It’s hard to find a consumer tech product category larger than bluetooth speakers. My inbox is inundated almost daily with PR people touting the latest and greatest Bluetooth speaker. It’s pretty tiresome going through press release after press release opening boxes of sample product they send us to try out. But every once in a while, we come across one that stands out.
Enter the BenQ treVolo Electrostatic Bluetooth Speaker. I’m not gonna geek out on you and go over the scientific differences between electrostatic speakers and the more traditional speaker that we’re all used to. The important thing is, electrostatic speakers can be super thin and lightweight. The entire unit however, isn’t quite lightweight, compared to some of the mainstream Bluetooth speakers. At about 2 and a half pounds it’s still portable, but not pocket sized by any means. It gets the bulk of its weight from the components in the main housing, including two 2.5 inch woofers, for your low end sound as well as a separate amplifier for each channel.
Pairing the treVolo with my iPhone was about as simple as it gets. I had it connected and playing my music in less than a minute. Of course, as with most Bluetooth speakers, this one includes a microphone and phone controls, so you can use it as a speakerphone.
The sound quality on this speaker is amazing. You can either listen to your tunes with the panels closed, or if you want really good sound, open them and the panels will direct that great sound right to you. If you are sitting up close, you get good stereo separation as well. The treVolo has 3 different sound modes – Pure; with minimal equalization, Warm; with a slight increase in bass, and Vivid; which they say highlights vocals and instruments like guitars and saxophones.
The BenQ treVolo doesn’t come cheap. You can find it online for about $300. But if you’re serious about good quality audio from a small, portable speaker, it just may be worth a look.