IT168 Review For those music lovers who are not so high on the pursuit of sound quality, the emergence of small Bluetooth speakers is like a gospel. Both do not have to endure headphones for the ear of the oppression and how can not eliminate the head in the effect, but also do not have to be limited by the space and power supply, where people go where the music is ringing, as you wish.
And because of the electronic equipment, Bluetooth speakers are not free of the only piece of the place is - not waterproof! Whether it is in the beach Happy Party, in the bathroom want a little music embellishment, or poolside romantic BGM, in these should have been the main battlefield for them to show their skills, the traditional Bluetooth speaker is always a little bit afraid. The emergence of Bluetooth speakers with waterproof performance has completely resolved this contradiction. Pioneer has added the powerful IPX7 level triple-proof attribute to its own Bluetooth speakers after the former BA202, combined with the excellent appearance of the BA501W.
Cubic Design Elements Throwing water can also work
Black packaging with black speakers and white logos and characters. Pioneer is a handsome mess in packaging design, and the simple color scheme brings the greatest visual impact instead.
Support for A2DP and other standards of Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, nominal 10 hours (measured should be longer) battery life and 2.8W high power output characteristics and Pioneer's previous Bluetooth speaker products are consistent with the parameter does not have a high specification transmission protocol such as the APT-X standard, and does not indicate any special unit design.
▲Knowing that many desktop bookshelf speakers have only 3W output power
Black and white, rounded rectangle design makes the BA501W look like it was melted out of the night sky, with a full of cool energy. The top and bottom sides of the speaker are covered with a fine metal mesh, while the four sides are wrapped in a rubber-like material, making it very durable in terms of design.
▲There is a microphone next to the volume up button, so it's easy to make a phone call with such a small speaker
There is some information on the bottom of the speaker, and on the top are the on/off switch, Bluetooth connectivity/talking button, and the volume up/down button (which also serves as a song switching function). The buttons require a little more force when tapping as they are sealed as one piece with the shell. In terms of control logic, the power button doesn't have a long press to turn off the device, so it's easy to accidentally press it and then reconnect it; and the volume up/down button's long-press to cut the song design is relatively laborious, so there's still a lot of room for improvement in terms of operating logic.
▲This cover is still very thick
The USB charging port and a 3.5mm AUX input port are both on the left side of the speaker, covered with a thick rubber seal. I recommend that you don't keep moving that cover without having to charge it, as frequent opening and closing will result in a drop in water resistance.
▲Simple and practical accessories
In terms of accessories, the BA501W has a product manual, a USB charging cable and a black rubber lanyard - a lot more than many Bluetooth speakers that are just a simple and brutal case. excellent.
▲Even if you accidentally soak in water, it's totally OK
And for Pioneer's claimed IPX7 protection level, I found some scientific information, if interested friends can look at: "IP (INGRESS PROTECTION) protection level system is by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION) drafted by the electrical appliances in accordance with its dust and moisture characteristics to be graded. Here referred to as foreign objects including tools, human fingers, etc. can not touch the electrical appliances within the electrically charged parts, in order to avoid electric shock. ip protection level is composed of two numbers, the first number indicates that the electrical appliances dust-proof, to prevent the intrusion of foreign objects level, the second number indicates that the electrical appliances moisture-proof, water-proof intrusion of the degree of confinement, the greater the number indicates that the higher the level of protection."
And the IPX7 protection standard means that the BA501W can be immersed for up to 30 minutes within a water depth of 1m without affecting normal function. It should be noted that although the BA501W is very water resistant, it is not protected against large amounts of dust or high/low temperatures, so care should be taken not to expose it to extreme environments when in use.
Sound performance is thick and flavorful, with different positions for different listening
On the sound performance, BA501W's listening experience is a little different from that of Pioneer's previous work, BA202, which was clean and transparent. The BA501W has a more mellow and cohesive sound performance, with a more delicate and good sounding mid-range vocal texture and a more natural three-frequency extension.
Specifically, the BA501W's low frequencies are cleaner and more cohesive, with fewer wonderful overtones but more real strength. The midrange has a price point of small speakers and headphones are difficult to reach the richness of information and density, interpretation of vocals with a very penetrating, whether it's a male voice such as JJ Lin or female voice such as Lin Yilian (choose these two singers because their singing is delicate enough to have a very detailed to taste) are able to listen to enough to "taste"! The first is the "Sense and Sensibility".
And interestingly, different speaker placement can also bring some interesting changes to the sound of the BA501W, when placed upright, the sound will be more transparent a little bit, the mid-range details are also more enchanting rich; and will be facing up, flat on the table, to get a better sense of the quality of the low-frequency and density. Interested students can try.
▲Waterproof is officially the biggest selling point, but its sound performance is actually enough to justify the price
Suitable for the style of music, unlike the BA202's rock paradigm, the BA501W's sound performance is the best in the performance of some popular vocals. The Japanese and Korean dance music with vocal performance as the main axis is also very good to listen to. --It's a good idea to put it on, play some cute and energetic girl group dance music, and go to the beach or the pool together with a good mood.
Other details -- switching on and off and connecting have wonderful Chinese big sister voice prompts, quite humanized. The battery life can be safely used all day, can vigorously build no problem. Output power - take to put square dance are basically enough, usually a 10 square meters of room only need to open to the iPhone on the 3-gigabit volume can have enough sound pressure. It's a great way to get the most out of a big scene, so don't worry, you'll be able to handle it.
Summary
Cool appearance, practical and powerful waterproof, long battery life and delicate mid-range performance, these elements constitute the BA501W are attracted to buy it point. 399 price is also sufficiently affordable, as a common Bluetooth speaker to buy the quality of its sound performance are enough! It's worth the price. It's not perfect (the control logic is a bit inconvenient and the accessories are a bit sketchy), but as a gadget that can be tucked into a bag and traveled around at any time, the BA501W gives us plenty of reasons to tuck it into our luggage and go on a trip.
Grab the BA501W and head to the water in the comfortable weather that's coming in summer.