INTRODUCTION

   By the time this review gets online 2014 will have already arrived in several countries so before we continue I’d like to wish a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone around the world. May 2014 bring prosperity, happiness, health and success to everyone and may we all get along even better than we do now. Now as you all know consumer products are especially popular during the Christmas holidays not only because most manufacturers tend to release many new products just prior in order to tempt consumers in spending their much awaited holiday bonus but also because many retailers do amazing discounts (black Friday anyone?) in order to deplete their stock and consequently show profit (well that's the main reason anyways). Portable wireless speakers are amongst the hottest consumer electronic products currently available but with so many manufacturers competing for the first place it's really hard to decide which model is the right one to cover your needs. Size, battery life, design, audio clarity, bass levels and volume output are obviously the main things one looks for when choosing the right portable speaker but if you want one for outdoor use then you should also pay attention to the quality of the enclosure. TDK is one of the top manufacturers of wireless portable speakers currently and today we will be taking a thorough look at the rugged A33 Wireless Weatherproof Speaker.

   TDK Life on Record, a leading global brand with a rich audio legacy, is dedicated to personalizing and enhancing audiophiles’ ever-evolving digital music lifestyles. TDK Life on Record audio products are carefully crafted to focus on performance, marrying a clean, striking design with the precision and flexibility of modern technology. This world-class line of premium audio products delivers a warm, authentic, high-fidelity entertainment experience. The TDK Life on Record logo is a trademark owned by TDK Corporation and is licensed exclusively to Imation Corp., a leading global developer and marketer of brands that empower people to capture, save and enjoy digital information. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

   The A33 is not the first weatherproof portable wireless speaker to have ever reached our doorstep but thanks to its size and specifications we really expect it to be the best one we've used to date. Now the reason i also mentioned the size of a portable speaker is because inside the IP64 certified housing of the A33 TDK has placed two 38mm full range drivers (2x3W), two 64mm passive radiators, one 64mm subwoofer (9W), microphone, Bluetooth v2.1 (A2DP/HFP Profiles/AAC Codec) wireless receiver and a somewhat large nickel–metal hydride battery which allows the unit to run continuously for up to 6 hours. TDK of course has gotten us used to large portable wireless speakers and the A33 is certainly not as large as let’s say the A360 or the A73 but as you will see later on its 4 times larger than the TREK A26 which we reviewed a couple of months ago so although quite older we hope it will surpass it with ease.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The A33 is placed inside a medium sized box with a product picture, the TDK logo and some of its features mentioned at the front.

You can see the complete list of features printed in 10 languages at the rear and bottom of the box.

Two foam spacers are keeping the speaker safe while the rest of the bundle is placed behind a cardboard piece right next to it.

Leaving out the A33 Wireless Weatherproof Speaker inside the box you will find an AC wall charger with 4 different tips (USA/UK/EU), quickstart guide, user’s manual in 4 languages, warranty information paper, battery warning papers and a yellow piece of paper congratulating you on your purchase.

THE A33

The weatherproof A33 comes in black and white colors and measures 241mm in width, 51mm in depth and 95mm in height while weighing a total of 1156g.

As mentioned earlier it's roughly 4 times larger than its newest sibling the TREK A26 so we thought it would be nice if we placed them next to each other.

Just like with the A26 the TDK logo is placed both at the front and at the top of the A33.

From the upper right area you can control the input (AUX/Bluetooth), put the device in pairing mode (Bluetooth button) and answer/end calls.

On the opposite side we see the on/off button and the volume control buttons.

The volume setting is indicated by a 5 level LED bar each of which features variable brightness corresponding to the level you choose.

Over at the right side of the speaker there's a rubber flap used to cover a USB charging port (5V/1A), AUX in 3.5mm jack, DC in and the power on/off switch.

Here we see the location of the drivers (left/right front), the subwoofer (front center) and the passive radiators (left/right rear).

From the bottom of the A33 you can swap the rechargeable battery once depleted but that's not all since here TDK has also placed a stand.

This stand makes certain that the sound goes upwards and not on a straight line (convenient for when you place the speaker at a much lower place).

CONCLUSION

   Today’s review is not totally unrelated with the season we are in now and i say that because during testing we even left the A33 out in the rain to test its weatherproof capabilities and yes it's still good as new. Certainly that doesn't mean that you can submerge it in water (weatherproof and waterproof are two different things) but it is splash-proof so you should be able to take it to the beach, use it while in the bathroom or leave it outside in the rain without having to worry about damaging it. Audio-wise the A33 did a lot better than its smaller brother the A26 with very good bass and crisp mids/highs but unfortunately i have to say that i was expecting higher volume levels out of it when compared to the TREK A26. It goes without saying that it is quite more powerful and if i had to guess I’d put it at around 30-40% louder than the A26 but for a device 4 times larger and with over twice as much power (6W/15W) that 30-40% seems a bit low. However to be completely fair the A33 already counts over a year in the market while the A26 is brand new so naturally TDK has used other components (including Bluetooth v.4) that may perform differently (not to mention that the design is not the same either). The built-in microphone also works well while the rechargeable battery kept going for slightly over 5 hours in our tests (we did however have the volume turned all the way up) a number which is not bad considering the output of the speaker. My single problem with the A33 is that you can't adjust the tremble/bass and although that's also the case with the A26 i think that the A33 has the size required to add a few more buttons (well i guess we can't have it all).

   At the time of its launch the A33 Wireless Weatherproof Speaker was quite expensive but slightly over a year later its price is actually quite low for a speaker with its features and specifications. So currently you can get the A33 for just USD124.21 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 150Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which lands it beneath most of its direct competitors. Overall the A33 Wireless Weatherproof Speaker is a very good device that lacks the volume levels to throw a mini party so for people who want to do exactly that i strongly recommend going to the slightly more expensive A73 Boombox. It may not me weatherproof like the A33 but it offers almost twice as much volume. That being said the A33 has its own target audience and since we all liked using it and it's indeed splash-proof we are awarding it with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Portable
- Weatherproof
- Design
- Audio Clarity & Bass
- Bluetooth & 3.5mm AUX Input
- Volume LED Bar
- Stand
- Rechargeable Battery (Lasts Well Over 5 Hours)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Volume Levels (Compared To The A26)
- No Treble/Bass Controls
- Bluetooth V2.1 (Effective Wireless Range Compared For Example To The A26)