Blaupunkt bt-100
Punches Above Its Weight
German brand Blaupunkt, which is known for LED TVS and audio devices, has added a new Bluetooth speaker to its wide range of products. Although it comes with a price tag of Rs 3,999 (mentioned on the box), the all-new Blaupunkt BT-100, which comes in the shades of Blue and Black, is available on Amazon and Flipkart for Rs 2,999 only. Let’s have a look how did this wireless speaker performed in our review.
Design
The sturdy-looking wireless speaker comes in a rectangle shape. Its body cover is made up with durable plastic that can protect it from accident fall which is a matter of concern for many hand-held devices. It has a rubber finish from outside. It is splash-proof due to the mesh-like fabric finish of the front speaker. The dimension of the BT-100 is 215x115x75m and it weighs around 609 grams.
On the top of the device are audio control buttons- Play, Pause, Forward and Rewind, and also the volume rocker. The rear of Blaupunkt BT-100 houses slots for memory card, AUX 3.5mm jack, microusb port and power on/off button. All these connectivity and charging ports are hidden behind a rubberized shutter.
The speaker has four rubberized pods at the base to prevent it from slipping on any surface. Overall, the design is quite decent. It’s quite portable. You can put the speaker in your bag and carry it on the go.
Performance
The 12W Bluetooth device sports dual speakers and a passive radiator. It produces a balanced sound and its frequency distribution is also well managed on mid-level of volume. It’s a bit substandard if we listen to any dance number on high volume as the bass goes missing, whereas it’s good with the vocal songs with less beats. The mids sound clear and provide enough detailing. Although the bass could be better, the Blaupunkt speaker delivers sufficient loudness at the highest volume. What’s more, one can also attend calls using the speaker, which indeed is an interesting feature.
Battery
The speaker is powered by a 2,000mah battery that claims to ensure 8 hours of playtime with default volume. However, it could not stand true when we tested its capability on full volume after a full charge. It withstood for nearly 6 hours only. However, it’s not bad, as higher the volume higher the battery consumption.
Connectivity
On the connectivity front, it has multiple options- microsd card, AUX and Bluetooth
4.2. The speaker easily and instantaneously gets connected to your phone via Bluetooth having a range of 10 meters with frequency response of 65HZ-18KHZ. We found the Bluetooth connectivity range working impeccably when there was no obstacle while testing the speaker, whereas there were some distortions when the obstacle came in between my smartphone and the speaker.
Conclusion
The Blaupunkt BT-100 Bluetooth speaker offers decent design, impressive sound quality, multiple connectivity options and good battery life. One thing that it lacks is a high quality bass, although it’s not that bad considering its small size. It’s a good buy in terms of quality performance and functionality. Even price-wise, you cannot ignore this speaker. It has all the basic ingredients an audiophile looks for in a portable speaker. ■