down for three seconds to make a true wireless stereo pair with another device. Also, you can adjust the echo as well as control the volume for the microphone and the guitar inputs. These buttons are easy to use overall.
Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition Review
Differences Between Sizes And Variants The Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition is the latest iteration of the SoundLink Mini series of portable, wireless speakers. It comes in two color variants: 'Triple Black' and 'Luxe Silver', We tested the 'Triple Black' variant, but we expect other colors to perform similarly. You can see our unit's label here. If you encounter a variant not listed here, let us know in the forums so we can update our review.
Creative Stage Review
The Creative Stage soundbar has a decent stereo frequency response. Out-of-the-box, you get a boomy sound with lots of extra punch in the bass range. This bleeds a bit into the mid-range, resulting in a muddier sound with voices and sound effects in your favorite games. The bar seems to be missing some brightness in the treble, too, though this is likely because of the overemphasis in the bass.
EarFun UBOOM L Review
The EarFun UBOOM L has a passable frequency response accuracy. Its sound profile is fairly even, especially in the mids, where most voices and lead instruments are reproduced. However, the roll-off in the treble range makes audio sound less detailed. Like most small speakers, it also lacks a lot of low-bass, so you don't get the deep thump and rumble in genres like EDM and hip-hop. This speaker comes with Indoor and Outdoor sound modes, which are designed to adjust audio to suit the space you're in.
TCL Alto 6 Review
Compared To Other Soundbars The TCL Alto 6 is another budget-friendly offering from the manufacturer that provides a simple upgrade over your existing TV speakers. Unlike the TCL Alto 6+, it comes without a subwoofer, making it ideal for smaller or more compact living rooms. As with most cheaper soundbars, you won't find a ton of extra features or customization options, though.
Hisense AX5125H Review
Compared To Other Soundbars The Hisense AX5125H is a mid-range 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar. It's an affordable alternative for those who want a bar with satellites and Atmos support at a more affordable price than more premium models like the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar or the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers. You won't find as many sound enhancement features, and its soundstage performances aren't quite as impressive as the higher-end models, so you don't get the same life-like feel.
Samsung HW-Q600C/Q60CC Review
The Samsung Q60CC soundbar uses the manufacturer's Acoustic Beam technology to simulate height with content like Dolby Atmos. Essentially, a side-firing channel inside the bar sends sound across the "beam" to exit out of holes at the bar's top. It's not quite the same setup as other Samsung bars with up-firing channels like the Samsung HW-Q990C, and it can't reproduce as much height as more premium models.
LG SP7R Review
The LG SP7R 7.1 has a pretty standard selection of sound enhancement features. You won't find a room correction tool like with more premium bars, but you can make up for differences in the sound a bit with its bass and treble adjustments. There are lots of EQ presets on hand, too, including 'AI Sound Pro', 'Standard', 'Bass Blast', 'Music', 'Clear Voice', 'Game', 'Cinema', 'DTS Virtual:X', and 'Sports'. 'Clear Voice' enhances dialogue in movies and TV shows.
Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Mini Review
This soundbar uses its side-firing and front-firing drivers to simulate height in the space around you when you listen to content like Dolby Atmos. Its AMBEO Virtualization sound processing feature is meant to create the illusion of additional speakers in the space around you, too. The frequency response on these channels is rather uneven, though, meaning that sound effects aren't as accurately reproduced.
Yamaha ATS-1090 Review
The Yamaha ATS-1090's stereo frequency response is fair. It has a dark and bass-heavy sound due to the extra emphasis in the high-bass. The bass leaks into the mids a bit, pushing voices and other instruments towards the back of the mix. Smaller details are somewhat lost as a result. You can always turn on the Clear Voice feature to make voices louder in the mix, though it doesn't do much else to improve the sound quality.
Anker Soundcore Motion 300 Review
Compared To Other Speakers The Anker Soundcore Motion 300 is an entry-level Bluetooth speaker. Like other speakers in the Motion lineup, it's designed for on-the-go listening thanks to its portable design with dust and water resistance. It also has some good features for the price, like Smart Tune technology to adjust its sound based on its positioning. See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best outdoor speakers, and the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
JBL Authentics 200 Review
This speaker comes with a Self-Tuning feature that automatically optimizes its output based on the unique acoustics of your living room. It activates each time you plug in the speaker and takes about three minutes to complete. You'll have to keep the microphone on for it to work. With it on, this speaker's sound is fairly even, especially in the mid-range, where most voices and lead instruments reproduce. However, it lacks some emphasis in the treble and bass ranges.
JBL Authentics 500 Review
Like many premium speakers on the market, the JBL Authentics 500 comes with a room correction tool to optimize its sound based on your room's unique acoustics. Its Self-Tuning feature activates automatically each time you connect the speaker to power and start audio playback, so you don't need to press any buttons to start it. The process takes about three minutes. It works as long as the microphone is turned on.
JBL PartyBox 1000 Review
Since this speaker doesn't come with a companion app, it's designed to be controlled mainly from its physical controls. There are lots of buttons to access a wide array of different features. All of them are illuminated for easier use in the dark. Play button: Press once to play/pause audio, twice for the next track, and thrice for the previous track. Volume button: Raise or lower the volume. Press both to mute. BassBoost button: Choose between Default EQ or BassBoost level 1 or 2.
Sonos Move 2 Review
The controls are intuitive and easy to use. At the top of the speaker, you find two arrow buttons to skip to the previous or the next track and a play/pause button. The volume slider lets you tap to increase or decrease the volume, and you can also slide from one side to another to easily adjust the volume. Also, the speech bubble button lets you activate the voice assistant. On the back of the speaker, you find a few more controls.
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar Review
WIth ADAPTiQ used, which is a room correction feature, the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar has a satisfactory stereo frequency response. It's bright, which is useful if you want to listen to dialogue-heavy content like the news or podcasts, as voices will be very crisp and clear. However, it can be fatiguing to listen to over long periods, especially if you're listening to content with a lot of sibilants like cymbals or S and T sounds, as they can be piercing.
LG S77S Review
The LG S77S is advertised as a 3.1.3 bar, but in practice, it operates more like a 3.1.2 setup. That's because only two of the up-firing drivers play height content, while the third plays the same content as the center channel. Unfortunately, the frequency response on these height channels is a bit uneven. There's overemphasis in the mid-bass that adds punch to the mix, while a dip in the high-bass reduces the overall warmth. A peak in the high-mid to low-treble adds a harsh quality to voices.
Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM Review
Compared To Other Speakers The Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM is a premium speaker positioned between the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM and the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 in size and sound quality. It comes with many of the same features as the HYPERBOOM, including an Adaptive EQ room calibration tool to optimize its sound to your room's unique acoustics. It doesn't get as loud, though, and there's more compression at max volume.
Blue Tees Golf The Player Review
Compared To Other Speakers The Blue Tees Golf The Player is a simple speaker for golf cart use. Its built-in magnet is designed to attach the speaker right to your golf cart, and it has an IPX7 rating for water resistance to withstand the elements. Compared to other golf cart speakers, though, there's no GPS or companion app to check on distances and keep track of your stats. That said, if you want a more basic device just for listening to music on the course, it's worth a look.
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