By Steven Iglesias-Hearst
Manufacturer: A Bitmore, Ltd.
Product Name: e-Storm LabyrinthX Super Bass Speaker
Model Number: PAC 555SL
UPC: 886414705944
Price As Tested: £49.99 (Bitmore)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Bitmore.
There are many things to consider when buying a portable bluetooth speaker. The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Super Bass Speaker (model# PAC 555SL) being tested by Benchmark Reviews today may not tick all of the boxes but it comes kind of close. The price is a little high for my liking but there are many more expensive bluetooth speakers on the market still. Maybe when the novelty wears off the prices might come down across the board and we will see better a better price to performance ratio.
The e-Storm Bluetooth Speaker has Micro SD card support up to 8GB and has an auxiliary input too. The built in lithium battery is rated for 8 hours playback and should fully recharge in 2/3 hours. A built in microphone allows you to use the e-Storm Bluetooth Speaker as a hands free speaker phone. The e-Storm Bluetooth Speaker is water resistant which means a little spray, splash or rain wont damage it. It won’t fair very well with full submersion under water however. The main downside of the Bitmore e-Storm Bluetooth Speaker looking at the specifications is the lack of a replaceable battery.
Portable devices have liberated us from the constraints of the home and even the office. Battery life and video quality are both improving constantly, but audio is generally left behind. It’s not just mobile phones that suffer from poor audio quality, tablets and laptops are generally just as bad. The problem is the size of the speakers, the magnets can’t drive the voice coils hard enough at this size and the enclosures (or lack of them) aren’t tailored for sound quality. This is why we need an exterior solution, and bluetooth audio allows us to stay portable with our devices.
Features
- Wireless Bluetooth
- Hands free speakerphone / built in microphone
- Supports micro SD card (up-to 8GB)
- Water resistant
- Built in lithium battery – up to 8 hours playback
- Quick USB charging function – 2/3 hours
- Battery saver – sleep mode function
- Playback controls (forward, rewind, play/pause)
- Special acoustic design structure
- Real-time tracking volume compensation
Specifications
- Built in Lithium battery voltage: 3.7v
- Lithium battery capacity: 400mAh
- Recharging voltage: 5V
- Horn specifications: 40mm 4Ω 3W
- Frequency response: 60Hz – 18KHz
- SNR (Signal to noise ratio): >95dB
- Distortion degree: <0.5%
- Size: 60 x 60 x 50mm
- Weight: 211 grams
In this section we will take a look at the design features and aesthetics of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker.
The box suggests a much bigger size of speaker than you actually get. There is an auxiliary cable and charging cable included in the box and plenty of packaging to protect the speaker during transit too.
Full specifications and other important information pertaining to the e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker can be found on the underside of the box.
The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker has a nice chromed steel exterior that will serve well to protect it from bumps and falls. Measuring 50mm tall with a diameter of 60mm the speaker is deceptively small for the level of output it generates.
The bottom section of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is made from plastic and therefore not as strong as the rest of the unit. A rubber cup is included to give added protection and provide anti-slip properties for the speaker.
The bottom of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker has a large anti slip rubber pad (covered by a protective film) and is also where you will find the power switch.
Also included in the box are a pair of smart looking cables and a protective carry pouch. The charging cable resembles an internal SATA cable with a flat cable section. The auxiliary cable isn’t too special quality wise but it really looks the part and has nice slim plugs which make it good for other uses too.
In this section we look at the exterior features in a little more detail.
The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker weighs in around the 224g mark. This is a lot of mass for such a little speaker. This should speak a lot for strength, durability and build quality.
The bottom part of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is where you will find all of the controls. Shown above are the Reverse, Pause and Forward controls.
Spin the unit round a few degrees and you will find the auxiliary input port and also the micro-USB charging port.
Another revolution will reveal the Micro SD card slot. The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker supports Micro SD cards up to 8GB. The side buttons shown further up the page let you control playback of music on the Micro SD card.
To test the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker I used it over the course of a couple of weeks paired to my Samsung Galaxy SIII Smartphone. Playing games, music and movies/tv shows, with and without the e-Storm bluetooth speaker paired, and directly comparing the experience. Battery life, audio quality, Construction and phone capabilities will also be put to the test.
Battery Life: The main focus for any portable device is to last a long time on battery power. The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker has an average battery life of 7.5 hours depending on how hard you push it. Recharging takes approximately 2~3 hours to fully charge the internal battery.
Audio Quality: For such a small compact little speaker (50mm tall x 60mm diameter) the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker packs quite a punch and can really fill a room with sound. You don’t get club level sound but it’s more than ideal for a house or pool party. I also found that the speaker performed better in a larger room than in a small enclosed area like inside a car. The sound seemed to fill an open room, whereas inside a car the direction of the audio source was more apparent and focused.
Depending on the recording level of the audio being played (or if the bass is too heavy), the sound would distort when listening at full volume. Bass doesn’t appear to play through the speaker cone, it is distributed more through vibrations. The level of bass from the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker depends heavily on the surface on which it is placed. I got the best bass response and overall sound quality when the speaker unit was placed in my (empty) stainless steel kitchen sink or on the draining board to the side of the sink. When placed on a wooden table you get a small hint of bass but not enough to call it a ‘Super Bass Speaker’. The volume level is more than sufficient but don’t go expecting pounding bass or you will be disappointed.
Durability: The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is a tough cookie and wont break too easy. I purposely dropped it from waist height several times on to a carpeted floor, a wooden floor and also onto a stone floor. Needless to say the speaker is still as good as new besides a few scuffs on the metal body, which is purely aesthetical damage. To test the water resistant properties of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker I held it under a slow running tap while playing music through it. The water really didn’t seem to phase it any. The music kept on playing with a little bit of (glurbling) distortion which quickly faded once taken away from the stream of water. Despite this I don’t think it would last too long if completely submerged in water so you still have to use a little diligence.
Speakerphone: The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker performs well as a speaker phone with very clear audio received and transmitted. The microphone however is very small, and requires you to be quite close to it in order to transmit your voice at an acceptable volume. We are talking between 2 or 3 feet so it isn’t all bad really.
I was expecting more for ~£50 than the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker was able to deliver. I have seen similar sized and designed units for half that price, which is a bit of a let down. After all Bitmore are simply re-branding an OEM unit with their logo and selling them trough their outlet.
The sound is good for the size of the speaker and the build quality is very good too. It is better than the sound you get from a laptop, tablet or mobile phone speakers for sure and will make a good replacement or temporary solution where you need a bit more power.
The performance of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker was good but not great. It can fill a fairly big room with sound quite well but don’t expect a nightclub type experience. Bass isn’t really the e-Storm speakers’ strong point despite the claims on the box. The level of bass depends heavily on the surface on which the unit is placed. Even then it isn’t exactly ‘Super Bass’.
The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is a good looking bit of kit. The materials and colors compliment each other and give a great overall look. The lack of any accented colors doesn’t detract from the appearance and wouldn’t do much to make it any better looking in my opinion.
the construction of the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is excellent. I applied a crude drop test and water resistance test and the speaker came through the other side relatively unscathed. Apart from a few superficial scuffs to the exterior the speaker still played on regardless.
The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker will compliment a portable device or replace its speakers altogether, the choice is yours. When paired with a mobile phone it will also serve as a speaker phone too. The battery has a long enough life and a fast recharge time so you won’t be annoyed with the frequency of charging to play time ratio. If your mobile device runs out of juice before the speaker does you can simply drop your Micro SD card into the slot on the speaker (providing you have music on your Micro SD card) and carry right on listening.
The Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker will cost you £49.99 (Bitmore). For that sort of money I think you can do much better. I have seen similar sized and designed units across the internet for more than half the price of these Bitmore branded units. For me personally, I think £30 would be closer to the mark.
As you will know if you read the review, the Bitmore e-Storm LabyrinthX Bluetooth Speaker is let down by it’s performance firstly and secondly by it’s high price. The sound it produces will fill a room but there won’t be a lot of definition. It’s ideal for scenarios where you want sound in the background that won’t overpower conversation, but not much else to be fair.
+ Powerful for it’s size
+ Good laptop speaker replacement
+ Simple design and function
+ Extremely well made
+ Doubles as speaker phone
+ Auxiliary input
+ Takes Micro SD card up to 8GB
+ Supplied cables look premium
+ Good Battery life
– Loud songs distort at full volume
– Too expensive
– loud but lacks definition
– Bass is little to non existent
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Performance: 6.75
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Appearance: 8.50
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Construction: 9.00
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Functionality: 8.00
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Value: 6.50
COMMENT QUESTION: What qualities do you look for in a portable bluetooth speaker?
