Divoom widens the choice for those who like their music broadcasted
Like London Buses, once a Bluetooth speaker appears, another half dozen seem to follow in quick succession.
The Airbeat-10 slots into the well-populated category of battery-powered speakers designed to be taken on holiday or at least down to the local beach.
It carries an IPX44 water resistance rating that doesn’t protect it from full submersion, but it can handle water spray from all directions.
Most of this protection comes from a rubber outer coating that encases the 2” audio driver and under which the control buttons are mounted. That also protects it from knocks, should you accidentally drop it onto a hard surface.
The Airbeat-10 has three mounting options, the most obvious being the alloy hook on the top that you could easily lash with a karabiner. Along with speaker, Divoom also provides a handle-bar mounting and a suction cup.
That latter device is designed to cause the surface to which the Airbeat-10 is attached to vibrate, enhancing the bass effect. How well this works is very dependent on what surface you pick.
I achieved good results on my metal-sided fridge, but hardly any on my office desk. It’s worth noting that the surface needs to be really clean and smooth for the sucker to adhere, otherwise the vibrations are as likely to quickly detach as create any audio enhancement.
Being battery powered, the operating time is very dependent on how you use it, but according to Divoom, you should expect a maximum six hours of use out of the 500mAh battery. It takes 2.5 hours to recharge, using a standard phone charger (not included).
Having used this device for a few days, I can clearly see some aspects that I really like and others that are less compelling.
The best feature is how really simple and accessible the device generally is, especially in respect of the sucker option. The sound isn’t hi-fi quality by any stretch, though equally Divoom does seem able to make a 2” driver create nicer noises than those that speaker manufacturers insist on installing.
What could have been better was the presentation of the control buttons, which on the black review model were almost invisible. There are probably easier to see on the white, blue or red version, but the amount of relief on the markings needs to be increased so you can find them more easily.
My only other moan is that both of the cables included, one for charging and another for audio jack connection, are excessively short.
Those minor points aside, I really liked the well-made Divoom Airbeat-10, and it's very attractively priced compared with some similar products I’ve covered recently. Mark Pickavance
A simple but effective Bluetooth travel speaker
Specifications:
• Dimensions: 87Lx78Wx45h mm
• Driver Size: 2"(53mm)
• Output Power: 3.5W
• Signal To Noise Ratio: ≥75dB
• Battery Capacity: 500 mAh
• Battery Voltage: 3.7 V
• Battery Charge Time: 2.5 hours
• Wireless Range: Up to ten meters
• Bluetooth Compliant: Bluetooth V3.0
• Bluetooth Profile Support: A2DP Stereo
• Talk Time: Up to sux hours
• Microphone Sensitivity: -40 db