Credits: James Smythe | mightygadget.com
Last month I reviewed the excellent Airpulse A80 stereo speakers. This month I have been checking out the new Airpulse P100X, which is a multi-driver wireless desktop speaker system with a beautiful retro-inspired design.
Specification
|
Colour |
Cherry Wood |
|
Bluetooth |
Bluetooth 5.1 with APTX HD |
|
Power Amplifiers |
2 x 10W + 40W |
|
Mid-woofer |
4.5″ Aluminium Cone Underhung Design Neodymium Power Mid-Woofer |
|
Audio presets |
Classic, Dynamic, Monitor, Vocal |
|
AC Voltage |
100-240 V / 50-60HZ |
|
Input Sensitivity |
Lin In 400350mV, Bluetooth: 450350mFFs |
|
Frequency Response |
52Hz-20KHz |
|
Input Mode |
Line IN, Bluetooth |
|
Dimensions (mm) |
300 W x 180 H x 200 D |
|
Net Weight |
5.1kg/11.5lb |
Design
The standout feature of the speaker and likely the main reason you would buy it is the design. It is a beautiful all in once speaker that should fit in well with the most stylish of rooms.
The all in one design avoids the need for ugly cables connecting speakers together, and the overall footprint of the speaker means it is easy to place on furniture with limited space.
The speaker only comes in cherry wood which some people may find limiting.
One small detail I love about the P100X is the clunky power knob. Turning it to the right has a pleasant amount of resistance and then a reassuring clunk as you power the system on.
The bass and treble dials go up to 3.
The volume is a digital control with unlimited rotation. While this makes it less satisfying to fiddle with but it allows you to use the remote to control the volume.
For connectivity, your only options are Bluetooth and RCA.
I have predominantly used this in the kitchen, which admittedly isn't the best for acoustics, but importantly the speaker is attractive enough that it didn't receive any critical comments from my partner. She is not a fan of all my big speakers.
Performance
The P100X has two 10 watt tweeters sitting left and right to the larger 40w mid-woofer providing you with a total power output of 60w. These are then driven by a TAS5805M Class D amplifier from Texas Instruments.
Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD support helps retain the quality of audio you stream to the speaker. You have an RCA input too, but I feel the overall design of this speaker lends itself more towards wireless streaming.
The remote is simple and the same as the Airpulse A80. It is functional but nothing special, and I found myself sticking to the knobs on the front of the speaker for most of the controls I needed.
It is a relatively powerful speaker considering the size of it, and it was loud enough for my kitchen. At the same time, I felt like it should offer a bit more considering the reasonably high price.
Similar to the A80, the out of box sound is quite neutral. With the hard surfaces of my kitchen, I felt the immediate need to dial up the bass. Testing it in my living room, with carpets and less hard surfaces in general, the neutral sound profile was pleasant, providing plenty of detail in the mids and highs without adding sharpness or sibilance.
With the bass dialled up a bit, you can get some nice lows, nothing overpowering, but enough the make hip hop and electronica come to life a bit more than the neutral default sound.
Overall
The Airpulse P100X is definitely the best looking speaker I have reviewed. It also offers excellent sound quality with a relatively neutral sound profile that can be tweaked with the treble/bass dials.
The design of the speaker allows it to stand out from the crowd. There are few retro-inspired Bluetooth speakers that I'd recommend over this.