When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, they are a dime a dozen. What isn’t a dime a dozen is a quality speaker that can fill space, provide quality audio and deliver wirelessly for hours.
The Blueant X5i does all of that and — like its predecessor, the X5 — has a couple of tricks up its sleeve.
What is it?
The Blueant X5i is a portable party speaker that, as was noted in the release:
“boasts a powerful 120W output with enhanced bass capabilities, thanks to a 165mm bass driver, a bass reflex tube, and dual 58mm tweeters.”
This time around, it also has two wireless microphones for karaoke stars, which also cater to event hosts among buyers. What you don’t see, or perhaps realise, from the specs is the versatility of the X5i through the input options.
Of course, most people will default to Bluetooth; we all have it and use it nearly daily. But there’s also auxiliary input and USB if you store your tunes that way.
It’s powered by a 20,800mAh battery, which can also top up your devices. It’s a handy feature, but the charging on current-generation devices was pretty slow.
Bring the party
Unlike some other party speakers. The BlueAnt x5i will easily fit in the boot or backseat of your car and can be easily moved (with a convenient carry handle) by a single person. This makes it ideal to take to parties, events or just because you want some music on the beach.
Recently, I took the unit to my local CFS station, where I volunteer for an evening event. With the shed open and, at times, over 100 people in the shed, the x5i had no issues filling the space with music at approximately 50% volume. Given the amount of people present, that was a really impressive result.
Added to this was the impressive battery life. Running at 50% volume for nearly 5 hours, The battery was only diminished by about 1/4.
Great for quiet times too
During testing, I also ran the x5i in my office for extended periods at low volume. Unlike some of its other stable mates from Blueant, I found that the audio quality was really well balanced even at low volume, with a good mix between bass, mid-range and treble. The battery lasted me the full week of playback at low volume without needing a charge.
While there’s only so much you can do with a speaker to make it look cool, Blueant has achieved that again with this one. The general design is fantastic; the open grill at the front allows you to see the cone throw, and the lighting is on point, offering reactive lighting to the music being played at the time, or you can turn the lighting off.
Should you buy one?
There are a few things to consider here, and for some perspective, let’s put the $479.00 price on the table. That’s not the cheapest speaker you’ll come across, nor is it the most expensive. Staying true to what they’ve consistently delivered in the past, BlueAnt have again delivered a feature-packed device with excellent sound at a decent price for the feature set.
A lot of people want something a bit better than their phone speaker, and this is not for those users. If you’re looking for a speaker with solid sound, great audio balance, multiple input options, microphones for karaoke and other versatility – this is an excellent buy.
You can pick one up from the BlueAnt Website with shipping taking only a couple of days.
