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- Light and compact
- Plenty of volume
- Excellent battery life
- Sound is monophonic
- Lacks bass
- No loop handle
Cutting through the portable Bluetooth speaker noise is this compact wireless offering from electrical retailer AO.
Launched hot on the heels of the brand’s first budget wireless earbuds – the AO Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds – this dinky sqawker apes the style of a JBL Flip, but sells for a good deal less.
What do you get for the money?
You can pick up the AO Portable Wireless Speaker for £49, or just £39 if you sign up for the retailer’s VIP club, which offers discounts and free deliveries.
It’s a low-cost Bluetooth speaker with a rugged design, and its cylindrical profile will be familiar to many, thanks to the popularity of JBL’s best-selling Flip speaker range and similar products like the Sonos Roam. This model undercuts both by a significant margin.
Measuring 73 x 73 x 195mm (WDH), it’s small enough to pop into a bag or backpack, and tipping the scales at just 432g, you’ll barely notice it’s there. Somewhat surprisingly, considering its price, the speaker feels reassuringly durable in the hand. Want to take a speaker on holiday, for the hotel room or beachside entertainment? This should do nicely.
In the box, you’ll find a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm cable to hardwire any legacy audio gear you might have around via ports protected beneath a rubber bung. There’s no carry case, but there’s a shoelace tether to knot into a carry handle. Personally, I’d prefer an integrated loop strap.
The speaker itself is encased in fabric and sports black rubber bumpers at either end, plus a selection of on-body controls covering Bluetooth pairing, volume control, track skipping and playback, plus phone answering.
AO-green LEDs light the passive radiators when powered up. It’s here you’ll find the distinctive AO branding. The finish is regulation black, but it would be nice if there were some fun colourways on the roster.
What does it do well?
Volume is plentiful. AO quotes a power output of 30W, and while that strikes me as somewhat optimistic, given the physicality of the speaker, there’s no doubt that this little tube makes a healthy noise. It’s loud enough to entertain a small room and is more than capable of making itself heard out on the patio, if the climate allows.
The speaker does offer weatherproofing, which is important for a portable option such as this. It’s certified IP66 for water and dust resistance, so it is robust enough to withstand an inopportune dust storm or vigorous water splash or downpour. However, don’t subject it to full watery immersion – for that, you’ll need IP67 or greater protection.
Battery life is exceptional, coming in at around 20 hours, courtesy of a 3.7V 2000mAh cell. This is substantially more than comparable rivals. Total charge time is just under 1h30mins.
By luck or design, the soundstage is actually quite expansive; there’s no obvious deadspot when you listen off-axis from the speaker driver. Listening at a moderate level to The Eagle’s Hotel California, I didn’t feel an urgent need to check out. The Don Henley vocal is clean and emotive, while the dual guitar outro of Don Felder and Joe Walsh remains sweet and graceful.
Similarly, The Man Who Sold the World manages to retain Tony Visconti’s phasey production, without smearing Bowie’s lead. Rick Wakeman’s piano on All You Pretty Things, from Hunky Dory, isn’t completely on the mark, but near enough tonally.
While the speaker’s output is monophonic, there is a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) mode, which allows you to pair two of these AO portables to create a stereo wireless system. This went untested, as I was only sent one speaker, but it’s a nice feature to have available if you’re willing to double your outlay.
What could be improved?
It’s perhaps no great surprise to learn that this AO speaker is bass-deficient. On the best systems, Chase & Status Baddadan drops deeper than the Mariana trench, but heard here, the sound mix is a comparative puddle.
The speaker’s little 20mm driver doesn’t have the wherewithal to drop with intent. It’s largely about serving elevated treble. It can also land on the sharp side. The jingle jangle sound of Sixties pop from the likes of The Searchers does indeed sound like needles and pins. Of course, this rather strident nature ensures clarity with speech radio and podcasts.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the unsettling belch-like sound the speaker makes when powering up, which is not a little disconcerting. And those wanting the freedom to adjust how their Bluetooth speaker sounds will need to look elsewhere, as there are no EQ settings to explore either. What you hear is what you get.
Should you buy the AO Portable Wireless Speaker?
For the cash, this budget blaster can be considered a decent buy. Its compact design and stamina make it a solid option, particularly for kids and teens. Which is appropriate. You see, I really don’t believe anyone is going to use this AO portable solely for music playback.
It’s actually far more suitable as a loudspeaker when scrolling TikTok, watching YouTube or playing casual games on your smartphone. And it’s in this more casual user light that it comes into its own. Fun, not fidelity, is the name of the game here. AO will sell a lot of them.
