Brookstone Wireless Outdoor Speaker review

Here's an unusually functional piece of furniture for your patio.

It looks intriguing, and far from unpleasant - perhaps more like a buoy that should be floating in the sea than a garden accessory, but the sleek white chassis seems tough enough to endure the British summer. It also incorporates a handle that makes it easy to carry around, and an ethereal blue light emanating from the middle adds a touch of high-tech pizzazz.

However, the first thing you want to know about a speaker isn't what it looks like, but how it sounds. And the Brookstone doesn't sound as good as it looks. The bass is incredibly strong - even more so, to the point of annoyance, if you use the bass boost feature - and drowns out the weak treble. The circular design also means music sounds generally weak and vapid, since it's not being broadcast in one direction, as with most speakers.

The quoted wireless range is 150 feet, passing through walls, ceilings and floors. We tried it both indoors and out, and found the sound became patchy and riddled with interference when we had the speaker just 50 feet from the transmitter. It was fine when we brought it a little closer. The transmitter can plug into any audio output - we tried it with a PC playing an Internet radio station and with an MP3 player - and three frequency bands are available, so there's less chance of interference from other devices. The transmitter plugs into the mains, but the speaker itself takes eight whopping D-sized batteries; you'd probably want to get rechargeables.

While it may be easy to use and well built, the Brookstone isn't as satisfying to use as it should be. The sound quality is merely adequate, and you can't carry it far from the house without reception problems. As a cool patio accessory for playing undemanding music in the background, it might appeal.