Sond Audio portable NFC speaker: Small size, big sound [Review]

When choosing a portable Bluetooth speaker you’re probably swayed by several factors -- size and brand being chief among them. I own a Cambridge Audio Minx Go, and the Cambridge Audio name was definitely one of the reasons I considered that speaker in the first place.

Sond Audio probably isn’t a name you’re familiar with. It’s actually Ebuyer’s own audio brand, and products under that label include speakers, headphones and soundbars. The Sond Audio portable NFC speaker is the first Sond product I’ve tried, so is it a hit or miss?

The speaker is small compared to a lot of portable models -- 8.5cm x 19.5cm x 9.5cm (HWD) -- and quite stylishly designed. It’s black, with red trim and a red base, and sits angled at 30 degrees with the two speakers pointing upwards. There’s a base tube on the rear.

Controls consist of a power button on the top which can also be used for pairing, and a touch strip on the front to control volume, playback and the built-in 3D surround sound effect.

You can connect to the speaker in a choice of ways, as well as being Bluetooth 4.0 compatible, it has an NFC touch point on the top of the device. Tap a compatible phone or tablet and it will be paired quickly. In practice this feature works well, and I’ve had no problems with it at all. There’s also a 3mm input which will allow you to connect non-Bluetooth devices, and a microUSB port for charging (there’s a small charging light next to this). Fully charged the Lithium-ion polymer battery promises around 18 hours of operation, which is about right based on my experience. There’s no way of knowing how much battery life you have remaining, but charge it fully before you need to use it and this won’t be a problem.

As to the sound quality, it’s surprisingly good. Rich and the right side of meaty, and with 16W output it’s powerful enough to fill a room when cranked right up. The 3D surround sound option does a decent job of simulating stereo, although it's no replacement for multiple speakers. You can still tell the music is coming from the one part of the room, although it definitely does widen the audio. The button on the back changes from blue to green when the effect is on.

I've tried the speaker with an eclectic selection of music and it handles everything from opera to rap well. The bass is sometimes a little overpowering, but mostly it's well balanced and never tinny.

There’s a nice ruggedness to the speaker which I really like. It’s solid and can stand being chucked into bag and bashed around with no ill effect.

At £49.98, including free delivery, this is a decent Bluetooth speaker, and the inclusion of NFC is a welcome touch.