Deafened by the midget Nakamichi

They say good things come in tiny packages and that certainly holds true for the Nakamichi NBS8, a portable Bluetooth speaker small enough to fit in the girlfriend’s handbag but boasting so much volume that it will have the neighbours complaining. 

I tested in my large living room and found the NBS8 filled the area with sound. There was no distortion and the bass was more than adequate.

The NBS8 that I tested was the black version – silver and red options are also available and it really looked smart and trim. It featured four touch-sensitive buttons in orange that are used for volume control, changing mode and for pausing and playing music.

Located in the middle of the buttons are the blue Bluetooth light and the Nakamichi name, also in blue. The Bluetooth light flashes when the speaker is waiting to be connected to a smartphone and turns solid blue once the connection is established.

The back features the power button, a micro USB for recharging battery and a 3.5mm stereo-in jack for connecting to an MP3 player, a CD player or a notebook computer.

NBS8 has built-in rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery with 2,200 mAh capacity, which allows you to enjoy up to five hours of playback as well as a hidden microSD card slot underneath for playing MP3 files.

You can switch between Bluetooth connection, AUX and microSD playback simply by touching the mode button. The mode light will change to orange when you use AUX or microSD mode.

NBS8 also has a built-in microphone allowing it to function as a hand-free speaker phone system for your smartphone while you are driving. Or you can use it as Bluetooth speaker and microphone for an audio conference on your tablet or notebook computer.

When NBS8 is Bluetooth-connected to your smartphone and there is an incoming call, the NBS8 pauses the music and informs you of the number of the phone calling you. You answer the call by touching the play/pause button. When you finish the conversation, just hit the play/pause button again.

After it is connected to your smartphone, you can put the phone within 10 metres of you (if there are no obstacles) and control the music playback by using the NBS8’s motion sensor.

This is located in the centre under the Nakamichi name. You sweep your hand to the left to play the last song and to the right for the next song.

NBS8 has two 1.75-inch drivers powered by 2x3-watt amplifier. Bass is enhanced by two passive speakers. Its signal-to-noise ratio is more than 55 dB and the speaker uses Bluetooth 3.0 connection. It supports Bluetooth profiles of A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP.

Since smartphone and tablet computers now have Bluetooth connection, a good quality and affordable portable Bluetooth speaker is becoming a must for mobile users who like to share music on the go.

NWA Marketing Co Ltd, the authorised distributor of NBS8 and other Nakamichi speakers and headphones in Thailand, said it was flooded with booking when it demonstrated the NBS8 during the Commart in October. 

Nakamichi is a renowned Japanese high fidelity audio company and its products are well-known for outstanding mid-range clarity.

I was impressed with the detail of the music reproduced by NBS8. Although the speaker is very compact in size, I could still enjoy the level of bass sounds when I sat two metres away from the speaker. The closer you sit next to it, the higher the bass level. Since it is very compact, NWA Marketing says NBS8 is designed to be used in a room of about 30 square metres as well as outdoors during family outings.

I enjoyed listening to rock songs for hours during the test. I Bluetooth-connected it with my Motorola RAZR MAXX and played the music from the phone with Extreme Bass audio setting. The bass reproduction from the NBS8 was not floor shaking but enjoyable enough for rock music while the mids and highs were clear. The Bluetooth speaker reproduced very good details of musical instruments.

Sting’s “The Best” album was loud and clear in both vocals and guitar while Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway” to Heaven was also enjoyable with powerful voice, guitar, bass and drum sounds.

Nakamichi NBS8 retails for Bt3,590 and is available at all branches of Munkong Gadget and from Lazada, To Home and other online shopping websites. Find out more at Facebook.com/HeadphoneandSpeaker.

 

 

Key specs

_ Output power: 2 x 2 watts

_ Drivers: 2 x 1.75-inch drivers and 2 passive speakers

_ Ports: micro USB for battery charging, 3.5mm Aux jack, microSD slot

_ Bluetooth: 3.0 supporting A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP

_ Wireless Working Distance: Approximately 10 metres

_ Battery: 3.7V 2,200 mAh Li-ion Polymer battery; approximately 5 hours of playback time

_ Accessories include: 3.5mm Audio Cable, Micro USB Charging Cable, and Pouch

_ Dimensions: Approximately 180mm (L) X 45 mm (W) X 55 mm (H)

_ Weight: Approximately 400 grams