Introduction:
If you are looking for a stylish, durable and Wireless portable speaker with better sound quality, here it is, SRS BTM8 by Sony. With just 245mm x 185mm x 88mm in size weighing 1,060g SRS-BTM8 is like a small carry bag or a purse which can be carried in hand wherever you go. It even looks decent in the hand because of its stylish design and the build quality. The speaker offers connecting options over Bluetooth and NFC technology and can be used with several devices like smartphones, Tablets, or even computers if having Bluetooth. With one click paring option, Sony SRS-BTM8 can also be used for making or receiving calls because of its integrated MIC. That means the speaker can also be used for making call conferencing in offices, etc. Furthermore the speaker can be used with wired charging as well as four AA batteries when you are out of the building. At the price of Rs. 5,990/- SRS-BTM8 can be a direct and strong competitor for other wireless speakers in the genre such as Logitech Boombox or Jabra SOLEMATE. With nearly same features, Sony SRS-BTM8 is far too cheaper from those speakers.
Lets find out if the speaker is worth at the said price by testing out its features, durability and all other aspects but before going for the same, have a look at its specifications and feature list:
Specifications:
- Speaker (Diameter): 50mm
- Power Output: 2W + 2W
- Speaker Impedance: 6ohms
- Input: Audio In (Stereo Mini Jack) x1
- Power Source: 4x LR6 (size AA) batteries
- Dimensions (W x H x D): Approx. 245mm x 185mm x 88mm
- Weight: Approx. 1,060g
- Supplied Accessories: AC Power Adaptor x 1, Warranty Card x 1, Operating Instructions x 1
Features:
- One-touch Bluetooth and NFC connectivity
- Upto 20 hours of battery life (external)
- Powerful sound with Bass Reflex System
- Built-in MIC for making and receiving phone calls.
Design: Personally I love the design of Sony SRS-BTM8 compared to that Logitech’s lengthy Boombox. Though loosing like a small purse or handbag, it is made up of premium quality Plastic material with matte finish. The carry handle as well is build up of plastic but it appears like a stainless steel. Overall the speaker contains only 6 buttons and all are placed at the handle itself separate with 3 buttons on left and 3 on the right side which can be easily access with your thumb while holding the speaker. Sony has taken better care of comfort with handling and accessible buttons.
These buttons contain Power Key, Pairing key and Play/Pause button on one side. While on the other side we have Call Button, Volume up and Volume Down keys with a small MIC. There is also a small ‘N’ logo which is for the NFC connection. To offer the best quality of sound with full base Sony has placed both 2W at the front itself. And on the back we have an Charger port at bottom left with a 3.5mm Audio-In jack on the right and a large empty space with Sony Logo in the middle of the body. As the speakers works on AA batteries as well, you can find the batteries compartment at the base of the device. Using the Audio In jack you can also play music from the device which don’t have Bluetooth functionality like Portable Media Players. Apart from this you can easily stream from any Bluetooth or NFC enabled devices no matter it is iOS, Android or Windows. Let’s have a look at its connectivity options.
Connectivity: Sony SRS-BTM8 offers a very easy to connect solution via Bluetooth as well as NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. In order to connect via Bluetooth you have to power on the device, press and hold the pairing button for about 3 seconds until you see the Blue Indicator starts blinking fast, search for available devices on your Bluetooth enabled smartphone or tablet and pair it. That’s all. Once paired the blue light will blink slowly. Paring the speaker with your devices takes less than 30 seconds. Now you can stream your Music on the SRS-BTM8 wirelessly upto 10 Meters of diameter range.
Now connecting through NFC to this speaker is bit tricky. Just enabling the NFC from your smartphone is not enough. First of all you have to download and application from Google Play called ‘NFC Easy Connect’ (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.easyconnect). Once installed on the phone, launch the app and touch the phone’s rear top area with speaker’s handle where the ‘N’ symbol is made (middle of the carry handle). You will listen a beep sound in few seconds that means the phone is now connected with the Speaker. This is just one time setup. Next time whenever you enable the Bluetooth, you get connected to the Sony SRS-BTM8 automatically. Or just launch the NFC app and touch it with N symbol on the speaker.
Once connected to the device either with Bluetooth or NFC, you can use the speaker’s control to start or stop the music player on your device. Simply press the Play/Pause key and music player will start on your phone. You can control the volume as well from the speaker. The only drawback I felt with SRS-BTM8 is they haven’t provided any option to skip or play any previous song which means to carry out any of these functions you will have to access your phone itself. Another best thing about SRS-BTM8 is that you can use it as handsfree with your phone for making phone calls. It using the Call button on the speaker’s carry handle you can receive the calls easily if the phone is connected. For making the calls, simply press the call button for 2 seconds and speak the name of the person you want to call, Yes, it has speech recognition and used the same for dialing numbers. During the call if you want to change the earpiece from speaker to Handset mode, just press and hold the same call button for about 2 seconds.
There are many more such control options related to phone calls or music player which you will find in its manual that comes in the box itself. You can enjoy the device upto 20 hours on batteries but note that the connected device should be within 10 meters of range.
Performance: There are already several Wireless Speakers available in the market ranging from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 21,000. Hence to make its place in such competitive market, Sony has worked hard on SRS-BTM8 to provide best performance with easy configuration and at budget price of Rs. 5,990. Well I can say they succeeded as well. We tested few calls using the SRS-BTM8 and found excellent call quality, Mic is good and the speaker is loud enough to hear a small sound as well in crystal clear quality. For music player the 2x2W output gives you enough Bass to enjoy the music like expensive headphone quality. Remember, that it is a wireless speaker for home use with which you can get enough sound with bass because of its 4W, but if you are thinking to party with the same, well is surely not a good idea.
However I am not a professional musician hence I cannot analyze the music output deeply. But one of my friends is good in the same. I called him up for testing SRS-BTM8 and according to him the speaker tone gets bit harsh on full volume and has lack of any fidelity. But being non-music professional, all these stuffs are no way concerned to us. The quality of music we expect from high end speakers or headphones for our day to day music is provided by SRS-BTM8 and that enough I think at the budget price of 6K. If I have to buy a speaker within 10,000 then I will surely choose this unit over Logitech UE Boombox which costs around Rs 21K or Jabra Solemate which costs around Rs. 11K.
However I am not a professional musician hence I cannot analyze the music output deeply. But one of my friends is good in the same. I called him up for testing SRS-BTM8 and according to him the speaker tone gets bit harsh on full volume and has lack of any fidelity. But being non-music professional, all these stuffs are no way concerned to us. The quality of music we expect from high end speakers or headphones for our day to day music is provided by SRS-BTM8 and that enough I think at the budget price of 6K. If I have to buy a speaker within 10,000 then I will surely choose this unit over Logitech UE Boombox which costs around Rs 21K or Jabra Solemate which costs around Rs. 11K.
Battery Life: SRS-BTM8 works with both wired charging as well as AA batteries. You will require four AA batteries (LR6) if you are moving out of the home or office with the speaker. No matter you use it for Music or with Phone calls, SRS-BTM8 offers you battery life of upto 20 hours which is quiet impressive. Remember that Sony wont provide you any AA batteries along with the device, you need to but it separately. We tested it on Eneloop batteries which are rechargeable, hence we actually don’t required to attach the speaker with wired charging and that allows us to take the speakers along with us anywhere. One more think you need to know is though you have rechargeable batteries, you will need to recharge them separately because although you connect the speaker with wired charging, it will not charge your batteries.
Conclusion:
Sony SRS BTM8 is one the best wireless speaker I found un budget price range with such good sound quality. It is easy to carry and looks stylish because of its handbag type compact design with carry handle. Buttons are placed nicely on the handle which can be accessed easily. Capable to work with several devices over Bluetooth, NFC or even with audio in jack, the connectivity options are very simple that allows you to generate connection within 15 seconds with any smartphone to tablet. Over all the speaker can be used upto 20 hours over battery with loud music. As I said above this could be the first preference if we need to choose one from Logitech UE Boombox which costs around Rs 21K or Jabra Solemate which costs around Rs. 11K. At the cost of less than Rs. 6,000 Sony SRS BTM8 is nearly equal to those expensive speakers. For your information the speaker model is available in just two colors, Black and White and can be purchased from retailers as well as online vendors. A perfect Speaker for one day picnics.
Pros:
- Stylish and compact design
- Fast NFC and Bluetooth pairing.
- Phone call controllers with built-in Mic.
- trong dynamics and Controlled bass
- Battery life upto 20 hours
- Budget Price
Cons:
- Only for average home use (2Wx2W)
- No ‘Skip’ or ‘Previous Song’ controller.
