The Outside

First off, looking at the packaging it is clear that the Cleer SCENE is out there to challenge the premium speakers available right now. The box is sleek, has a lovely soft feel matte finish, and is extremely well designed. Inside the box you get a user manual, charging cable and the speaker itself.

As for the speaker – it’s stylish, elegant and feels very robust. The SCENE provides an alternative to the majority of speakers out there from the likes of Ultimate Ears, JBL, Bose, Anker and Soundcore. Where most other brands offer either party-time boom boxes, or plain and minimal designs – Cleer has gone for a more mature and refined design. Now, this won’t appeal to a lot of potential customers out there. However, the SCENE offers something that the current competition does not at a price that is extremely competitive and provides great value.

There are a number of rubber coated buttons that run along the top of the speaker. They provide useful controls such as play/pause, adjust volume and activate the built-in microphone. On the back there are a few more buttons, this time to turn the speaker on/off and a button to activate Bluetooth. There is also a USB-C charging port on the back.

Looks great, and gives the Cleer SCENE its refined look as well as feeling high quality to touch.

The majority of the speaker is covered in a textured – fabric similar to typical speaker grilles – and it goes over the speaker from front to back. This looks great, and gives the SCENE its refined look as well as feeling high quality to touch. The tough plastic rim provides contrast to the design, and then there is a light on the front that indicates power as well as notifying you when the battery is low.

The Inside

Inside the housing are dual 48mm dynamic drivers, and this is paired with two passive radiators. These radiators can be seen from the outside, and they look like mini subwoofers either side of the SCENE’s housing – this looks great and adds an extra element to the premium design.

The Sound

Audio in a refined and sophisticated manner

How does this speaker arrangement sound? Well, like the design – the Cleer SCENE delivers audio in a refined and sophisticated manner. There’s a focus on clarity and definition, which is something that is generally missed in most Bluetooth speakers out there. That’s not all you get though. Thanks to the dual driver setup and two passive radiators – bass is tight and punchy with power and distortion-free depth. The SCENE also provides a high level of detail that give insight into the music you listen to; moving away from the typical bass heavy approach to speaker tuning. This certainly won’t be for everyone, and the lack of boomy bass may also disappoint the bass heads out there. However, those that prefer bass accuracy over volume – I’d say the SCENE could be just right for you.

In addition to the impressive audio performance, the Cleer SCENE is also IPX7 waterproof rated. So there’s no risk of water damage on those rainy days. You can also expect 12 hours of playback time when fully charged. When taking calls – the SCENE’s built-in echo and noise-cancelling microphone is well suited to personal and conference calls alike.

The post Cleer Scene Bluetooth Speaker Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Pros:

• Bluetooth for convenience

• Auxiliary input for non-bluetooth devices

• Inbuilt Microphone/speaker useful for calls

• Can charge other devices via USB

Cons:

• Could do with a handle or handgrip

• Relatively heavy

Design and Appearance

The appearance of the Braven 805 is relatively normal for a device like this, being a standard rectangular form reminiscent of portable radios and tape players from the past 30 years or so, albeit with no handle as such. To sum up the design, the word ‘sporty’ is probably pretty close. There are no fragile metal wire speaker grilles or textile-covered parts to be careful of; it’s mostly composed of one piece of plastic which has grille holes formed on front and back. It seems to hark back to yellow Sony Walkmans of the late 80s.

The speaker has a type-A USB socket so anything requiring a charge via USB can be connected if it needs a battery boost, plus there’s a 3.5mm stereo auxiliary input so any non-Bluetooth playback device can be connected directly to the Braven 805 with an audio cable. A battery level indicator on the side displays the power available in the unit’s battery.

Durability and Build Quality

The weight of the unit is on the high side at 2.8 lb (or 1.25 Kg), but the user wants to be dancing around to the music more than the speaker; rest assured the Braven 805 remains rooted to the spot. There’s nothing in the build of the unit which gives the impression of fragility; indeed we’ve known of more delicate kerbstones.

Suitability for intended application

Technically, Braven have another model specifically for outdoors but this one is quite suitable if kept dry. It’s probably happier around the house for extended periods and will fill any room with the music of your choice.

There’s a microphone installed in the Braven 805, so if a call comes through the speaker can be used as a mic/speaker for the call. You’d better just check who’s calling first if you have an audience however! Controls on the top of the unit can be used to change track as well as alter volume and answer calls.

Portability

The lack of a handle does preclude it from being carried in the way a ghetto blaster might have been transported around the ‘hood’, but it will easily go in a bag or glove box if being taken outside or on a journey. It’s weighty but easy to grab in one hand and move around the house.

Sound Characteristics

The sound is very good indeed; there’s an enhanced-bass setting called ‘SRS WOW HD’ which tightens up the audio as well as giving a bass a solid bump and there’s oodles of power. The unit was taken into the carpark here and placed on the ground in an open space, as audio from the speakers of portable music players tends to get swallowed up outdoors, but the Braven 805 was up to the job. Workers within the nearby industrial estate put down their hammers and threw concerned-looking glances our way so this worthy experiment was swiftly ended.

Another feature of the Braven 805 is that it can go together with a second 805 (other Braven models too) in order to produce a stereo presentation. A pair which might be used for mono playback with one upstairs and one downstairs during the week might be united at weekends for a stereo soirée.

The post Braven 805 Bluetooth Speaker – Rambunctious Audio Oblong – Expert Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.