Why You Can Trust CNET Miccus BluBridge Mobile Speaker review: Miccus BluBridge Mobile Speaker
Miccus BluBridge Mobile Speaker
Editors' note: Due to a decrease in the suggested retail price of this product (now $99, down from $129), we have adjusted our rating to reflect the improved value.
Miccus BluBridge Mobile Speaker
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
A portable Bluetooth speaker can be a magical thing. These wireless, battery-powered boom boxes can stream music from your computer or mobile phone, and many of them will even act as speakerphones for taking calls. The BluBridge mobile speaker ($99) from Miccus can perform all of these feats of wireless audio magic (and more) in a space no larger than a paperback book.
Measuring 8 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall and a little over an inch thick, the BluBridge mobile speaker uses a blade-like, tapered design that is small enough to throw in a shoulder bag, but not so small to fit in your pocket. The front includes two 1.25-inch speakers covered with a durable metal grille, along with a useful arrangement of plastic controls for power, volume, mute, and song playback (play/pause, skip, reverse).
On the back of the BluBridge, you'll find a battery compartment for four AA batteries, a line input jack for connecting non-Bluetooth audio devices (MP3 or CD players), and a DC power input for the included power adapter. A cloth pouch is also included with the speaker, along with a 2-foot line input cable.
As far as Bluetooth is concerned, the BluBridge mobile speaker is compatible with most configurations, including mono headset profiles (for use as a speakerphone) and A2DP stereo audio. It even offers AVRCP control that allows compatible audio sources to respond to the play/pause, skip, and reverse buttons located on the front of the speaker. We tested the Bluetooth capabilities of the BluBridge speaker with an Apple MacBook, an LG Dare, and the Miccus BluBridge iPod adapter. In every scenario, pairing the speaker with the device was relatively quick and easy.
Unfortunately, while the speaker's setup was painless, its sound quality was not. The BluBridge's high frequencies are brittle; lows are nonexistent; and the overall sound is a tad overdriven. Speakerphone quality was a mixed bag, with incoming calls sounding crisp and distinct, but outgoing microphone quality suffering from some grittiness.
We have to cut the manufacturer some slack for creating such a small speaker, and keeping the price under $100. If you can spare an extra $50, a slightly larger speaker like the Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile puts the BluBridge's sound to shame. If you can forgo speakerphone capability, Yamaha's NX-B02 offers remarkable sound for its size, and currently carries a street price of $129. That said, neither the Logitech nor Yamaha systems are quite as compact or inexpensive as the BluBridge, nor do they include AVRCP playback controls. Value is in the eye of the beholder, but if music quality is your primary concern, the BluBridge mobile speaker would not be our first choice for you.