Lenco BTS-110 Bluetooth Speaker

Lenco BTS-110 Bluetooth Speaker

Portable Bluetooth speakers in smaller form factors appear to be in vogue these days, with a plethora of these devices in the market now.

Dutch audio brand Lenco wants a slice of the pie.

At first glance, you are bound to be impressed by how sleek the cube-like BTS-110 speaker looks, with its glossy plastic exterior, topped with the usual grille-like design on speakers.

Although the glossy exterior is a fingerprint magnet, it does make the BTS-110 stand out. One might even mistake the black version for a product from Razer, the gaming peripherals specialist.

It weighs 253g, heavier than most of its kind. But the weight makes the speaker feel solid, yet it is still light enough to be carried in one hand.

A small, but important touch is a rubber rim at the base. This ensures that the speaker stays put wherever it is placed.

Operating the speaker is easy. The off/on switch is at the base. Three buttons at the side handle functions such as volume up/down.

A hands-free feature lets me answer calls without having to disconnect the speaker. Pairing it with my phone took only seconds.

Lenco reports a Bluetooth reception range of up to 10m, but testing showed that sound started to break up after 5m. Even after multiple attempts, the problem persisted.

On the flipside, the speaker's battery life was astounding.

It lasted more than six hours, twice the three-hour estimate claimed. You can charge the speaker only via USB, but I wish that the option to do so via a two-pin or three-pin power adaptor was available out of the box.

The speaker's strong bass and mid-range response make up for its weak treble performance.

Electronic, dance and hip-hop show off its strengths, but classical music and ballads are not its strong suit.

Hardwell and Showtek's How We Do sounded great, with the thumping bass line evident throughout.

If you need more power, there is an AUX port function to chain several BTS-110 speakers together, a boon for an outdoor party.

A long battery life, intuitive operation and hands-free operation make the Lenco BTS-110 a good choice. But it might be pricey for some.

ebeltang@sph.com.sg

TECH SPECS

Price: $79.90

Bluetooth reception: Up to 10m

Output power: 3 Watts

RATING

Design 4/5

Performance 3/5

Value for money 3/5

Overall 3/5


This article was first published on Jan 21 2015.
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