Winter is nearly here and that can only mean one thing, colder and darker mornings are on the way. Of course this just makes us want to stay in bed longer rather than getting up in the freezing cold weather, now this isn’t so bad if you have a free day, but unfortunately many of us have work or university to be getting ourselves to. So what better way to make sure you aren’t up late in the mornings than grabbing yourself an alarm clock, but not just any alarm clock, one that you can also use as a portable speaker to play your music on while you spend your time making yourself look presentable for the morning ahead. If this sounds like something you’d benefit from why not check out the new Tecevo T7 bluetooth speaker design which you can currently grab online for as little as £19.99 (sourced from Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/T7-Bluetooth-Subwoofer-Multi-functional-Microphone/dp/B00O2AAQOE).
The Tecevo T7 like any other portable bluetooth speaker can be hooked up a range of devices such as your phone, laptop or tablet through bluetooth as well as via an auxiliary input. However, unlike some others I have tried in the past such as the Anker MP141 portable speaker that I reviewed earlier this year, the Tecevo T7 also comes with the ability to insert microSD cards and USB devices to allow you to play more music from non bluetooth devices. It also means for those of you who may have a microSD card in their phone or tablet, when the battery dies the party doesn’t have to stop because you can quickly swap it over to the T7 and keep the music flowing. Now the only issue with putting in a microSD card is that there isn’t any menu for you to select your songs so it will pretty much play everything it locates and the only way of skipping to the song you want is by repeatedly clicking next track.
Another difference to other bluetooth speakers I’ve checked out in the past is the fact that the T7 also comes with an FM radio built in. Now this probably sounds great because you’re thinking on a Friday night as you’re getting ready to hit the town and having pre-drinks, you can put some party tunes on the radio to set the mood. Well theoretically yes you could, but practically it wasn’t possible for me when testing the T7 because the signal is absolutely terrible and unless you seem to be holding the speakers in your hand all you get is static. Now this may just be an issue with the area I live in but I’ve never had a problem with FM frequencies being received before so it shouldn’t really be a problem. One reason for this issue in my opinion though is there is no sign of a maneuverable antenna which you find on many portable radios, thus preventing you from searching for a stable signal unless you move the whole unit to a new location.
The T7 also comes with a built-in microphone allowing you to use it as a hands-free speakerphone. This is really useful if your phone is plugged in charging somewhere and the speaker is closer to you, however, other than that I can’t think why else you’d use this feature except if you were chatting to a group of friends because it is a little louder than most phones. If you do find uses for it though then you won’t be disappointed because it works great. I tested it myself by having friends call me on it, hitting play/pause to answer the call it will instantly pick it up and the sound coming through is pretty good, not quite crystal clear but you have to remember its primary function isn’t to be a mobile. To hang up you just have to press that play/pause button once again and your call will be ended; don’t worry if you hit it by mistake either because double tap that button quickly after hanging up and it will dial the number back.
As well as your usual features that we associate with portable bluetooth speakers that I’ve mentioned above, this isn’t your typical bog standard one because as I mentioned in the introduction, it doubles up as an alarm clock. Now the time and alarm itself are easy enough to set if you follow the little piece of paper with the instructions on that come in the box, and turning it on and off is as simple as pressing a button. What I found unfortunate though is that it doesn’t seem to use your music as an alarm depending on what is connected, instead it just has a standard beeping tone, the kind that drives you crazy in the morning and makes you want to throw your alarm into a brick wall. I suppose in a way this is a good thing because I myself have managed to sleep through the alarm on my phone which uses gentle music to wake me up in a good mood, where as the Tecevo has not failed in waking me up once. Still Tecevo do claim you can set your favourite song as your alarm tone so maybe I just missed something when playing around with it.
So all the fancy features aside what about the more important aspects of design and sound quality? Well in terms of of its appearance the T7 is a long rectangular shape speaker that comes in various colours to suit any environment it is put into. On the rear of the speaker are all your inputs for plugging in your non bluetooth devices as well as the on/off switch and the charging port for the battery. Then on the top of your speakers are buttons to help you navigate music tracks and select the different functions available which are all identified on a small light up display which is located on the front of the speakers. When not in use this will display the current time, press the bluetooth button and it will let you know by bringing up “–bt–” on the screen letting you know it will now be discoverable if you scan for bluetooth devices on your laptop, phone or tablet. Finally select your FM tuner and it will show which channel you are frequency you are currently tuned into.
As for the internal workings of the speakers the T7 is fitted with a built in 1500mAh rechargeable li-on battery. What does this mean for those non techies of you out there? Well Tecevo claim it means your T7 will last 5 days on standby and will give you 6 hours of music playtime. That’s not quite as impressive as the the Anker MP141 whose play time is over triple that of the T7, however it is still pretty decent to get 6 hours of music time. Besides the battery though, and probably the most important aspect is the speakers themselves, for without them this would be a pretty crap music device. Fitted on either side are 2 high quality 5W RMS speakers with a pretty decent passive radiator subwoofer that uses Tecevo iBass technology for optimal performance to deliver superb vocal clarity. Now if you have these speakers at a reasonable volume then they sound brilliant and the sound comes through undistorted, however I did encounter a couple of issues on full volume where the speaker quality did seem to drop somewhat. Still for the price you pay and the amount of features the T7 has it isn’t all that bad.
To conclude the T7 is a great little portable speaker; it is both stylish and comes with a variety of features that make purchasing it really worth it. Not only does it have your standard features such as a handsfree speakerphone and various ways to connect your device but the added bonus of an FM radio scanner and alarm clock really add value to this purchase, and although the FM scanner didn’t appear the greatest it is easily rectified by having a maneuverable antenna to make searching for signal a little better. Music wise the quality really shines through on a more medium volume as opposed to a really loud volume, so if you are looking for something that is really going to raise the roof it may be worthwhile looking elsewhere and for something a tad more expensive; but, as a small speaker for your bedroom in some student digs and to use as an alarm clock it’s pretty much perfect.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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