The portable and rechargeable Sound Freaq Sound Step Recharge is a Bluetooth speaker that lets you charge and play music from your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch in its dock, or control and play high-fidelity music wirelessly via Bluetooth.
Its wireless connectivity works with any cellphone, laptop or music player with Bluetooth on board. beyond that, you can plug any audio device into its auxiliary port, and its rechargeable battery and small size will let you take it just about anywhere.
I was already impressed with Sound Freaq after I tested the larger SFQ-01 Sound Platform a couple of months ago. how do they compare? the larger (and more expensive) Sound Platform sounds better, with deeper bass and more realistic midrange. but the difference in audio quality between the two is not profound, and what you give up in sound with the new, smaller Sound Step, you gain in convenience.
For instance, its six-hour rechargeable battery lets you take this compact unit out on the patio, by the pool, or anywhere there’s not an electrical outlet. the only downside of that? You can’t use the USB port in the rear or its universal dock to charge any devices. Plug it in, and you can place your iPad, for instance, in the dock to charge, while using its USB port to charge your iPhone or other device.
Although music played via Bluetooth rarely sounds as good as music played directly from a given device, in this case I couldn’t discern any difference between the two. Nor was there any difference in sound quality when the unit was running on battery power versus when it was plugged in. That’s good, because I like the freedom of a battery-powered portable device, and in this case, you won’t have to sacrifice anything for that.
Its portable nature invites experimentation, and I tried listening to the speaker from all different distances, angles and in different rooms. its powerful sound impressed me anywhere I placed it. its bass, supplied by a 2.5-inch down-firing subwoofer, sounded stronger when I placed the speaker in a corner. Listening to it up close, its UQ3 Spatial Sound Enhancement sounded particularly convincing, as if there were speakers positioned around my head. That UQ3 effect wasn’t as realistic from a distance, though, sounding hollow.
Like its Sound Platform big brother, you can control the Sound Step with an unremarkable iOS app that almost duplicates the functions of the included infrared remote control, with one notable exception: If you want to use its FM radio, you’ll need the app to set up your FM radio station presets. the FM radio worked well and sounded acceptable, and if you preset your preferred stations using the iOS app, you can then skip through the presets using the remote.
It’s hard to believe Sound Freaq’s designers have managed to get so much clean, punchy sound out of a speaker that’s so compact. Retailing at $160, the Sound Freaq Sound Step Recharge SFQ-02RB is not cheap (the non-battery-powered Sound Step is $130), but its unique design will look chic in even the fanciest abode, and it can deliver high-quality sound on the go. even at that high price, it’s an exceptional value.