Home Reviews ,,,,, In the past few days we have tried EasyApp SoundCup-L, a 20W speaker which, due to its size and cylindrical shape, fits perfectly into the bottle cage of the bicycle, thus allowing you to put some music during the daily routine. Other particular signs are the water resistance with the possibility of removing the fabric parts for a separate washing in case of need and the touch controls on the upper edge, including a physical cover that allows you to easily adjust the volume even with your eyes closed.
As did
The speaker, as we said, has the shape and size of a water bottle (it is 19 cm high and the diameter is about 7 cm). Even the weight, of 580 grams, is close to that of a bottle full of water and the structure, made of high quality plastic, appears very robust and pleasant to touch due to the thin layer of rubber that covers it almost completely.
The two half sides that cover and protect the drivers are in fabric and can be easily removed by levering a small screwdriver along the edge: in this way you can wash under running water when dirty, a very common situation for those who decide to use it mainly outdoors.
The speaker can be positioned vertically or horizontally: respectively we find a thick rubber ring at the base of the “bottle” and two long strips of rubber feet along one side, useful for keeping the speaker in the desired position and preventing it from slipping when resting on a smooth surface. Here there are also the microUSB input for battery charging and the AUX socket for connecting to an audio source via a 3.5mm jack cable, suitably protected by a rubber cover.
On the opposite side of the long feet there are two buttons that allow you to turn the speaker on / off and switch from “outdoor” mode (outdoors) to “indoor” (indoors) and vice versa, flanked by the microphone hole. On the upper surface of the case there is a panel with some LED status indicators and touch controls for selecting the tracks: just below the panel there is a large dial for adjusting the volume.
How is it going
From the point of view of audio quality, this speaker is really good. The reproduction of all frequencies is precise and with the indoor mode a bass boost is basically activated that literally makes the kick drum vibrate when the volume is at maximum level. In this configuration, the case can easily cover a medium-sized room and if you put it in the bottle cage during a walk along the cycle path, you will have a valid musical companion who will make you feel good but without covering the loudest environmental noises, such as the roar or the horn of a car.
The highs are clean and crystalline, the mids are well present and the lows are weak in the outdoor mode, which precisely favors the high frequencies, thus making the voice of a singer or the solo of a guitar clearer.
In everyday use, this crate has proved to be truly versatile due to the possibility of placing it firmly on the office desk and then slipping it into the bottle cage: here then the manual volume adjustment through the ring facilitates (and not a little) the cash management during pedaling, being able to quickly raise or lower the volume according to the needs of the moment. More inconvenient the On / Off button to pause the music during the ride: remember to insert the speaker in the bottle cage with the latter button in an easy position to be able to temporarily stop the music thus avoiding having to remove it.
The touch controls, on the other hand, are really not very precise: often the swipe to switch from one song to another is not recognized, making direct control from the smartphone (or from the audio source connected via cable) much preferable. Basically the touch panel is only used to go back and forth between audio tracks, and it would certainly have been cheaper and more functional to introduce two physical buttons, even at the cost of giving up the linearity and minimalism of the design.
Conclusions
Those who often travel by bicycle, especially on the commute from home to work, should not miss this speaker that keeps company and does not need a hook or other fastening system as it uses the bottle cage probably already incorporated in your vehicle. The mechanical volume adjustment ring, water resistance and the ability to easily remove and wash the fabric parts are other added values that make using the cash box outdoors pleasant.
The speaker is excellent even if placed at home, vertically or horizontally, for musical entertainment in the living room or bedroom, where the indoor mode that enhances the bass and the high power of the drivers (there are two 10W) combined with the subwoofer make it an excellent replacement for other speakers of the same power and price range.
Retail price
EasyAcc SoundCup-L is on sale on Amazon for 55.99 euros.
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