Think Outside Boomtube H2O1 2.1 Speakers

looking for a nice portable sound-solution i found the thinkoutside boomtube h2o1 that caught my attention.

i already have a tivoli ipal which rather is a radio, but also can be used as an active speaker and although it sounds nice at lower volume, it starts to distort quickly if you turn up volume a bit too much, or if you play some bass-heavy music.

the boomtube seemed like a better alternative to me, and although the price was a bit high, i decided to buy one.

the design is really nice. the whole case is made of anodized aluminium, and the satellites can be attached to the main-body, when on the go. the boomtube is a bit heavy though. although it is much more portable than the ipod-hifi for example, you will still notice it, once you have to carry it in your rucksack for a longer time.

if you want to setup the whole thing, you need some wiring first, so in the end you have 2 wires going to the satellites and still another wire going to your audio-source. now if you want to relocate your boomtube quickly, you cannot do that easily, because you have 4 pieces to carry, the main body, the 2 satellites and your player, besides the cables that hang around. this is one of the drawbacks i found. it is not fully portable anymore once set up. retractable cables would be a better solution, or even some wireless transmission, which would require some additional power-source though.

another weak point i found is that the drivers are not protected in any way. after only 3 days of usage i already had a small dimple in one of the membranes (probably got it while i tried to carry the stuff from one room to the other). it doesn't have any effect on the sound, but still, if the drivers were protected with a grille or something this would have never happened.

another thing that makes the boomtube less portable than other speakers is the battery life. i am getting about 5:30 hours out of mine if i listen to it with moderate volume. if i turn it to the max it will probably be 3-4 hours only. so you won't be able to use it on the beach for the whole day... this is really a pity, because they sound nice, but not long enough. another absurd fact is that the boomtube is only charged when turned off. so you cannot listen to music and simultaneously charge it again. i also have the impression as if the charging-electronics is not technically mature. once you charge the boomtube, then turn it on and off again, the charging procedure starts again, but doesn't stop after several minutes, but rather charges the whole time again. i am wondering if this will have an effect on the battery. maybe my unit is defective, but i read from others too, that they have a similar charging behaviour.

now to the sound: first i have to mention that you must turn the bassdial to the maximum to get the best results. i wonder why the dial doesn't start at 0 and goes up to 10, but rather starts at -5 and goes to +5. at -5 you won't hear any bass at all, at 0 there is not that much of it either and only at +5 it starts to sound appealing.
this way everything turned to the max i thought: wow they really sound nice. i mean this tube is slightly bigger than a pringles-box but you get a full and rich sound out of it you won't expect at the very first moment.
but then after longer listening and comparing it to other units, especially the tivoli ipal and also the logitech mm50 i found that the boomtube's bass-output is not overwhelming.
i mean the bass is nice and it has a smooth deep signature, but the mm50, which is smaller and lighter is able to produce a more powerful bass.
when compared to the ipal, i find the boomtube's bass smoother and reaching deeper. the ipal bass is a bit more punchy but also sounds more boxy, as if coming from a cheap plastic speaker, besides the ipal distorts at higher volume. the boomtube can play very loud without any distortion. how is this? well i have the impression as if the ratio bass:treble changes with the volume. to me the boomtube sounds best, when listened at lower volume. the bass is really powerful then. but as soon as you turn up volume, the satellites get louder and louder while the bass seems to remain the same or become only slightly louder. maybe this is to prevent distortion, but i would personally prefer a slightly lower maximum volume-output but therefore louder bass.
the bass is there and it sounds nice, it is only not loud enough for my taste.
bass response can be improved a bit if you put the main-part on the floor, or near a wall.

to tell the truth i expected a bit more power out of this boomtube, especially bass-power. this unit is rated at 40 watt output, but other units such as the logitech mm50 that do not overstate their output are able to produce a more powerful bass. in case of the mm50 it also has to be mentioned that it starts to distort at high volumes, but you really have to turn it up quite a lot. besides the mm50 play about 10 hours with one charge, which would be enough for one day at the beach.

the boomtube could probably be improved with some changes. i would suggest some retractable cables, a stronger battery and a better bass-response. this way this tube would really be a killer. but as it is now it is only an overpriced nice-looking design-gadget!

what a pity!