Budget bluetooth speaker
The Portronics Drums
speaker is a
cylindrically shaped
device measuring
78×76.6mm (HxW). It
has two 2.5w drivers
situated on the top and
the base. Both drivers
are encased by a
perforated metal grill
and a rubbery ring on
the bottom. Wrapping
both the drivers
together is a casing of
Silvery Gold Zinc alloy
giving a rugged feel.
The speaker also has
a micro SD card reader,
3.5mm audio out and a
mini USB port for charging.
Instead of touch controls,
Portronics has opted for
physical controls — a sensible
idea, given that touch controls
don’t respond most of the time.
Housed on the top of the
device, the control panel has
rubberised switches for play/
pause, forward, backward,
volume up and down.
There are three modes: Aux,
Card reader and Bluetooth.
Operating and pairing the device
is easy, long press the play/
pause button, the device is
switched on and an audible
female voice announces the
active state. To pair it with any
bluetooth device, keep the
button pressed for two seconds,
till a blue LED starts blinking
with audio instructions.
Once connected, you’ll be
surprised by the volume and
quality that this miniscule
speaker is capable of, good
enough for a medium sized
room. At maximum volume
there is a pinch of audible
distortion with less bass. But it
improves a lot after 50 hours of
usage.
Overall, the sound quality is
acceptable. We also tested the
call receive feature and found it
decent. We watched a full two
and half hour length film by
connecting this toa laptop. The
battery lasted for three and half
hour of music in Bluetooth
mode.
In a nutshell, the Portronics
Drums is good value for its price
— a little less than Rs 3,300.