Raking® X9 Multifunction Stereo Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers with Additional 4400 mAh Emergency Power Bank Function and Splashproof Shockproof Dustproof 18 Hour Playtime for Outdoors/Shower (Gray)

I’ve had speakers and I’ve had powerbanks but this is the first one I have seen which combines the two – so when I was offered a free sample to review I was intrigued to see how it worked and its plus and minuses.This is a nice looking speaker – like a brushed silvery grey and 5 inches tall by 2 ½ inches. It looks like it wants to be sat upright on its base but then all of the controls are on the base – so if you want to use it in auxiliary mode you will have to turn it onto its side/back. It is quite heavy for a speaker of this size – at over 300 grams.The controls are the standard ones – power, plus or minus signs which double up for volume up or down and next/previous tracks and then there is a Play/Pause/Call/mode button and a reset hole.The inputs are all house under a rubberised flap – a slot for a micro-sd card, a usb slot so you can hook this unit up top another device and charge that from this unit, a micro-USB slot so you can power THIS speaker up from the mains/pc or whatever and an aux-in hole.As other reviewers have said there isn’t an instruction manual – although some rudimentary instructions are written on the box. There is for instance nothing to say what to do if you have problems pairing the device etc. The actual box calls it a “High Quality Wireless Speaker” – it does not mention the powerbank side of its use at all which is a little strange/confusing.A micro-USB to USB is contained in the box but unlike other similar speakers no auxiliary cable (which is a shame if you want to use it in this mode). Also a silver “Clip” is in the box though given the speakers weight I am not sure I would want to hang it from my belt!It was really easy to pair. Turn on the speaker and it says that it is ready to pair. Turn on your phone/tablet or whatever and scan – when “X9” is available pair an dconnect. The speaker then tells you in a Chinese accent that the Bluetooth is paired successfully. And it really is that easy (even with my old Bluetooth 3.0 Samsung phone).So, what does it sound like? When it is getting ready to play anything it has an annoying buzz/hum – but this wither goes off or is drowned out once you play some music – thankfully! And it does sound really very good – the bass and treble are both nice and crisp and at high volumes there is no discernible “bleed” and at quiet volumes it is clear with no hiss. I played a LOT of different types of music through it – both noisy and quiet and also some talking books and it dealt with each of the genres excellently.So, in summary – it’s a nice looking speaker with a nice crisp sound though a little heavy in comparison to others of its type and size BUT you get the added option of a powerbank for this extra size (and money). I would probably rate it at 4.6 stars - but as I have to rate it in whole numbers I'm upgrading it to 5 stars because of the sound quality and the added versatility of the powerbank.

This is a decent bluetooth speaker.It is unusual in that has a very small footprint for its size as it stands vertically – see photo 1.The sound quality is reasonable – what I would expect of a speaker of this size.In the box you get:• Speaker.• USB cable, to charge it with.• Small carabinerPhoto 2 shows the latter two items. The one pound coin is to give you an idea of the size. Unusually, no auxiliary 3.5mm audio cable is included (you will only need this if connecting the speaker by wire instead of by Bluetooth).The speaker is as tall as a £10 note and slightly less wide – see photo 3 where I have put it on top of a £10 note, and photo 4 (beside a £10 note).A flap covers the ports – see photos 5 & 6 (flap down & peeled back).Photo 7 shows you the controls for operating it.Photo 8 shows a birds’ eye view of a small tab on the side, for threading the carabiner through.Photo 9 shows the LEDs on the side – 4 to tell you how charged the battery is (25% per LED) and one to show that it is connected via Bluetooth.It is easy to pair – just turn Bluetooth on on your phone and turn the speaker on. The latter will then search for a Bluetooth connection. The speaker’s name – ‘X9’ - will appear on your phone as a Bluetooth device – click on it and the speaker will say ‘The bluetooth device is connected successfully’ (you get a very posh Chinese lady’s voice). That is all it takes. You do not have to enter any codes.This speaker’s battery is rated at 4,400 mAh. That is the capacity of the battery - how much energy it stores. For example, a 4,000 mAh battery will last twice as long as a 2,000 mAh battery - and 2,000 mAh is the capacity of the battery in a typical smartphone (e.g. an iPhone 5 is 1,440 mAh and an iPhone 6 is 1,810 mAh). The point is that this battery is approximately double the size of the average smartphone battery so it lasts a reasonable amount of time. I estimate that you can expect it to last between approximately 5 and 8 hours depending on use - the louder the volume, the less time that it will last.One novel thing about Bluetooth speakers is that you can have your phone controlling it in a different room. The seller says that it works up to 30 feet away (10 metres) but in practice it tends to be less and it always depends on the environment i.e. what is between your phone and the speaker e.g. walls or no walls. In addition, brick walls will obviously absorb the signal more than a stud partition wall (as the latter is just wood and plaster).The first time you use it, please remember to turn up the volume on the speaker to maximum – otherwise, when you turn it up to maximum on your phone you will be disappointed as you will think it is too quiet.Sound quality is related to speaker size – if you want better sound quality then you will want larger speakers.I like this Bluetooth speaker.Declaration: I received this product without charge, without obligation, in the hope that I might review it. My assessment of it has not been affected by that – it remains objective and unbiased. One of the reasons why I have taken a number of photos is that I do not want you to take my word for what it is like – I want you to judge for yourself.

I was offered a sample at discount to test and review.The speaker arrived quickly, well packed. It's presented in a plain card box with some writing on the outside, mainly in Chinese. That was a little disappointing, but I was impressed by the build quality and appearance of the speaker itself. It has simple lines, grey mesh front nod the fading is metal. It's relatively heavy, but feels and looks like a quality item. It comes with a USB to micro charging cable and a metal lanyard clip. The speaker has a silicon loop to attach the clip, so it's well designed and very practical for use on the go.There are no instructions. I'm familiar with how to charge and use a device like this, but a new user might find lack of instruction a shortcoming. The speaker certainly looks very elegant. Its small and neat ( just under 6" tall and about 2.5" wide) It's high tech, with simple lines, unobtrusive and would sit happily anywhere. The sockets to connect are hidden neatly under a silicon lid and after putting it on charge for just under two hours, I tried it out. It paired easily with an iPod, iPad and Android device. The sound is outstanding, given the size. The bass is really rich and deep, with crisp clear mid range too. And the volume is better than I expected. It's quite a powerhouse. Audio tone( for use with Audible books) is excellent and a big improvement on device audio. There's also a card slot for replay of stored music.For sound quality, appearance, construction and price, this is definitely 5star. I'd like to see written instructions as well, but that doesn't detract overall from my rating. This is a quality speaker.

good quality sound feels very Heavy and solid.Love it would buy again