Product Type: Bluetooth Speaker | Manufacturer: DOSS | Price: £26.99 | Where to buy: Amazon | [et_social_share]
The DOSS Soundbox is a super cheap Bluetooth speaker that offers all the features found on much more expensive models, for a fraction of the price.
DOSS probably isn’t a name you’re all that familiar with. The small Californian manufacturer seems to hail from China, which explains how they can squeeze so much out of this speaker for the price they’re charging. At just £26.99, it could quite possibly be the bargain of the century.
For a speaker of this price, you really wouldn’t expect the type of quality we’re getting here. A metal grille wraps around the unit, while the top and bottom are coated in a rubbery material. It’s fully water resistant and ships with an additional waterproof bag for transporting around. On the top, there’s an array of touch-sensitive Bluetooth controls. A circular dial sits in the middle, which can be used to adjust volume.
On the back, there’s plenty of connectivity options. You get a 3.5mm AUX input and a TF Flash slot (a very old name for microSD). The latter was a surprise to us since most speakers don’t allow this. It’s possible to play music direct from the memory card, which is a nice touch if you don’t want to carry around a phone. Navigating the songs is a bit of a pain… but you just throw it on shuffle instead. The DOSS Soundbox uses the Bluetooth 4.0 wireless type, which is pretty much the latest standard. We found pairing to be very straightforward, with no issues. There’s a very annoying voice that comes on from time to time, announcing pairing and other things. It’s not a deal breaker but can get very tiresome. We’d prefer a more minimal chime over this.
For a speaker of this price, you really wouldn’t expect the type of quality we’re getting here. A metal grille wraps around the unit, while the top and bottom are coated in a rubbery material.
Sound Quality on the DOSS is good but when you consider the price, we’d consider raising that to very good. With a true stereo setup courtesy of two drivers, you’ve got the full separation here. Add to that a weighty sub and there’s plenty of depth to the sound. We were impressed by the clarity at loud volumes and its ability to avoid distortion, which is typically common in cheaper speakers. The treble is good enough for this type of speaker, with a clear tone that doesn’t sound harsh to the ear.
Battery life on the DOSS Soundbox is firmly in the upper tier of speakers. With a quoted 12 hours of life and a 2,200mAh cell, we found that it slightly exceeded that at moderate listening levels. Crank it to max and you’ll get a few hours less than the stated amount, but this is still a very good result. It uses a micro USB charging socket which is the the same as most mobile phones; handy as that’s one less cable you need to carry around.
Overall, this is an excellent Bluetooth speaker that has very little shortcomings when you consider the tiny price. The fact it has two drivers and a sub is a big deal, while the build quality and water resistance is an even bigger bonus. If you’re after an impulse buy for listening to music on, we can’t recommend it enough.
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