People love music. To some it’s a calling from the universe meaning something, to others it’s a relaxing melody, and to me, it’s a way to stay focused on what I am doing. These reviews would be a lot duller if I sat here in silence.
We have music in our homes and our cars, but when we leave both, we want to take that music with us. This is where the wonders of Bluetooth come in.
Portable speakers are found all over QWERTY Articles with pricing for them ranging from inexpensive to “how could somebody pay that much for a portable speaker?” What they all have in common is their portability and iClever wants to join in on the fun.
Known as the BoostSound 09 or BTS09 for short, iClever has had the spot light on them before with my reviews always finding something clever about iClever.
Being fully wireless, containing two 10W speakers, and impressive bass from a modestly sized speaker, what clever functions does the iClever BTS09 hold? Let’s find out.
Welcome to my review of the iClever Wireless Speaker, model BTS09.
Design
I’ve reviewed my fair share of portable standing speakers and iClever wins an award for design with their BTS09. From every angle, the BTS09 is aesthetically pleasing to look at with a mixture of shapes and styles.
Look at the speaker head on and it’s hard to miss its large forward-facing speaker grill. In many cases speaker grills are plastic or metal with a mesh design. Here, we have a carpet-like gray and white felt that draws your attention. Tacking on the contrasting lime green iClever branding tag is also a nice touch.
Constructed from mostly plastic materials, the speaker has some weight to it and shows signs of robustness. While the iClever speaker is not rated to be used around water, the carpeted front grill and tightly enclosed design should hold up against those everyday accidents.
Every aspect of the BTS09 is circular, from the forward-facing grill to the circular base to the rear speaker housing. This is a clever mix up from our traditional boxy portable speakers.
Allowing the speaker to stand up on the desk is a permanently attached aluminum stand that uses a large rubber foot to minimize vibrations.
Contained in the protruding rear section of the speaker, which connects to the stand, is an internal battery for ultimate speaker portability. Additionally, this rear section contains bottom-mounted slots for a micro USB charging cable, micro SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The jack is for input, not output.
This rear protruding section contains a subtle LED ring that will indicate different functions going on with your speaker. While charging, the speaker will show red, blue for powered on, and green for charged.
Positioned on the top of the speaker grill are the BTS09’s buttons. From left to right, these are power, Bluetooth, play/pause/call, volume down, and volume up. Also contained up here is a tiny hole for the internal microphone.
In terms of size, the speaker takes up a small amount of space when placed on a desk. The total width is about the width of a lying down Galaxy S8+ with the total height at one foot. Depth of the speaker is only a couple of inches and this wireless speaker can easily find a home on a shelf, desk, or nightstand.
Overall, I’m pleased with the look and feel of iClever’s latest Bluetooth offering. Its sturdy feel, stunning looks, and clever use of shaping the body help it stand out from the rest of the Amazon Bluetooth speakers.
Functionality
While micro SD cards and AUX are a way to transmit sound to the BTS09, Bluetooth is the way to achieve the ultimate cable-less sound.
Inside the BTS09 is a Bluetooth 4.2 receiver that has a decent range when paired with my Samsung Galaxy S8+. In a long-range test, the speaker continued to play flawlessly as long as a direct line of sight was maintained between the two devices.
When paired, you begin to leach power from the built-in 4000mAh battery. This high capacity battery is actually more than most speakers I’ve reviewed in the past. On a lower volume level, you can reach up to 12 hours of playback, but in testing, I received about nine hours on a volume I thought was acceptable for all-day-long music listening.
Plugged into a 1A USB socket, the BTS09 took 5 – 6 hours before it was ready to go another nine hours. For a future revision of iClever’s speaker, they should consider a 2.1A recharging input for faster recharging times.
Pairing the speaker with a Bluetooth device is as easy as you could expect Bluetooth pairing to be. Once paired, I spent two hours breaking in the two 10W internal speakers and subwoofer. After they were broken in, I turned it up to eleven and got Led Zeppelin screaming away on the BTS09.
Not only does the speaker get impressively loud, but it has performing bass that I was not expecting. While they are 10W speakers, they push out a great sound for the price and fill the room with good sound.
As expected, the louder the speakers go some distortion is introduced, but when turned back down to a volume you generally work at, it sounds just fine to my ears.
While a marketing term, iClever’s BoostSound and their DSP and Inter-IC Sound technologies seem to help make what are normal 10W speakers sound as if they are 20W speakers and provide a clear, clean-cut sound.
After extended use with the BTS09 and passing it on to a friend for a second opinion, it was decided that the impressive bass gives the iClever unit an edge over the competition. Speakers at this price point often come with lacking bass.
Furthermore, I’m pleased with what I heard and the experience with the BTS09. The battery holds a strong, long-lasting charge, the music is pleasant to listen to, and everything functions at a basic level.
Lastly, recall how the BTS09 has a built-in microphone. Connected via a smartphone or an Echo Dot, the BTS09 can listen for Siri, Google Now, or Alexa commands as well as function as a speakerphone for you. While it works okay for voice assistants, phone calls are best handled through the phone itself rather than using the BTS09’s built-in microphone.
My Final Thoughts
iClever market their BTS09 wireless speaker on Amazon as having three room lighting LEDs. Those LEDs are mood lighting and they don’t make the BTS09 any more special. What does make it special is its sound and good looks.
Priced at $49.99, this is an easy buy for those looking for a desk or nightstand speaker. It would also go well in a kitchen for some ambient music. I’ve always been a fan of iClever’s products and that liking hasn’t changed today.
© 2018 Justin Vendette
