When it comes to affordable portable speakers, a compact and easy-to-carry device comes to mind. But there are some options which are different from others. One such product is the iGear Evoke, which is a portable speaker and stands out from others in its price range for several reasons. At first glance you might think that this is an old radio set from the olden times, but this device is equipped with modern features and comes with such connectivity options that it can be used easily in this era of wireless connectivity.
With features like retro style, radio tuner, multiple connectivity options and solar charging iGear Evoke Only Rs 3,000 Offers a lot for the price of Rs. Is this the best low-budget portable speaker currently? Find out in this review.
Solar and micro-USB charging on the iGear Evoke speaker
The iGear Evoke is very similar to the Saregama Carvaan series of portable music players. It looks like an old-time radio set. Apart from the style, another element that draws attention towards it is its color options. I got its yellow colored unit. Its blue and white color options are also available.
It has a folding handle on the top for easy carrying. The speaker is given on the front. The controls and ports are on the front and right side of the device. The front features a dial for setting the AM/FM/SW radio frequency, along with four buttons to control playback and connectivity modes (when using Bluetooth or digital storage media).
The side of the speaker has switches for selecting the source (radio or digital media), a USB port, a microSD card slot, an auxiliary socket for 3.5 mm connectivity, and a micro-USB port for wired charging. There is also a dial that controls power and volume. When you rotate the dial initially, it turns on the speaker and after that it is used to increase or decrease the volume. The speaker is large and all the controls on the device fit quite comfortably and work well.
There is a solar panel on the top of the iGear Evoke, which keeps charging the speaker as long as it is exposed to sunlight. There is also a telescopic antenna which can increase the quality of the radio signal.
Solar charging means that the user will not need to keep the speaker plugged in all the time. It also depends on the usage to a great extent. The company has not given details about the charging time of iGear Evoke. Solar charging is much slower than wired charging and it can take several hours or even days for the speaker’s battery to be fully charged. Sometimes you may have to rely on USB charging. However, it is still a beneficial feature. If you take it on a camping trip, it is very useful when there is no access to electricity.
iGear Evoke has a 1200mAh battery. With this you can also charge other devices. This means that you can use the device as a solar-charging power bank in times of emergency, although it will charge at a very slow speed. Apart from this, the speaker has a rated sound output of 5W. Bluetooth 5, FM/AM/SW radio, USB port, microSD card slot and 3.5 mm auxiliary input can be used to play audio. Along with the speaker, you also get a wall adapter and charging cable.
The battery life of the speaker depends on your usage and media source. Because it keeps charging itself in sunlight even when in use. Using the speaker drains the battery faster than it charges. I was playing audio via Bluetooth, which was at medium volume. In this the speaker was able to give 10 hours of battery life.
Lots of connectivity options, but unsatisfactory sound quality on the iGear Evoke
Although the speaker itself is quite different, in terms of sound quality it does not live up to the expectations. The sound can be said to be decent or even below average. It also depends on the music source. Even with the best source, the sound quality seems to be low. It didn’t sound bad for everyday listening at home. The device had a sharp sound which was not clear. The sound experience seemed to match its retro style.
The sound of FM radio was also not clear compared to playing through Bluetooth or local storage MP3. Even when I had the antenna fully open outdoors, the sound was not clear. Music played via Bluetooth and USB drives sounded much clearer in comparison. Still, the sound was quite weak and the details weren’t great.
It has a dial for tuning the radio frequency but still it automatically locks the tuning to the radio station without any hassle. While using digital connectivity, the four physical buttons on the front are used to control music. A small display could also be provided in it on which music track or battery level etc. could be shown. But, the absence of display at this price also seems justified.
I listened to Tiesto’s Boom song in it, and while listening, I connected my smartphone to the speaker via Bluetooth. The strong beat of the track was heard with low bass and a popping sound. The track didn’t sound fun. Apart from this, the tracks with heavy bass seemed quite strange. When I played Jetlag and Axwell’s With the house classic So Right, it felt as if I had placed a heavy blanket over the speakers. This dynamic track also seemed quite suppressed.
When playing music from a USB drive at medium levels, the high points of the sound sounded quite piercing. The vocals felt suppressed. A person listening to music can quickly get bored of it. Same was the case with other tracks too, when I could not find any details in any track. Despite having so many connectivity options and features, iGear Evoke does not provide good sound quality.
Verdict
There are many affordable wireless speakers available in the market, but iGear Evoke stands out from them due to its retro design and solar charging. Its feature of charging other gadgets also seems quite useful. There are also many connectivity options. The only drawback that is visible in it is its poor sound quality.
The iGear Evoke lags behind in the market in terms of sound quality, but if you just want a simple device for occasionally listening to music then you may want to check it out. If you are more interested in music then you can check out Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker (16W) which is available for Rs 2,499. It gives a much louder sound and is better in terms of performance.
#iGear #Evoke #Bluetooth #Solar #Charging #Speaker #Review #Modern #music #device #retro
About The Author
