We don’t see much physical design innovation for bluetooth speakers in general but the levitating speakers that came out in 2015 was quite a thing to behold. Sound quality aside, the visual effect of seeing a floating orb in the audio room is quite interesting to say the least. However, as audio fans, I am sure the sound is as important as the visual, which is where this guide comes in. If you are looking for the top rated floating speaker for the money, you can’t go wrong with the options presented here.
Music angle levitating speaker review
Music angle, while not the first brand to introduce a floating wireless speaker, has achieved the top ratings on many review sites including Amazon. It looks gorgeous but more importantly, it sounds wonderful as well. Let’s look at each dimension in more details.
Looks is when Music Angle really wins. The led light is strong and illuminating but you can turn it off if you think it is too bright. The floating speaker spins when music is on and that is when the visual appeal really takes off. Added to that the sleekness of the whole device and you can see why so many people love it.
When it comes to audio, it sounds good as well. The bases feel solid while the high notes can be reached with no hissing from the speakers. The speaker can also be pretty loud for such a small device. Compared to other well rated portable bluetooth speakers, it might just a tad lower in quality. However, when you combine the audio and visual, it makes for a really nice package that is worth the money.
When it comes to actually floating the speaker, here is how you should do it: hold the orb above the base, right around the center area. Then slowing lower it until you feel the magnetic force grabbing the orb. Then release it gradually from your hand.
Other positives include an 8 hour battery life as well as an easy to use touchscreen. This will make a perfect birthday present to someone who like music.
ICE floating bluetooth speaker review
Another pretty good brand to consider is the Ice wireless speaker. Similar to Music Angle, it has a very cool factor (Deathstar from Star Wars anyone?) and a good audio quality. Again, don’t expect the latter to be as good as something like Bose but it isn’t something that is bad as well. You can still hear clear and crisp sound with a loud enough volume for parties or solo listening. The only downside is the bass isn’t as good as Music Angle.
In terms of making the orb float, it is a no brainer if you follow the instructions. The whole process is pretty straight so I am not follow some reviews that say they have a hard time getting it to floating. It is not rocket science for sure! One thing to note though is that you need to plug the base in constantly to use the product.
Another impressive feature is the bluetooth range. It covers a wide range so walking in and out of the room wouldn’t drop the signal.
For battery life, the orb itself is pretty long lasting. You can use the orb purely as a speaker without the base but it wouldn’t float. The base itself has to be plug in so it is not a portable device.
Overall, Ice is a pretty cool looking floating bluetooth speakers and one that will surely caught people’s attention.
Wasserstein levitating speaker review
The Wasserstein speakers is a newer entry into the levitating speaker market but it has an advantage over others: low price! Yup, it has the lowest retail price of below $100 among all the brands mentioned so far. If you are looking for a budget or cheap levitating speaker, Wasserstein is the brand that should caught your eye.
The good thing is that the sound quality doesn’t disappoint despite its low price. Relative to Ice, I would say the Wasserstein offers a better quality experience. The bass can be heard pretty clearly in a volume that is loud enough as well. I even seen a reviewer saying he has stopped using the bose after using the Wasserstein.
In terms of battery, the orb has the same battery life of 8 hours while the base will need to be plugged in. This is similar to other brands review aboard.
For the design, you can choose between 2 options. The image above is the usual black color. The most interesting design is the baseball design pictured below. When it is moving, it actually feels a baseball moving in slow motion. It is very very cool to watch this in real person.
Why no Om/one levitating speaker review?
Om/one was actually the first brand that introduces the floating wireless speaker concept so why is it not the list? The reason is that the execution doesn’t match the ideas. While the concept was great, there were a lot of problems with the device itself. Specifically, the audio just sounds crappy. In high notes, the music sounds baffled while the low notes were barely registered. In view of such aweful sound quality, I decided to leave the Om/one floating speaker out of my recommended list.
Conclusion
Floating bluetooth speaker is the latest innovation in wireless portable speakers. The biggest draw is of course the visual display. However, as shown above, some of the models produced pretty solid and loud audio so you wouldn’t be straining your ears when using them.
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