INTRODUCTION

   Wired portable media speakers have been around for quite a long time (mostly small stereo ones) but it wasn't until smartphones made their debut around a decade ago that manufacturers focused on the design and manufacture of wireless ones via Bluetooth connectivity. Fast forward a decade and right now the market is literally filled with countless Bluetooth compatible portable speakers of virtually every size possible which not only can be used to significantly boost the audio levels of your smartphone but can also double as speakerphones. To date only two such devices have really peaked our interest, the quite powerful and unique looking SOLEMATE Bluetooth Portable Speaker by Jabra and the extremely easy to use Boost Plus Near Field Audio Amplifying Speaker (needs no wires and Bluetooth to work) by iFrogz. Recently however Antec launched their Antec Mobile Products division (a.m.p) through which they aim to dominate that market with their latest SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone which we have here today.

   Antec Mobile Products (a.m.p.) is a global consumer Electronics Company committed to putting state of the art mobile and audio technology into the hands of every user. As a division of Antec, the world-renown market leader in PC hardware, a.m.p. is committed to bringing Antec’s winning VIP principles of Value, Innovation and Perfection to the mobile world. Technology is taking on an increasingly greater role in our lives and changing the relationship between user and device. People are not only demanding products that make their lives easier, but are also seeking devices that let them use, share and interact in new ways. By harnessing new technologies, Antec is changing the way people experience life through their mobile devices. a.m.p. understands that mobile products are more than just devices, they are extensions of ourselves: our tastes, habits and curiosity. a.m.p. is committed to the concept of fashion technology by providing you with devices that are not only attractive, but reflect your own unique personality.

   The specifications of the SP1 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker & speakerphone by a.m.p surpass those of most Bluetooth wireless speakers I’ve ever used/tested but one thing did strike me as a bit odd for a rather new Bluetooth compatible device. Long story short the SP1 features the previous Bluetooth 2.1 (+EDR) version which may not be something bad for a Bluetooth speaker (although the 3.0 version has improved energy efficiency and is quite faster-2.1:2Mbps/3.0:26bps) but since 3.0 and 4.0 (4.0 is even more energy efficient than the others) have been in the market for almost a year now i am quite certain that it would make a huge difference especially to people who actually have Bluetooth 3.0/4.0 compatible smartphones. Regardless however even version 2.1 with enhanced data rate is more than enough for AD2P (advanced audio distribution profile) use so let's see what the SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone has to offer.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The SP1 gets packed inside a partially clear plastic box from where you can see the front, top and bottom of the unit.

The package contents, serial number and electrical specifications are placed at the bottom.

At the rear Antec has written the main product features in 4 different languages.

Inside the box you will find the SP1 speaker, USB to Micro-USB charging cable, 3.5mm to 3.5mm mini-jack cable, serial number sticker, user’s manual and a piece of paper informing you that you need to charge the unit at 100% prior to using it for the first time.

THE SP1

The SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone features an rubber coated housing and measures 158mm in length, 62mm in height and 41mm in depth while weighing a total of 382g.

To properly showcase just how large/small the SP1 is we placed it right next to the Boost Plus by iFrogz (an already small speaker).

What got our attention for good is the red fabric placed on the interior of both sides of the unit unfortunately i was hoping the unit would also offer a red illumination effect which it doesn't.

The product name is placed at the far left top corner.

We also see three buttons at the top, the middle is used to answer/finish incoming calls and place the unit in pairing mode while the other two are the volume control buttons.

At the right side of the unit we find the power on/off switch, auxiliary input (3.5mm) and the micro-USB charging port.

The company logo, product name, electrical requirements, country of manufacture and several certification logos are placed at the bottom.

The very first time you will turn the SP1 on it will automatically enter pairing mode (flashing white LED) and shall appear as SP1 on your smartphone.

CONCLUSION

   We used the SP1 by Antec Mobile Products for the better part of the past 6 days during which we were overall satisfied with it. Starting with the good things the SP1 looks and feels great thanks to its rubber coated enclosure and the black/red color combo, it's quite powerful in terms of volume (slightly less than that of the larger SOLEMATE), has surprisingly rich bass for its size and design and both mids/highs are also quite good. Battery also lasted over 8 hours at full volume and that's something we've only seen with the SOLEMATE so thumbs up for that. However although playback through the 3.5mm mini-jack (when connected with the Squeezebox Touch) was flawless the same didn't apply when using Bluetooth connectivity (Apple iPhone 4S/LG Optimus 2X/Huawei Honor U8860) since we encountered many sudden gaps when listening to our media collection. Fortunately the same thing didn't happen when answering calls and the microphone performed extremely well especially when speaking from a relatively short distance so perhaps our sample had a slight defect when playing music via Bluetooth, anything’s possible (if any of you have one and came across the same problem feel free to post it in the comments section).

   Quality portable wireless Bluetooth speakers cost quite a bit especially if they also pack a speakerphone feature (you get what you pay for most of the time) and the SP1 by Antec Mobile Products (a.m.p) although by far not the most expensive one it doesn't really come cheap since currently you can find it at USD85.88 inside the USA (Walmart) and at around 80Euros inside the EU. That being said you can certainly find a large number of cheaper portable Bluetooth compatible speakers in the market but in the end it always comes down to personal preference and so if you want a great looking device with surprisingly good audio levels, rich bass and good mid/highs without spending over USD100/100Euros then the SP1 was ment for you. Personally i think that Antec has launched a great portable Bluetooth speaker and although not 100% perfect during our tests it still gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Rubber Exterior)
- Design (Black Rubber/Red Cloth Combo)
- Rich Bass
- Volume Levels
- Good Mid/Highs
- Battery Life
- Bluetooth 2.1/3.5mm Connectivity
- Price (For Some) 

CONS

- Sudden Gaps When Playing Music Via Bluetooth (Resolved As Of Late 2013)