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.
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
