Entered CNET Catalog: 10/02/2007
SKU: BOOMBOX
Manufacturer: Parrot Company
Manufacturer description
Listen to your favorite tracks from any Bluetooth A2DP stereo source and discover optimized digital sound in a compact format designed to deliver high performance. The Parrot BOOMBOX guarantees high-level sound in every situation: two wideband drivers perfectly reproduce all the subtleties of the high and medium frequencies, while the woofer adds depth and a dynamic feel to the bass frequencies. With its robust mechanical design and its electronic power, the Parrot BOOMBOX is designed for listening to any type of music. It is capable of reproducing the sharpest nuances of acoustic music, letting you enjoy the rhythm of the wildest sounds. The Parrot BOOMBOX sports a particularly stylish finish: the 19 mm thick wooden cabinet is black lacquered and polished to create a timeless semi-matt finish. The Parrot BOOMBOX can be taken anywhere with discretion guaranteed, until you turn on the music! The digital technology produces an unrivaled level of precision without any background noise, while considerably reducing distortion at high volume. Enter the digital music age! The Parrot BOOMBOX also accepts all analog audio devices connected to the RCA jack (CD players, tuners, etc.) and automatically detects the music source. Take your music experience to another level with an exceptional hi-fi system dedicated to the technologies of today's and tomorrow's world.Product summary
The good: Attractively designed wireless speaker is Bluetooth compatible, which allows you to stream stereo music from any A2DP-enabled Bluetooth audio source; built-in amplifier; decent sound; stereo line input provides compatibility with non-Bluetooth devices; upgradeable firmware.
The bad: Streaming wirelessly from an iPod requires an optional dongle; Bluetooth pairing can be a finicky process; single cabinet design limits stereo separation.
The bottom line: The Parrot Boombox wireless Bluetooth speaker system ably combines elegant design, minimalist aesthetics, and better-than-average sound quality at an affordable price.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/08/2007
Our recent review of the Parrot Wireless Hi-Fi Speaker System was generally positive, but chided (among other things) the product's relatively high price and need for separate power cords for each of the two stereo speakers. Answering both those critiques is the Parrot Boombox, which retains the Bluetooth wireless streaming functionality, but offers a more compact single-enclosure design and a more modest price tag (under $250).
The Boombox is a single box--it resembles a beefy center-channel speaker in a surround system. Measuring 6.0 by 16.8 by 9 inches and weighing 13.2 pounds, the Boombox's design is sleek and simple and we particularly liked the nice black matte finish and how the fabric speaker grille adheres magnetically, making it easy to slip on and off. Contrary to its name, however, the Boombox isn't designed for mobile use because it has no battery-power option--it must be plugged into a wall outlet. (If you're looking for a truly portable wireless Bluetooth speaker, Parrot makes the $130 Parrot Party).
Pop off the aforementioned grille, and you'll find a centered 4-inch woofer flanked on each side by a 2-inch midrange/tweeter. They're powered by a built-in 60-watt digital 2.1-channel Class-D amplifier. But the key bullet point here is the built-in Bluetooth 2.0: it includes the two key Bluetooth components--EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) and A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)--required for decent-sounding stereo audio. AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) is also onboard, so compatible devices can control volume from afar, as well. It's also worth noting that the speakers' firmware is upgradeable (via the Bluetooth link from a PC).
Because Parrot utilized the Bluetooth standard (instead of some proprietary wireless format), the speakers should be able to stream from any Bluetooth audio source that includes the aforementioned A2DP profile. While that doesn't include every Bluetooth device--many older cell phones have only the lower fidelity software profile used for monaural headsets--it does encompass a large and ever-growing list of mobile devices. As of yet, the iPhone isn't on that list, but it may eventually get the A2DP profile via a future software upgrade. As for standard iPods, you'll need to purchase a separate Bluetooth/A2DP dongle. If you don't already have one (the snap-on transmitter of the Belkin TuneStage 2 worked perfectly, as do those included with some car stereo and wireless headphone iPod solutions), Parrot recommends Ten Technology's NaviPlay--either the standalone adapter or the one included with the NaviPlay Bluetooth headphone kit. (A complete list of compatible phones and dongles can be found on Parrot's Web site.) Bluetooth streaming from PCs or Macs is also supported (a USB Bluetooth dongle is included if your computer doesn't have built-in Bluetooth support). Non-Bluetooth products, meanwhile, can still be connected to the Parrot Boombox the old-fashioned way: each speaker includes a standard red and white stereo RCA input. Of course, if you're really going to use the wired connection, you should probably buy a cheaper set of speakers.
We tested the Boombox streaming music from a laptop PC and a relatively inexpensive Nokia 5300 XpressMusic phone, as well as the Sprint Mogul. We had good luck initially pairing both the phone and the PC to the speakers. The Boombox was "discovered" and we were able to link up with them by entering "0000" as the pairing code. We hit play on the music player and all of a sudden, the music was emanating from the speaker. After turning off Bluetooth on the Mogul for a day, reconnecting with the Boombox required going back into the settings menu on the phone and pairing the devices again. This may not be the case with all mobile phones, but our general experience with Bluetooth is that it tends to be finicky, so expect a little trial and error.
Once your phone (or iPod with dongle) is connected, your device essentially becomes a remote for the music, which is really nice--we were able to cycle through albums and artists from across the room. You can set the volume to a reasonably high level using the volume control, then ramp it up and down using the control on your phone. Within about 30 feet, we were able to get a clear signal, but as you move beyond that range, you will start to get some clipping and eventually the music will die entirely. Also, because Bluetooth relies on a degree of signal reflectivity, the range may actually be better in smaller rather than larger rooms.
Like with the step-up Bluetooth Hi-Fi system, we were generally impressed with the Boombox's sound. Overall, it's not as good as the Hi-Fi, which offers richer, more nuanced--and bigger--sound (it obviously helps that you can separate the speakers, which widens the soundstage). But the Boombox held its own and even surpassed many iPod speakers in its price range. It's worth noting that it helps if your phone or Bluetooth dongle is equipped with Bluetooth 2.0, which delivers improved bandwidth and doesn't compress your music as much. (When you stream via Bluetooth, your compressed MP3 music gets compressed even further, so something is lost in the process. In fact, the Boombox is good enough to accentuate the flaws in the music, which means your listening experience will vary according to the quality of your source material).
While lacking an external subwoofer, the speaker is relatively full sounding and is capable of playing pretty loudly. You get a reasonable amount of bass and solid midrange that does just fine with nondemanding tracks filled with vocals and acoustic guitars. Push the system with heavier bass and it starts to get a little muddy, but all in all the Boombox held together pretty well.
When we wired our iPod up to the speakers via the RCA jacks and listened to some lossless audio tracks, we found that the speakers measured up to the better iPod dock speaker systems we've tested (the Boombox is a good 25 percent larger than the more expensive Chestnut Hill George, for example, so it's not surprising that it can compete).
The sound quality wasn't quite as good with the Bluetooth streaming, but for a lot of folks, the wireless experience is going to seem just fine--certainly as good as a clear signal of analog FM radio. One note on the wired connections: somewhat annoyingly, there's no input toggle on the Boombox itself--you'll need to unpair your Bluetooth source before you can hear anything from the wired connection.
Like the Hi-Fi, the Parrot Boombox is a glimpse of the future of home audio. The idea of having a lot of music stored on your cell phone (or other Bluetooth-enabled portable audio device) and coming home to stream music to wireless speakers is both appealing and convenient. It'd be nice if Parrot would bundle a Bluetooth dongle for iPod use, but even so, the Boombox isn't a bad deal--it can even be found for as little as $200 online. If you're the cutting-edge, minimalist type who's a little ahead of the curve, the elegantly designed Parrot Bluetooth Boombox has much to offer.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6out of 6 user reviews
The Best Bluetooth Speaker I've Come Across
Pros: * Ease to setup up
* Sound quality
* Build quality
* Ability to upgrade firmware
Cons: * Slightly steep on price?
I'm currently using wireless on my laptop to access my main music collection on my desktop pc and using bluetooth to transfer the music to the Boombox. Works a treat.
I mainly listen to dance music and previous bluetooth speakers have struggled with the basslines but this copes admirably.
I must admit I've only installed it using XP so can't comment on Vista, and it was a doddle. I can also stream music from my Orbit 2 mobile without any problem.
Overall extremely happy and would definitely recommend.
out of 6 user reviews
Great Sound via Bluetooth, seamless connectivity.
Pros: Works with Unibody Macbook Pro built in bluetooth in Leopard OS X 10.5.6
Vista Premium 32 Bit SP1
Windows 7 Beta 64 Bit build 7777
Cons: Some break ups and distortion at high volumes.
Didn't include dongle for none bluetooth enabled devices.
Power off button is in the back.
Setup was as simple as turning the speaker unit in, turning the bluetooth on in my laptop, go to setup up bluetooth device, click on headset, it searched and found the speaker unit, it automatically entered the pin code, go to system preferences then change audio output to parrot boombox and in less than five minutes upon opening the speaker I was using it.
In Leopard I didn't bother with the instillation disc due to it being Windows only, which is fine, using itunes you can use the equalizer to adjust bass etc... The look of the Speaker is smooth in it's matte black finish, nice and rounded no hard edges, very modern design. The sound isn't Mind blowing, not 5.1 surround sound replacement by any means, but is a vast improvement over using built in laptop speakers or being tied down by wires when using 2.1 speaker system with cables.
The bass is good, not that artificial loud sounding thump thump sound you hear in passing cars in the summer time, it's just right, sound is a lot better then even the speakers in my HDTV, was surprised to hear certain instruments and vocals that I would normally have to use head phones to even notice. While you can control the volume through the computer, I suggest turning up the speaker volume all the way up first and this will allow you to make complete volume adjustments through your computer. Sound goes very high for such a small unit, though at higher levels you do notice some distortion and break ups where it seems the speaker lost the signal. Says MP3 on the back of the unit, but I also tried a few Apple looseless songs and had no problems with playback even at such a high bit rate.
Also used while playing videos from both youtube and hulu, as well as pandora internet radio, playback was smooth and did not stutter or break up a mid-high range volume, you do really hear that it is 2 channels as left and right when using head phones, the audio quality is really what surprised me most about these speakers, the exceeded my expectations.
Also used this unit with my Sprint HTC Touch Pro, again via bluetooth, pairing was simple, audio playback was nice, could not notice a difference in quality, again going to high you will get some distortion or cracks in the music, just back the volume down a bit or use an equalizer to tone down the base.
I use the Parrot Boombox in my room, distance from my laptop is about 6-10 feet most of the time, I didn't notice any issues, furthest I went was my kitchen about 28-32 feet away, you get a hiccup or two maybe due to my walls or obstacles but with a clear view and staying within the 30 feet I think the average user will be just fine.
Overall this speaker system is great for using via bluetooth, though I wish it were a bit cheaper, $200 is a but much, but I would be willing to pay that again just to cut the wires and still get good sound for audio playback. The price tag held me off for a while as I was nervous about audio quality over bluetooth but if you use a laptop as your primary computer I recommend this unit due to it's built in bluetoth.
out of 6 user reviews
Research before you buy - great sound, ease of use!
Pros: Extremely easy to pair and play with my Haier Rhapsody Ibiza which has A2DP bluetooth capability, wonderful, rich sound, stays connected with no distortion or clips as long as you stay within 30 feet of speaker.
Cons: Only con with the Ibiza is volume cannot be control by my device, you do need to control it through the speaker. Small price to pay for a great product!
out of 6 user reviews
Excellent Bluetooth Speaker for those familiar with Bluetooth Setups
Pros: Excellent Audio (dependent on bluetooth source), Easy to Connect to PC (dependent on user familiarity with bluetooth setups), Solid construction, Aesthetically pleasing form, Simple controls
Cons: Requires a basic working knowledge of bluetooth's strengths and weaknesses
Just to put my experience with this device in perspective with the post about the Parrot being difficult to configure, I'll start with what happened when I went to buy the device at our local Retail store. After the device was plugged in, it took less than 1 minute to setup the initial connection with my Sony Ericcson K790a. Another 20 seconds later and I was piping some tunes through the speakers from my cell. Easy... ...if you know the basics of bluetooth. If you are not competent enough to setup a WiFi network manually (none of this push button setup stuff) then you can setup bluetooth. The setup routine is quite predictable after you have done it a few times. I will admit, however, that setup with a PC will typically be more complex than with a cell phone. PC's will usually have a few more security options within the bluetooth stack's software that may need to be changed to allow for the initial bluetooth connection with another bluetooth device.
Once home, I connected the device to my PC via bluetooth and noticed something that disturbed me. The audio quality of the wireless streaming from my PC was noticably worse than the straming from my cell phone. After reading a few posts, I uninstalled the default bluetooth stack (provided by toshiba) that came with my PCs bluetooth adapter and installed the stack from BlueSoleil (a stack is the software that controlls the bluetoth functions for the PC). The difference was ASTOUNDING. Same bluetooth hardware on the PC, different software CONTROLLING the bluetooth hardware on the PC. The source of the bluetooth signal and how its software compresses/transmits the music to the speakers can make a BIG DIFFERENCE in the sound you get out of any bluetooth audio device.
As to another post talking about the Mac experience with the device, I can safely say that they too have/had a fundamental misunderstanding about how the PC/bluetooth speaker system works together. You can't blame the speakers if the PC did not have the requisite software to properly interface with it. The advertising for the Parrot that I saw clearly stated (as do most good ads for bluetooth audio devices) that the source device must support A2DP. Thus far I have had no problems getting one A2DP device to work with another.
As far as range is concerned, again, the other posters should have consulted the SOURCE of the transmission. The speakers are the DESTINATION. I have the Parrot Party bluetooth speakers as well. The Party is small enough to fit in one hand and looks like an oversized dog bone with blue accents. It runs off of a NiMH battery for about 4 to 5 hours depending on volume. I used that device with the same PC connection and could stream music from my 2nd floor apartment down to the first floor flawlessly. The signal did not begin to break up until I walked past the edge of the unit right below mine. The PC transmitter was located in the middle of a 1000 sq foot apartment. The same results were achieved with several other bluetooth audio devices paired to this PC adapter. When paired with my cell phone, that same Parrot Party speaker is lucky to get a signal through 1 wall in the apartment. Obviously the transmitter in the cell phone is not as powerful as the one purchased for the PC. The rating for the PC transmitter from the Mfg. is 300 ft. (class I bluetooth). My phone has a rating of 33 feet (standard for many portable bluetooth products).
In summary, don't shoot the messenger. The Parrot speakers are great, but they can only do so much with poor audio processing at the source or a weak bluetooth signal from the source.
out of 6 user reviews
Awful experience
Pros: The sound is ok if you can get it to work.
Cons: Getting it to play music from your computer will take hours and hours of frustrating work
If you have to buy this garbage, first reserve a room in the local mental hospital.
out of 6 user reviews
WON'T WORK WITH MAC!!!!!!
Pros: solid, good sound
Cons: as i said, it should easily interface with MAC but does not
i'd written earlier that it wouldn't work with 10.4 Tiger. but Leopard now has a2dp compatibility. works well.
DOWNSIDE: bluetooth range about 12 feet before it cuts out.
