Review of Monoprice High Performance Bike Portable Bluetooth Speakers with Bike Mount

Hi Geektimes!

I continue to acquaint you with the gadgets of the American company Monoprice, the distributors of which are our company SOUND4YOU . Today we will talk about a portable wireless speaker Monoprice High Performance Bike. As you might guess from the name, the column is designed to be attached to the steering wheel of a bicycle, but no one forbids using it as a regular portable speaker to listen to your favorite music, because this baby is capable of incredibly powerful sound, despite its size.

Currently, there are not many speakers on the market that are adapted for cycling. Basically, these are low-quality tweeters with low power, gaining customer loyalty with a bunch of different additional options from a flashlight to an FM radio, in general, everything is in the spirit of Chinese consumer goods.

Monoprice developers approached the question of creating a Monoprice High Performance Bike column, as always, from the standpoint of “sound and design, everything else is not important”. The column was made in the form of a bicycle helmet with an expanding resonator chamber, which increases sound and bass.

Packaging:
The Monoprice High Performance Bike portable Bluetooth speaker with a bike mount is supplied in a regular cardboard box measuring 12x8x16 cm and weighing 330 g. The column itself is clearly visible on the front side of the box through transparent soft plastic, so a potential buyer can appreciate the size and have an idea of ​​the appearance .



Scope of delivery:
The kit includes the Monoprice Bike Bluetooth speaker itself, a bike mount, an AUX 3.5 mm cable and a microUSB cable for charging. For some reason, the manufacturer did not think about the case, although for such a class the column would be an extra element that would only increase the cost.

Cords for workmanship are very simple. Braid - a traditional black soft plastic. The plug for AUX does not have gold plating, which in this case does not matter.



Case, material and shape:
Now directly about the Monoprice High Performance Bike column itself. Made in the shape of a bicycle helmet, in my opinion, is very thematic and stylish. The dimensions of the column are 6x4x4 cm and weighs only 120 g.
It is made of plastic with a shockproof, moisture-proof and matte surface.





When you turn the upper part of the speaker reveals a resonant chamber. The shell of the camera is made of rubberized soft plastic in the form of a spring with moisture-proof properties.



There are three rubber pads on the sole of the speaker to reduce vibration with the surface when listening to music, for example, if you use the speaker at home or in the office.

Mounting:
Mounting is made of solid polyurethane plastic, but not rigid, which contributes to a tight grip column. The mount is secured with a rubber gasket to prevent slipping directly on the steering wheel. The mount itself can rotate around its axis, so you can choose a convenient position for control.



Sound:
The speaker has one 40 mm speaker. Each Monoprice product has its own chip, in this column there is an additional resonator chamber (patented Vacuum-bass system technology), which increases the sound power and gives it more low frequencies. I tested the speaker throughout my training on a bicycle, I can say for sure that there are no complaints about the sound, I did not even have to set the volume to full. Low frequencies are enough, given that during skiing I prefer to listen to music such as Linkin Park or something in the genre of House.

Main parameters:

• Frequency range: 220Hz-16kHz
• Sensitivity (sound pressure): not less than 80 dB
• Power: 4 W
• Recommended temperature range: 0 to + 40 ° C

Handsfree and buttons:
It's a great idea that the developers have combined the power button of the speaker with the activation of the Bluetooth wireless connection. The remaining four buttons are located on the side panels: on the one hand - volume control, on the other - receive and hang up the call. All buttons are conveniently placed and easily detected, which is certainly important when driving.
The Monoprice High Performance Bike speaker is equipped with a microphone and supports the HPF (Hands-Free Profile) for connecting to a phone and smartphone. To my surprise, the quality of the transmission of my voice was not bad, i.e. there were no creaks, interruptions, etc. Stable voice transmission, but with a slight loss of volume, judging by the recall of my interlocutor. Considering that even expensive top-end portable speakers sin with a weak speakerphone, in this device the speakerphone function is implemented at a decent level.

Column connections and power:
The speaker connects to your phone, smartphone and any other device via Bluetooth 3.0 wireless connection - this is one of the latest versions that supports data transfer rates up to 24 Mbps, i.e. This is comparable to the speed of Wi-Fi networks. Wireless communication is stable and the range is up to 8 meters, leaving in the next room, the connection was not interrupted.

It is also possible to connect any sound source that does not support Bluetooth using a cable through AUX.

Thanks to one (but powerful speaker), a unique design with a resonator camera and an improved version of Bluetooth 3.0, the developers were able to achieve battery life of the speaker for more than 8 hours, which is very worthy for such a “crumb”.

Charging takes place via a USB-microUSB cable for only 2-3 hours. It will not be amiss to remind you, and this applies in general to any batteries, in order to extend the battery life the first three times after a complete discharge, it is very important to charge at least 12 hours.

Price and warranty period:
The availability and price can be found on our website at the link
For all Monoprice models, the manufacturer provides a 12-month warranty.

Comparison table:



Conclusions:
The Monoprice High Performance Bike column impressed me with the fact that with such a tiny size it can produce a relatively decent sound, which cannot be said about my last column, which I ordered at a well-known Chinese store. I really liked the design, which fit perfectly into my bike. Also did not expect that in such a small size, you can place a fairly capacious battery. I use the column not only when riding a bicycle, it is always with me in my backpack while traveling.