Brane X Smart Speaker, Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, Internal RAD Subwoofer, 12 Hrs Playback, Waterproof IP57

ottima qualità sia di costruzione che sonora. Trovo solo scomodo passare dalla rete x accedere semplicemente all'equalizzatore. Buona la durata della batteria . Richiede un telefono "massiccio" e moderno altrimenti lo prosciuga letteralmente causa il codec bluetooth HD esigente. All'inizio l'ho detestato , ora mi piace.

The Brane X is an absolute BEAST for it's size, and I cannot think of something that comes close to this in terms of the overall quality, especially the bass for the money! The sound is mostly neutral with a light-to-moderate bass boost when playing on Bass Low mode. The bass is agile and gets low. Mids are just fine, a bit warm leaning. Treble is decent, more detail than expected. In the machine shop, I can hear it dig down to about 35 Hz, maybe a smidge lower. When cranked, the bass loses some quality (of course, can't beat physics!) but it brings a deceivingly powerful subwoofer-like effect. I had this placed on a floor-standing toolbox at first, played one of my bassiest songs that has 40Hz notes. When that note hit, I was laughing my tail off at the chaos it was dishing out on every inanimate object placed on, or inside it. With that said, if you want deep and clean bass, you'll need this placed on a stiff and stable surface. I'm not getting an audible 27Hz because this is a huge space and the subwoofer isn't magic. If you have this in a small to medium room, you should expect a far more exciting, dynamic, deeper (27Hz achievable), and more accurate bass experience. If you're using it in a machine shop like me, standing within 6 feet will be a nice experience regardless. Setting this up was easy, all I did was turn it on, pair bluetooth, and played music. There's a phone app available for this speaker, it worked okay but some user's experience are mixed. The app is not required at all, but it's nice if you want to use their simple EQ. Minor cons: Buttons need tactility, I'd rather the top buttons be... buttons and not touch activated. Female barrel connector needs more holding power. The power brick is a little weak, you can still have it playing moderately loud while plugged in, but it will be a slow charge unless the device is turned off. Thank you for reading.

I live in Belgium and during a trip in Austin for SXSW I discovered the Brane X. I immediately order one. The packaging was easy to open. - First good surprise : the power plug is at the European standard (Type E) and the transformer is universal (so 220v compatible). - Second good surprise : I had my US Apple Account handy but that wasn’t necessary as I could download the app on the Belgian app store ! - Third good feeling : the app is already translated in french ! I had some trouble to do the initial setup, The led colours meaning was a bit cryptic to me. The power button is a bit tactile but not much. It took me a minute to manage simply switching on the speaker. I needed a manual ;-) First setup I could not join my wifi network so i skipped and I did pairing it in Bluetooth settings of iOS settings and the Brane X appeared in the app. Immediately i could experience the deep room filling bass. The default setting for bass was a bit too much for the room I was in so I set them to medium using the app. The sound is real big and pleasant to my ears, even if it’s not neutral to say the least... I tried some funk, jazz and good old rock and roll song that i use to test all my speakers systems Then I wanted to try setting up the wifi again, but I could not find a way once the speaker had been added in the app. The solution was to do a reset by pressing the + and - touch keys for a few seconds and remove it from the Brane iOS app. I started the pairing process again and my Wifi network appeared normally. On that screen I thought the password fields were to input my wifi network password. But I was wrong, these are to add a password to connect to the Brane X using Airplay 2. With Airplay password activated the streaming that was not working well and it was cumbersome. So I did a second reset and this time I did not fill the password fields. I realised that the Brane app get the wifi network password automagically from the iPhone. I could use the Brane X with Airplay. I tried playing music in 3 rooms using the Brane X, a pair of KEF LS50 Wireless and an Homepod mini, and all of them were perfectly in sync. I moved across the rooms with the Brane X in my hands, which is the first time I could do that. I noticed that the Bass sound really vary from a room to another. Example Bathroom, Bedroom with carpet and curtains or in the garden, … great that you can change the setting in the app. Good suprise : despite the fact that I was moving the wifi streaming music kept ininterrupted thanks to the buffering in the Airplay 2 protocol. I have 8 Access Points in my home so it was roaming fine from one wifi AP to another. Then I setup Alexa and tried listening to a few radio (French) channel. This worked wonderfully at the first attemps. We spent the first evening trying all sort of Alexa services : jokes, music, bedtime stories, etc. My wife wants to keep it in her Atelier/Office as she hate the Homepods for a good reason : Siri is setup in french for my whole house (my main language) and she speaks english and croatian only. She loved having Alexa in English and she played her pop songs on the Brane X with very visible satisfaction. My kids like it too and and could not resist playing a few songs. My conclusion : it's a unique speaker on the market with it's unmatched bass, it's strong amplification, it's small format and batteries that allow to move it easily in the garden, the attic or the garage. It can be used with Airplay with other speakers, and also in Bluetooth which is convenient if you go far from your wifi, for example in the park (good that it's resistant to some rain).

I am a loudspeaker designer/builder and have made many different types of loudspeakers for portable use, HiFi, PA, and home theatre. This is part science and part art. The Brane-X is amazing as a portable loudspeaker and it achieves what many portable loudspeakers lack: rich and true bass for its size. I say “for its size”, because I own and have built portable loudspeakers with lots of low end, but they are larger and heavier. I bought a Marshall Kilburn III for my wife that is about the same size and that loudspeaker is better in most every feature that the Brane-X lacks, except the bass/sound. Hands-down, this is the main thing that the Brane-X excels in, and that alone makes it worth the price tag, because good, loud, low bass makes the entire listening experience worth it. And it doesn’t just have good bass, but the entire frequency range is well represented. But, even though the sound is spot on, it does lack features that make this portable loudspeaker a true winner in the portable loudspeakers category. The shorter battery life and big power brick make it more of a home loudspeaker that you can bring out on for a picnic. The Kilburn III lives in my wife’s van and she takes it everywhere since it has 50 hours of battery life, can be charged up with USB-C, and emits sound from the front and back. The portable loudspeaker that I keep in my truck is a JBL EON One. It’s a portable PA loudspeaker, and though it is large and more expensive, it has great sound, get’s hella loud, and has pretty good battery life (I get 20 hours even though it’s advertised at 12 hours). And a side note, what happened to radios? Do these manufacturers know that a lot of people still listen to the radio. What a feature it would be to add a radio (physical dial with digital display and a few presets) to your portable loudspeaker lineup so I don’t need to have my phone with me to enjoy some tunes. The Makita XRM10 makes good use of a radio. If I could transpose the sound quality from the Brane-X into the Marshall Kilburn III, well, now I’d have the almost-perfect portable loudspeakers. Why? Because here’s what I like about the Kilburn III as a truly portable loudspeaker: - knobs for volume/bass/treble with indicators - custom EQ preset button - visible battery meter (10-segment) - tactile power button - media control (left/right/push) - universal charging via USB-C - can be used as a power bank if your phone is low - handle moves out of the way easily - no microphones - lighter color available so it doesn’t get so hot on sunny days - AUX input - splash proof - great aesthetics So, even though I’m going to keep the Brane-X, it’s not going to be the loudspeaker that goes with us everywhere. I’ll keep it plugged in at home and then take it out when I don’t want to lug out the EON One, and when I want to impress my friends with the mass of bass. Opinions aside, here’s a pro/con list to get you going: PROs - more true bass than should seemingly be possible for its size - very smooth and balanced frequency response - voice prompts for battery life, bluetooth, etc. - volume max/min notification - soft rubber feet to isolate vibration - waterproof - microphone shut-off control (are they really off though?!) - wide soundstage - AUX input CONs - battery life is low (I’m getting 5-6 hours out of 12-hour advertised) - proprietary charger is very large - no mute button - no media controls - no tactile buttons (all controls are touch sensitive) - power button on back is difficult to find and press by feel - sound dispersion is about 160º - rubber handle doesn’t easily swivel out of the way, but must be pushed down - front lights are difficult to see if loudspeaker is not near eye level - any color you want, as long as it's black FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS - longer battery life; at least 15 hours! - USB-C charging (a 90W charger should be smaller than their power supply) - 360º sound, or at least front/back sound - NEEDS to have tactile media controls + mute button - dual-opposing bass drivers to reduce vibration - lighter color option so it doesn’t get so hot in summer - add a radio - better handle - indicators for power/volume/EQ I’m glad I can own both, but if I had to choose between only owning the Brane-X or the Marshall Kilburn III, I would go with the Marshall. The audio is nowhere near the quality, but the features rule, and it’s a bit cheaper. In all, the Brane-X is a great v1 of their product, though a bit pricey. I hope that they let the reviews and community suggestions guide their next release to a loudspeaker that would kill!

If you're looking at this speaker, you already know about its incredible deep bass capabilities, and it truly is game-changing in this regard. It is unbelievable how much legitimately-deep bass is pumped out of this thing. But I want to look at this from the perspective of someone who doesn't consider themselves a basshead. While I definitely appreciate good deep bass, I'm more of a connoisseur of sparkling highs, detail resolution, and soundstage. The deep bass is a well-earned and genuinely impressive party trick, but this review is intended to determine if there's more to the speaker than that. The very first song I wanted to try with this is 'Sorrow' by Pink Floyd, specifically the live version from the PULSE album (not the VHS/DVD version, that was a different recording). In this recording, the bass drops pretty deep and strong in the intro and outro. It also tests a speaker's ability to create an atmospheric soundstage that envelopes you. I was immediately impressed by how well this speaker envelopes you. Its surround effect is excellent. Very effective, but not over-done or particularly artificial sounding. Then came the bass drop, and as expected, it delivers in spades. You look at the speaker and think "yeah, speakers this size can produce pretty impressive bass down to a point," but this is shocking in its extension. Most speakers this size have a very strong bark down to about 50hz or thereabout, after which they fall on their face. This is just waking up at that point. It's hard to believe these deep sounds are coming from this little bucket rather than a well-done modest (by audiophile standards) home theater. If you have a soundbar with separate subwoofer, there's still a high probably that this little thing digs deeper than that. We're talking bass extension from a big well-respected audio brand 10-12" home theater subwoofer, even lower than 30Hz by my ear. It's absurd. It totally challenges your expectations of a speaker you can carry with one hand. And extension is clean and high quality. It's not boomy like I was worried it would be (that's just something I expect from "basshead-approved" speakers). This just has an effortless presence and authority that no other speaker even remotely this small can emulate. The audio geniuses at Brane knocked this out of the park. The rest of the speaker isn't quite up to my expectations at this price point, though. Beyond the tastefully-enveloping soundstage and spectacular subwoofer (yes, subwoofer, not just woofer) technology, the materials, functionality, and remainder of the sound profile don't seem particularly great for this price point. Upon unboxing this speaker, I was immediately disappointed by the handle. It feels like something you'd find on a $40 speaker. It does its job, it just doesn't feel even remotely luxurious. The rest of the materials are also more befitting of a cheaper speaker. If this were $200, I wouldn't bat an eye. But when you're spending this much, you expect something that feels a little nicer. To Brane's credit, they presumably spent the budget where it truly matters. This packs one-of-a-kind engineering. For this reason, I wont knock it for the unimpressive material choices and aesthetics. Beyond the stunning bass/sub-bass quality, the rest of the sound is as relatively unimpressive as the materials and aesthetics. It's totally functional and perfectly enjoyable, but it fails to impress at this price class. The mids are nothing to write home about, and the highs are rather stale. There's almost no "sparkle" or airiness to them, even after spending quite a bit of time tinkering with the EQ. I took a quick peek at a couple of Brane's patents and they have one that sounds like an electrostatic panel that's able to run at significantly lower voltage. Electrostatic panels tend to excel at mid & treble excitement and detail. That's exactly what this speaker is lacking. If they replace these so-so conventional drivers with something special like that (and fix some of the little oddities I'll mention in a bit), I'll be one of the first in line. That would culminate to a bluetooth speaker of pinnacle status at any price if done right. Ultimately, this leaves me with the impression of a $200 speaker with one genuinely unique and impressive party trick. For the revolutionary technology that it offers, it's understandable that it commands this price, but I don't know if it's enough for me as someone who focuses more on other qualities of sound than bass. Functionally, there are some annoyances I've run into along the way: First, I know many people love wifi speakers, but I'm not one of them. I think they're a glitchy nuisance that gets in the way, especially if the speaker is supposed to be portable. This speaker is no exception. The connection is spotty (as with every wifi speaker I've used), there is considerable delay for network-related operations, and I'm going to level with you--I do not believe anyone can reliably tell the difference between FLAC and a modern high-bitrate AAC or even MP3. Especially on a portable speaker that layers DSPs to sound bigger than it is. I couldn't tell in my 20s, I can't tell in my early 30s, and I don't expect to be able to tell in my 50s when my hearing tops out at 14KHz. So no, I do not consider high bitrate streaming to be a significant benefit of wifi speakers. If you're doing critical listening or especially mastering, you should be using reference quality headphones and monitors to take advantage of it, not a portable speaker haphazardly placed in an environment completely untreated for acoustics. Ok, end my bitter rant that probably ruffled some feathers. Second, I don't like the "Bass" button. IMO buttons like this are gimmicky and reminiscent of a cheap speakers that use tacky lights to stand out. I don't think these buttons belong on a high end device. I think an argument could be made for an EQ button that cycles through user-defined presets, e.g. for situations where the bass is too strong. I'm guessing that was their real intention with this button, but it causes a bigger problem. The button is far too easy to accidentally bump, especially considering that it's next to the volume down button. The Bass button cycles between low, medium, and high bass, and it overrides your custom EQ, and you have to take a couple minutes to open the app, connect to the speaker, and reapply your EQ.. but not before you switch to wifi playing first if not already! Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that you can't connect to the speaker with the app if you're using Bluetooth. It requires wifi mode. Suboptimal. Third, I think this needs seek and play/pause controls, since it's supposed to act like a stand-alone speaker. I have mine connected to Alexa, which works okay enough. The problem I've run into is, if I start playing music on the speaker via Spotify Connect as controlled by my phone (as I have the habit of doing), the speaker is completely unresponsive to seeking and playing/pausing unless I take out my phone to control it. Alexa doesn't seem able to control playback unless you specifically ask her to play it for you in the first place. This surprised me because my Echos allow Alexa to control playback even if I started playing on Spotify from my phone. Wifi speakers... am I right?? At any rate, I'll be watching Brane with keen interest. They're a young Texas company with some legitimate talent that could shake up the sound industry as a whole. They truly challenged what was possible, and the result is novel and exciting. Everything is increasingly portable, compact, and efficient, and Brane devised a winning formula. If they put this subwoofer technology into a slim aftermarket car subwoofer, they'd be untouchable. Plenty of people (and manufacturer engineers) want a compact subwoofer that can easily fit under the seats or free up trunk space, but won't bother with existing slim subwoofers because they don't generally extend very deep. Brane absolutely solved this limitation, and it's a perfect application. Naturally they could enter the slim home theater subwoofer market (15" subwoofer capabilities that fit under your couch? Heck yeah brother!), or the soundbar market with something that genuinely has the oomph to rival a large traditional home theater. They could be the next big audio titan. And this could just be the maybe-a-bit-half-baked kicking-off point. While this speaker hasn't totally won me over, I do consider myself a fan, mostly for their potential and innovative mindset. I have a strong feeling I'll be buying more from them in the future.. just maybe not another one of these. --EDIT-- I've been using this strictly as a bluetooth speaker and the connection hasn't been the most reliable. Occasionally I'll turn it on and it refuses to connect, and the Bluetooth source button doesn't seem to do anything when it should at least be able to enter pairing mode. A reboot or two always solves the problem. Once connected successfully, it stays connected without issue, but once in a while it can be a bit of a hassle getting it going. I suspect this is a firmware bug that could be fixed with updates (none available at this time), but with the other shortcomings (IMO) at this price, I've unfortunately decided not to keep it. If Brane happens to strip this of the wifi bits and deliver a solid Bluetooth-only version at a lower price point, I'll be interested. I'm going to leave this at 4-stars because, again, it's an incredible technology, and maybe it's better as a wifi speaker than a Bluetooth speaker (if that's your thing). It does seem to lean that way.