The Olixar Water Fountain speaker is a rather unique take on the traditional Bluetooth speaker, combining an LED light show with water jets that spray in time with the music.
Olixar is a smartphone accessories manufacturer that does everything from cases to joysticks. The company has created quite a line of stuff for savvy mobile users and their latest gadget, the Olixar Water Fountain, offers something different from the usual array of Bluetooth speakers.
Taking it out of the box, things are fairly simple. You get a bunch of USB cables plus an AUX lead, which is a nice addition given that this is something more expensive speakers tend to forget. The speakers themselves are wrapped in plenty of plastic film, which is a good job since the glossy finish means they’ll scratch and fingerprint quite easily. The overall design of the speakers is also quite plastic, with no other materials in sight. The drivers themselves look to be metal until you actually touch them, then you’ll realise that they’re actually plastic like everything else. You can’t really grumble with build quality given the price but we’d expect a little bit better here. Still, once you have them them sat on your desk it largely won’t matter as the Olixar speakers actually look pretty good when viewed from afar.
On the back of the right speaker you’ll find an AUX jack, USB jack and USB cable leading to the left speaker. Both of the speakers are powered entirely via USB and it’s obvious that they’re made for pairing with a PC, such is the lack of a USB power adapter in the box. It’s an interesting decision which means you could easily connect them to a laptop on the move. The unique selling point of the Olixar speakers is their ability to provide a water jet in the transparent compartment above the speakers. A series of LED lights illuminate the jets, making each one glow in a different colour. Playing music through the speakers, we were surprised to see that the jets actually go in time with the music. The accuracy is pretty good as well, with our track of choice ‘Soul Searching’ by Shigeto crafting a very nice water display.
Sound quality from the speakers is a mixed bag, with very little bass but a clear treble. We found that the Olixar Water Fountain speakers worked better with acoustic material and spoken word rather than bass music, which is a given at this price point. That said, it’s far from terrible and as the above video demonstrates, it’s quite easy to forget about that when the hypnotic water display begins picking up.
Verdict
What the speakers lack in sound they make up for in style, with the water jet feature sending me into a state of trance. If you want something to sit and watch while mellowing out to your favourite tunes, the Olixar may be your cup of tea.
