Samsung recently launched its Bluetooth speakers, but nothing too great to see, as anticipated.
When it comes to audio, we think of Samsung (if we think of Samsung at all) as a maker of black plastic stuff you buy down at Costco. With the Level line, Samsung’s taking it upscale. Level includes three headphone models and a $199 compact Bluetooth speaker called the Level Box. (Named in Korea over the objections of Samsung’s U.S. staff, I expect.)
Sure, $199 isn’t exactly a Bugatti price for a Bluetooth speaker, but the Box definitely has the look of luxury, with a brushed-metal top and a white or black metal grille. It’s a different and much more mature vibe compared with colorful, whimsical designs like the Jawbone Jambox.
SEE ALSO: 18 Best Free Apps for the Samsung Galaxy S3
The Box is a little bigger and a lot heavier than a Jambox, and the guts follow the same basic plan: two stereo speaker drivers up front with a passive radiator in the back to amp up the bass. The big advantage of the Box over the Jambox is that its speaker drivers are much bigger: 56mm (2.2 inches) versus 32mm (1.3 inches) in the Jambox. That should make the Box play louder and deeper with less distortion.
Otherwise it’s all pretty straightforward stuff: a 3.5mm analog audio input for non-Bluetooth devices; top-mounted power, volume and play/pause controls; and an NFC sensor on the side for instant mating with NFC-compatible phones and tablets.
Samsung Level Box
Samsung's Level Box Bluetooth speaker has an NFC tag for fast pairing with a smartphone or tablet.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, BRENT BUTTERWORTH
The one downside I found in the design is that the rear master power switch works backward. It shows a red indicator when the unit is off. Because of this, I often left it on accidentally.
I got into the Box on my first listen. Idly playing some Internet jazz radio station while I was working on my bicycles, I began to notice that the sound quality was pretty decent. Guitarist Nate Najar’s “Nate’s Blues” — a delicate but driving piece played on nylon-string guitar, upright bass and drums — made me put down my hex wrenches and sit down to listen. I was pretty impressed with the way the Box uncovered a lot of the rhythmic subtleties in this all-acoustic recording; that’s a treat few compact Bluetooth speakers can serve up.
The more bass your music has, the more you’ll like the Box The more bass your music has, the more you’ll like the Box, at least in comparison with other itty-bitty Bluetooth speakers. The voices in Wale’s “Love/Hate Thing,” sound clearer through the Fugoo Style I recently reviewed, but the Samsung’s fuller sound gives you a lot more sense of the tune’s Gaye (as in Marvin) groove. And when asked what they most want to hear in their music, 97% of Americans said “groove.” (I made up that statistic, of course, but I'd bet it’s not far off.)
But the more folky or jazzy or classical-y your music is, the more you might want something with more midrange and treble energy, like the Style or the Soundmatters Dash7. With the Style, for example, you can hear all the little details of the guitar and percussion in James Taylor’s live version of “Shower the People,” but not much bass. With the Box, you lose some of the detail but bump up the bass a lot.
Like the Style, the Box is no powerhouse. The Box gave me about 87dB max at 1 meter — 1dB less than the Style and 4 to 6dB less than some speakers in this class. But on the tune I used to do this measurement, Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart,” the Box’s better bass gave me a much more satisfying sound, even if it was only loud enough to fill a small bedroom.
Is it mutually exclusive to want good bass and elegant styling? If your soul can accommodate that dichotomy, the Samsung Level Box is the compact Bluetooth speaker for you. If you value detailed sound over (relatively) big bottom end, you have better options.
Samsung Level Box
The Good
Elegant styling • Good bass for its size
The Bad
Not much treble or midrange detail • So-so max volume • Messed-up rear power switch
The Bottom Line
The Samsung Level Box delivers luxurious styling and satisfyingly full sound for its size, but the midrange and treble are on the softer side.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
TOPICS: AUDIO, BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS, REVIEWS, TECH
 |
| The Samsung Level Box delivers luxurious styling and satisfyingly full sound for its size, but it's not without its flaws. |
Sure, $199 isn’t exactly a Bugatti price for a Bluetooth speaker, but the Box definitely has the look of luxury, with a brushed-metal top and a white or black metal grille. It’s a different and much more mature vibe compared with colorful, whimsical designs like the Jawbone Jambox.
SEE ALSO: 18 Best Free Apps for the Samsung Galaxy S3
The Box is a little bigger and a lot heavier than a Jambox, and the guts follow the same basic plan: two stereo speaker drivers up front with a passive radiator in the back to amp up the bass. The big advantage of the Box over the Jambox is that its speaker drivers are much bigger: 56mm (2.2 inches) versus 32mm (1.3 inches) in the Jambox. That should make the Box play louder and deeper with less distortion.
Otherwise it’s all pretty straightforward stuff: a 3.5mm analog audio input for non-Bluetooth devices; top-mounted power, volume and play/pause controls; and an NFC sensor on the side for instant mating with NFC-compatible phones and tablets.
Samsung Level Box
Samsung's Level Box Bluetooth speaker has an NFC tag for fast pairing with a smartphone or tablet.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, BRENT BUTTERWORTH
The one downside I found in the design is that the rear master power switch works backward. It shows a red indicator when the unit is off. Because of this, I often left it on accidentally.
I got into the Box on my first listen. Idly playing some Internet jazz radio station while I was working on my bicycles, I began to notice that the sound quality was pretty decent. Guitarist Nate Najar’s “Nate’s Blues” — a delicate but driving piece played on nylon-string guitar, upright bass and drums — made me put down my hex wrenches and sit down to listen. I was pretty impressed with the way the Box uncovered a lot of the rhythmic subtleties in this all-acoustic recording; that’s a treat few compact Bluetooth speakers can serve up.
The more bass your music has, the more you’ll like the Box The more bass your music has, the more you’ll like the Box, at least in comparison with other itty-bitty Bluetooth speakers. The voices in Wale’s “Love/Hate Thing,” sound clearer through the Fugoo Style I recently reviewed, but the Samsung’s fuller sound gives you a lot more sense of the tune’s Gaye (as in Marvin) groove. And when asked what they most want to hear in their music, 97% of Americans said “groove.” (I made up that statistic, of course, but I'd bet it’s not far off.)
But the more folky or jazzy or classical-y your music is, the more you might want something with more midrange and treble energy, like the Style or the Soundmatters Dash7. With the Style, for example, you can hear all the little details of the guitar and percussion in James Taylor’s live version of “Shower the People,” but not much bass. With the Box, you lose some of the detail but bump up the bass a lot.
Like the Style, the Box is no powerhouse. The Box gave me about 87dB max at 1 meter — 1dB less than the Style and 4 to 6dB less than some speakers in this class. But on the tune I used to do this measurement, Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart,” the Box’s better bass gave me a much more satisfying sound, even if it was only loud enough to fill a small bedroom.
Is it mutually exclusive to want good bass and elegant styling? If your soul can accommodate that dichotomy, the Samsung Level Box is the compact Bluetooth speaker for you. If you value detailed sound over (relatively) big bottom end, you have better options.
Samsung Level Box
The Good
Elegant styling • Good bass for its size
The Bad
Not much treble or midrange detail • So-so max volume • Messed-up rear power switch
The Bottom Line
The Samsung Level Box delivers luxurious styling and satisfyingly full sound for its size, but the midrange and treble are on the softer side.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
TOPICS: AUDIO, BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS, REVIEWS, TECH
