Marketing image by Aluratek
The folks at Aluratek were kind enough to send me a couple pairs of their Bump speakers for review. The first set got a good workout in our booth at Maker Faire this year and the other set is getting some use around the house.
The idea is pretty simple: an MP3 player that can transmit wirelessly to remote speakers. I’ve seen, and tried, a few similar products over the last few years but none as small or quite as portable as these. The player is a smallish cylinder, about the size of a squat can of Coke and can play MP3s off an included SD card. The player can also take any reasonable audio signal on the audio-in jack and includes an FM tuner for those of you who haven’t figured out they broadcast NPR online. The rechargeable speakers are the same size as the transmitter and can run for an hour or more per charge.
The sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small package. At home the volume is sufficient for casual listening, but don’t expect to impress the neighbors with your eclectic playlist. We set up the player and two remote speakers at Maker Faire to provide a little geeky background music and the sound was often lost to the din of the crowd.
Overall I was impressed with the Aluratek Bump MP3 Player and speakers. They work great around the house and allow me to take the music with me. I’ve used them in the kitchen and outside with good results.
Wired: Portable sound for around the house. Convenient to take your playlist to the kitchen, garage, or patio.
Tired: Possible wi-fi interference, volume is a bit low, and remote speakers aren’t in perfect sync.
