Underneath (not shown) is another grille, part of the ‘reflex’ system for air movement and part of the secret for really good bass in a speaker system. Four short legs and rubber feet protect the surface the speaker is on and also allow free movement for sound/air. As with imaging, when it comes to audio physics usually wins. Have enough mass and enough space inside, and a portable speaker can still produce some impressive bass. In fact, you get both physics and modern tech here, since there’s full APT-X encoding support and a top end chipset. The battery’s 1500mAh, which is perhaps a little on the small side, but it’s still good for half a dozen hours of Bluetooth-streamed music and has a standard microUSB charging port*.
- Curiously, there are warnings in the manual about not using a very high current charger (over 1A), so you’re supposed to steer clear of using the charger for (say) a high end Android tablet in double duty – as it happens, I didn’t see this in time, charged from a high current charger and with no damage, but this caveat is still worth noting. Charging the internal battery fully takes around 4 hours maximum. I tested the BTSP-10 with my Galaxy S4 with no issues. Heck, I also tested it with iOS and Windows Phone smartphones, ditto. It pairs with no PIN needed and then auto-connects each time, provided the speaker’s ‘on’ and not in ‘standby’ mode. There’s a master on/off switch, but most of the time the speaker can be put into standby with a long press of the main power button on top (and brought out in the same way). This top control also doubles for pausing and resuming playback and for answering voice calls, i.e. turning the BTSP-10 into a giant speakerphone. Also around the accessory are volume controls (separate to those on your playing device, so both have to be ‘up’ for maximum volume) and a 3.5mm audio in, for sources with no Bluetooth capability (or to save power) – a lead is supplied in the box.
