Two things I don’t leave home without are my MP3 player and a good set of earbuds. But take out the earbuds and portable audio often leaves a lot to be desired.
The WOWee One portable speaker changes the game, though, by turning a desk or just about any other flat surface into a thumping subwoofer. And the small size makes it ideal for travelers.
The WOWee One connects to a music player with a standard audio cable. It includes a regular speaker that will easily outperform anything built in to an MP3 player or cell phone.
But the pocket-sized WOWee One also has a bass speaker that vibrates and sends lower frequencies through a Gel Audio pad, turning whatever it sits on into a subwoofer of sorts. The sound is impressive.
Half the fun is moving it to different objects to hear which ones sound better. The speaker works best on solid and flat surfaces with hollow spaces under them, such as desks or tables. Or try it on a wall, cooler or cardboard box.
Surprisingly, one of the best-sounding surfaces I found was a cookie tin I had sitting in the office. The tin is about half full of chocolate chip cookies—maybe just the right mix of cookies improves the sound! A cardboard box also worked well.
This speaker could also be connected to a cell phone for conference calls or to a laptop for business presentations.
The WOWee One is simple to operate. It includes an audio cable and a USB cable for recharging the battery that powers the bass speaker. A full charge lasts up to 20 hours and the speaker can play and charge at the same time. It weighs a mere seven ounces and measures 4.7″ x 2.4″ x 1″.
Just a couple of other notes—the WOWee One does not provide stereo separation like common computer or bookshelf speakers that can be placed apart from each other. But it still sounds great with the wide frequency response and thumping bass. The gel pad at the bottom does pick up dust and dirt, but that wipes off easily.
The WOWee One retails for $79.99 and is available from Amazon. The price is reasonable compared to other portable speakers on the market.
After listening for awhile, it’s not hard to see how the WOWee speaker got its name. And the WOWee One’s small size and light weight make it ideal for travelers who take their favorite tunes on the road.
Other portable speakers reviewed by Practical Travel Gear
