This speaker comes packaged in a cardboard box along with an instruction leaflet, drawstring carry pouch and both micro USB charging and 3.5mm audio cables. At around 6.6” long, the unit itself has an oval shape with an aluminium speaker grill combined with a soft-touch plastic shell. Everything seems good quality and I’d expect this speaker to be durable.
Audio from the twin 3W speakers comes out from the top metal grill, while there are holes underneath that radiate the bass. At the back you’ll find a 3.5mm audio input jack, micro USB charging port and an on/off switch.
This speaker just has a single music control – an aluminum wheel at the centre of the speaker grill. By default this can be rotated and acts as a smooth volume control. Giving the wheel a push inwards acts as your play / pause / answer call control. You can also hold the wheel down for 3 seconds and then use it to skip tracks – or holding down for longer activates pairing mode (alternatively you can use NFC). A cool looking blue LED ring lights up around this control wheel during playback.
The 1200mAh internal battery was also above par, giving me around 8 hours of playback. Once depleted you just need to recharge it for a couple of hours using the supplied USB cable and a 1A USB charger. Bluetooth reception was also good with very few dropouts.
While the lack of waterproofing will restrict using this speaker in the shower or outdoors, otherwise at $11.99 / £11.99 it’s hard to fault it for the price. The handy control wheel makes it convenient to use, while the quality build combined with great battery life and performance make it easy to recommend.
Check out the links below for more details on the CH-080 speaker from Coocheer…