Soundbook GO Review

Bluetooth speakers are some of the most popular gadgets at a tech and gadget show, with 7-8 new ones always up for grabs in the market at any given point. After the Soundbook and Soundbook X3, which was released earlier this year, Soundbook GO is Bayan Audio’s third portable bluetooth speaker.

After a while of using these speakers, the Soundbook GO comes across as surprisingly powerful, with a nice airy feel for a device of this size. Weighing less than 0.5 kg, it is conveniently light and portable (more than X3), with a decent built as well. The glossy body makes it slightly prone to scratches though.

The flip-shut cover held closed by magnets and ensures there is no wastage of battery in case it is accidentally left on when not in use. As an added benefit, it folds up and can be used to prop up the speakers.

If you have an NFC device, it is super easy to connect to it. If not, it can still locate your device the traditional bluetooth way. If you have a really, really old device, you can STILL connect to the speakers using the 3.5 mm aux jack. It doesn’t drain a lot of power, and speakers can be easily charged via a micro USB slot from your laptop or a regular smartphone charger.

A useful feature not commonly seen in portable features, is the row of LEDs on top of the speaker to show the volume level. The speaker provides no setup to control music from the speaker itself, and requires handling of the device at all times. It has a standby mode though, but to resume playback you have to go to the device.

Compared to other bluetooth speakers in the same price range, it is a better bet than Jabra Solemate($150) and Jawbone Jambox ($130) in terms of sound quality, and although it doesn’t look as good as Dre Pill’s Beats which come for a whopping $200, the sound is actually slightly better.

Battery life of 9 hours (at mid-volume and drops to 6-7 hours at full blast) is pretty good, considering speakers edging towards $200 can do 15 hours at best.

Although this is good for  in-house use, it slightly weak when taken outdoors and has noticeable bass distortion at high volumes. The bass at times actually overpowers some of the other frequencies, making the trebles and mids a bit harder to detect. Also, mic quality isn’t the best and it doesn’t quite have the same range as some of its rivals in the same genre. And if you’re really looking to spend less than $150 , Soundbook GO will be your best bet!