Beosound Explore - High-end Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker Loud for Outdoor, Home and Travel, 360 Degree IP67 Waterproof with Playtime Up to 27 Hours - Black

Urrrrgh, it's just perfect! It's genuinely even more wonderful in person. It's small enough to hold in the palm of your hand (see photo of it in the palm of my hand), and it's stunning. I know, looks don't matter, etc etc, except they absolutely do, of course they do, and this is the Angelina Jolie of speakers; the Ana de Armas of bluetooth... so gorgeous you'll want to do unspeakable things to it. I'm not a degenerate, so I'm just using it to play music but, honestly, your mileage may vary, and I won't judge you for it. Just quickly, I know apps are a pain, and bloody everything wants you to download a bloody app these days, but this app is worth getting. You can change your sound mode (adjust bass, etc); use it to pair two speakers together for stereo, etc etc. Definitely worth getting - you're very limited with what you can do from the unit itself: essentially, on, off, skip, play, and volume control. It pairs with my phone's bluetooth easily - catches it first time within a second or so, and makes a delightful plink-plonk sound when you turn it on. The sound is lovely... but, I admit, it could maybe do with having a bit more bass, if that's your sort of thing. Again, you can increase the bass via the app (photos shows the wheel you use - you can manually move the sound around and land on your perfect spot), but if you like it super, super deep, this may not scratch your itch. Saying that, for my sins, I've discovered a guilty love for dubstep, and this showcases the heavy drops (God forgive me) very nicely. (I am legitimately ashamed of using the phrase "heavy drop" in front of people.) The battery is amazing, too - I'm fairly convinced it lasts longer than 27 hours, because I've used it a tonne, and I've yet to re-charge it. If it's not been in use for 27hrs yet, it's very close, and there are no issues with sound quality or lag or owt. The only thing I would say is, for the money, you'd want it to come with a case, ideally. I'll treat mine like the treasure that it is, and I'll never let any harm come to it, but knocks can and do happen (just not to mine!) so a case being included would have been good. It comes with two flimsy silicone caps for the top and bottom but they're no good. I bought this hard shell case at the same time, and it works a treat (and it matches!) so that's highly recommended, too. Lovely, Green Speaker is probably my most treasured possession, and I can't see the novelty of it ever wearing off, so if you're on the fence, I can't say enough good things about it. (But, given my taste in music, I would not blame you if you feel I can't be trusted.)

I ‘come from’ a reasonably high-end separates system many years ago and then onto many headphones, some very high-end for their time(HiFiMan HE-6, HD800s etc)but have now transitioned to living a very spartan existence, mostly free from possessions and wanting as few things as possible in my flat. Deciding I needed a break from the headphones I’ve kept, I thought a Bluetooth speaker might be an idea to go with my inexpensive little HiBy R4 dap. This was what I decided on after some reading, and also a lot of knowledge of the design and build history of B&O. Suffice it to say that this tiny(I’m sure many were surprised by its diminutive footprint)little thing has just knocked my socks off and the sound is genuinely revelatory given its size, and cost. Powerful-sounding with a stunning sense of presence; clear, fast and layered sound. Completely seamless Bluetooth integration with my device. Build quality and feel is fabulous. A joy to look at, hold and use. I personally have no need for the app so I cannot comment on that aspect. B&O have a huge range of such speakers going from around this price point all the way up to many thousands and I’m wondering just how much better-sounding some of the ones costing say 400-circa 1000+ might sound. Not that it really matters - this sounds more than good enough for its intended purpose. Rock, soundtracks(the extended 3-disc The Good, The Bad And The Ugly soundtrack is unbelievably stunning), classical, 60’ pop/folk, 50’s female jazz, Icelandic metal ….everything sounds really, really good, to the point that outside of a genuine stereo set-up, or perhaps a tad more bass impact, this is pretty much good enough. For me that is!

Love this speaker. The colour and finish on my green one exude quality. It’s just wonderfully designed and feels reassuringly heavy for such a small unit. The sound quality is great when tailored using the graphic equaliser in the app. Many reviews say it doesn’t have the best bass. If you want something to over amplify and thud out overpowering bass that shakes your windows buy something else. This is high fidelity where treble, mids and bass are all very nicely and proportionately presented into a very pleasing pure sound. Bass enjoyably deep and tuneful. To get the best sound quality you have to be aware that positioning has a big effect. If it’s on a shelf, windowsill, high/low position, hanging or in an alcove the sound profile changes considerably. That’s where the app comes in. Find the location you want to place it, then go to the app and use the graphic equaliser to perfect the sound to your preference. Set up and the using the app are simple as they possibly could be. The interface is very slick and intuitive. If I had to think of a negative, it could perhaps have next/previous track controls on the unit. Other than that I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants a beautiful, classy, easily portable Bluetooth speaker with Hifi sound quality rather than a bass-swamped party speaker. EDIT: my negative comment about no prev/next track buttons on the unit is irrelevant now I’ve found out that 2 presses on the play button goes to next track. Three presses goes to previous track.

I’ve had a number of Bluetooth speakers over the years of various types, and all of them have pluses and minuses and the B&O Explore is no different. If you want a party speaker with banging bass, look elsewhere. But if you want something that has more detail and clarity and portability compared to those big and boomy Bluetooth speakers, this is for you. I’ve included an image of it next to a can of coke for size context. Out of the box, it doesn’t sound great, but you can quickly improve that by downloading the Bang & Olufsen app in App Store on iOS or on Google Play and setting it to the custom setting around half way between ‘energetic’ and ‘high bass’ and you’ll see a big improvement. It will remember that EQ setting even if you close the app. Battery life seems to be impressive. Out of the box mine was 42% charged, but I fully charged it, and was listening to LBC on it for 30 minutes followed by around 30 minutes of some music as I was trying it out, and it only lost 1% battery according to the app. It is definitely one of the longer lasting battery life speakers you can get. Remember though if you play it on full volume with dance music, it will probably only last around 3 or 4 hours. If you play it around 30% volume while listening to a podcast or an audio book, both which are less demanding on the battery’s power, then it will likely exceed B&O’s quoted 27 hours. It has a good soundstage and sounds the same from all angles, so has a good overall 360 degree sound. It also has stereo sound with a left and right channel which is noticeable. You can also ‘stereo pair’ two B&O Explore speakers which would turn each speaker into its own left or right channel. For most people a single B&O Explore speaker will be enough, but if you want a wider stereo image than one speaker can provide, then two would be better than one, but it would defeat the portability aspect, and given they are nearly £170 each, you could probably just buy a dedicated system that would sound better anyway. Overall, I give this speaker 4/5, and I’d say it is a little overpriced, but don’t let that put you off. It is well made and feels and looks like a quality product that will last a long time. It suits my needs well as I listen to a lot of podcasts and talk shows on streaming radio stations. Better still, it isn’t very big and is great for just grabbing and taking into the bathroom as you have a shower or something like that. It is not much bigger than a can of coke.

This speaker combines premium sound with excellent functionality. It’s simple to operate, with responsive controls and smooth Bluetooth connectivity. The 360-degree audio is clear and powerful, filling any space with rich sound. Its waterproof IP67 rating and rugged build make it ideal for outdoor use, while still being compact and lightweight enough to carry anywhere. With up to 27 hours of playtime, it’s reliable for long days out. For the quality, portability, and design, it offers strong value for money – a fantastic all-round Bluetooth speaker.

Fabulous speaker & sound quality is excellent. It's a little more money than similar mini speakers but the quality & sound is great.

Small and compact with good sound quality, the speaker was easy to set up and fills a large room with music. I particularly liked the dark green version.

I purchased this as a replacement to my Bose Revolve i soundlink that is getting old and the battery life isn't too good anymore. As soon as I turned it on I couldn't believe how poor it sounded! I've heard £30 bluetooth speakers sound better! There is hardly any bass and the sound is extremely muddy. I then played the same song on my Bose to compare and straight away could tell how much better it was! Don't waste your money on this speaker. Ive already ordered a £299 Bose Revole ii instead. I guess you get what you pay for!