Wireless speakers have become very popular in recent years. However, there is nothing to be surprised about. It only takes a few taps on the phone's display and music can start playing from a speaker a few meters away, which was completely unthinkable just a few decades ago. It recently came out with its own wireless speakers Alza.cz. And since she sent us a few pieces for testing in the editorial office, let's take a look together at how they turned out for her.
Packing
If you already have a product from the range AlzaPower were buying, the packaging probably won't be too much of a surprise for you. The speaker arrives in a recyclable, frustration-free package that is very environmentally friendly. Alza's ecological mindset will then be completely clear to you even when unpacking the speaker, as the contents of the entire package are mostly hidden in various paper boxes so that packaging plastic is not used unnecessarily, which is definitely nice. As for the contents of the package, in addition to the speaker itself, you will find a charging cable, an AUX cable and an instruction manual.
Technical Specifications
VORTEX V2 can certainly impress with its technical specifications, like the vast majority of products from the AlzaPower range. It boasts, for example, an output power of 24 W or a separate bass radiator, thanks to which you can be sure in advance that the bass will play to a certain extent with this speaker. You will also find the Actions chipset with Bluetooth 4.2 support and support for HFP v1.7 Bluetooth profiles in the speaker .1.6, AVRCP v2 and A1.3DP v10. It is therefore an absolutely ideal version of Bluetooth, which boasts both a very decent range of around 11 to XNUMX meters from the device transmitting music, as well as decent energy efficiency that ensures a longer battery life for the speaker.
However, not only Bluetooth takes care of this, but also the smart Energy Saving function, which automatically turns off the speaker after a while of complete inactivity. Until it is turned off, the function ensures the maximum possible energy saving when the speaker is not in use, thanks to which you can be practically sure that you will actually recharge once every few days. In this case, the size of the battery is 4400 mAh and should provide approximately 10 hours of listening time. Of course, you can only reach this time if you have the volume set to a low or medium level. However, if you use the speaker to its fullest (which you probably won't, because it's really brutally loud - more on that later), the playback time will be shortened. During my testing, I did not encounter any rapid drop, but it is definitely good to expect a drop of the order of tens of minutes. Apple users will also have to take into account the fact that when traveling with a speaker, they will also have to pack a "special" charging cable in their backpacks. You will not charge it via Lightning, which is certainly not surprising, but via the classic microUSB.
Also worth mentioning is AFP support, i.e. technology used for dynamic detection of Bluetooth channel quality to preserve the maximum quality of transmitted sound, frequency range 90 Hz to 20 kHz, impedance 4 ohms or sensitivity 80 dB +- 2 db. If you pay attention to the dimensions, they are 160 mm x 160 mm x 160 mm for this sphere-shaped speaker according to the manufacturer, while the weight is also 1120 grams thanks to the materials used. The size of the converter is then twice 58 mm. Finally, I would like to mention the 3,5 mm jack on the back of the speaker, which will certainly please all users who are not fond of wireless technology. Thanks to it, you can very easily connect your phone, computer or TV to the speaker even by wire, which can definitely come in handy from time to time. Equally pleasing is the built-in microphone, through which you can handle calls and make the speaker de facto hands-free. Unfortunately, there is no protection against water or dust, which, given the design of the product, which would be suitable for example in workshops or garages, or at garden parties by the pool, would certainly please. On the other hand, this is nothing that would make it absolutely necessary to break a stick over the VORTEX V2.
Processing and design
I am not afraid to call the speaker design futuristic. You won't find too many similar pieces on the market, which is certainly a shame. In my opinion, a similarly designed device is often more suitable for modern households than a "settled" box in the shape of a cube or cuboid. The ball certainly has its charm, although it certainly doesn't have to be for everyone.
The speaker is made of premium aluminum, ABS plastic, silicone and durable synthetic fabric, while the aluminum that makes up the vast majority of the visible body will be the most visible to your eyes. It gives the speaker a touch of luxury, which is definitely welcome given the wide range of uses. It's great that Alza doesn't decide to save money here and instead of aluminum, they didn't use classic plastic, which would definitely not have a luxurious impression, and what's more, it wouldn't even offer as much durability as aluminum.
On the upper side of the speaker, you will find five standard control buttons, which can easily be used to replace the phone, if you don't have it at hand and need to stop, mute, move or answer the music. Here I will not forgive myself a small complaint about the material used. I think that Alza could have avoided plastic here and used aluminum as well, which would have looked better here. Please don't take this to mean that the processing of the buttons is somehow bad or perhaps low-quality - that's definitely not the case. In short, it would be nice to feel the main domain of the speaker body - i.e. aluminum - here as well. But again, this is nothing that should cause one to collapse and immediately dismiss the speaker. After all, its overall processing is as it is in u AlzaPower as usual, done to perfection with an asterisk.
Sound performance
Considering that I have already tested two speakers from the Alzy workshop in the past, and a review of one of them was recently published in our magazine, I more or less VORTEX V2 he wasn't worried about letting me down with the sound. After all, the previous pieces I tested performed more than well, and given the parameters and price of this model, it was very likely that it would follow on from them, which I kept confirming over and over in the past weeks.
The sound from the VORTEX is, in one word, great. Whether you enjoy classical music, something harder or perhaps electronic music, you will have no problem. I did not encounter any distortion in the bass or treble during many hours of listening to music of various genres in my office, but of course the speaker has no problems with the mids either. In general, the sound from Alza's speakers always seemed "dense" and therefore very absorbing in a way, which also applies this time. I also have to praise the bass, which feels slightly better with the VORTEX V2 than with the recently reviewed AURY A2. It's hard to say whether the material used or the change in shape has an effect on it, the result is simply worth it. It's also nice that you can observe it visually through the rear membrane, which is not afraid to shake properly.
As I wrote above, you probably won't use the speaker at maximum volume very often. Why? Because he's really brutal. I really can't imagine how huge an apartment or house I would have to have to be able to not go deaf at the other end at maximum volume, let alone work normally. Thanks to this, you can be sure that it will be enough for a larger garden party or birthday party without any problems. And beware – the scarecrow known as hum or distortion, which is very likely to appear at high volumes with some speakers, VORTEX V2 absolutely missing, which definitely deserves a thumbs up. However, the question is really how often you will appreciate this feature.
If one speaker is not enough, you can use the StereoLink function to create a stereo system consisting of two VORTEX. Connecting the system is very simple, as it happens after pressing a specific combination of buttons, and of course wirelessly. You can set both the left and right channels, as well as the volume or the song being played from both one and the other speaker. So it doesn't matter which speaker you previously paired your phone with. You can tame the sound component through both and in exactly the same scale. And the sound? Imagination. Thanks to StereoLink, there is suddenly sound all around you and not just in one part of the house or apartment, which will be appreciated by both casual listeners and die-hard consumers of music of the coarsest grain. However, it would be a mistake to think that speakers are only good for listening to music. They will provide a great service even after connecting to the TV for watching movies and series, or after connecting to a game console. In both cases, thanks to VORTEX, you will enjoy a perfect sound experience.
Other goodies
At the very end of the review, I will briefly mention the built-in microphone for hands-free calls. Although it is a rather unimportant accessory, it can impress with its great functionality. It can pick up your voice very well, and calls through it are perceived by the other party in the same way as phone calls. Of course, if you are further away from him, it is necessary to speak louder, but his sensitivity is very good and it is certainly not necessary to shout at him unnecessarily. In short, a great gadget that won't get lost with the speaker.
Summary
If for acquisition VORTEX V2 you decide, you will definitely not step aside. This is a really good speaker, suitable both for television and for listening to music, which will decorate your house or apartment, and what's more, at a very favorable price. The combination of two of these speakers is absolute feast for the ears and I can definitely recommend it, as it is simply great. I dare say that you won't find many - if any - speakers of the same quality on the market for a similar price.
JBL made in the Czech Republic??? 👍