Cheap, Cheerful and Made to Roam

By June Ramli

Perth, Sept 4: Cheap as chips and made for the vagabond in you — that was my first thought after trying Uniden’s new LOOOP portable Bluetooth speakers.
I got my hands on the two smallest models in the range, the Ichi and Ni, and they are uncomplicated little speakers that do exactly what you want them to do.
Pairing was almost immediate. I switched them on, connected through Bluetooth and was listening to music without having to muck around with settings.
And they sound great.
One place I have particularly enjoyed using them is in the bathroom. Put some music on while taking a shower and these little speakers can easily fill the space with sound.
But the LOOOP range is really designed to roam. Think road trips, camping, beaches, pool days, backyard gatherings or simply throwing one into your luggage when you travel.

Ichi: Small, Bright and $49

At just $49, Ichi is the baby of the LOOOP family.
It is a compact 5W Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a lantern, with a magnetic base, built-in lighting, hands-free phone answering and up to 10 hours of playtime.
One feature I particularly like is the illuminated colours.
I can see Ichi being great at a campsite at night. You get your music, but the colourful illumination also provides some ambient light around your tent or camping area.
Instead of packing a speaker and another little light, you have both functions sitting in one compact device.
It also comes with IPX4 splash resistance, which is handy for something designed to spend time outdoors.
The magnetic base is another clever touch. It gives you more options for where you can position the speaker, whether you’re camping, travelling or using it around the house.
Don’t expect a tiny 5W speaker to shake the neighbourhood. That’s not what Ichi is about.
Its charm is its simplicity.
It’s small, colourful, portable and costs less than $50. Throw it into your luggage or camping gear and off you go.

Ni: More Muscle for $99

If Ichi is the little traveller, Ni is its considerably more powerful sibling.
At $99, Ni jumps to 30W of sound and adds IP67 waterproofing, floating capability, RGB lighting, hands-free phone answering and power bank functionality.
This is probably the model I’d pick for the beach, pool, backyard or a road trip where you want something with a bit more punch.
The waterproofing and floating capability are particularly useful.
Portable speakers have a habit of ending up near water, whether that’s beside a swimming pool, at the beach or around a campsite. Knowing Ni has been designed with that sort of environment in mind makes it much more practical.
The power bank functionality is another nice addition when travelling. If your phone is running low, you’ve effectively brought along some emergency power as part of your speaker.
And again, getting connected was painless.
Bluetooth connected almost immediately in my experience, which is exactly how consumer technology should work.
At $99, Ni feels like the sweet spot in the LOOOP range for someone who wants decent power and outdoor-friendly features without spending a fortune.

Then There Are San and Yon

Uniden has four models in the complete LOOOP family, with the names inspired by the Japanese numbers one to four: Ichi, Ni, San and Yon.
I tested Ichi and Ni, but those wanting something substantially louder can move further up the range.
San costs $149 and delivers 50W of sound, with up to 10 hours of battery life, hands-free phone answering, IP67 waterproofing, floating capability and RGB lighting.
At the top is Yon.
Priced at $199, the flagship pumps out 100W and offers up to 12 hours of playtime. It also features IP67 waterproof protection, floating capability, party lighting and power bank functionality.
That means there is quite a jump across the range — from the tiny 5W Ichi at $49 all the way to the 100W Yon at $199.

Cheap as Chips

What I like most about the two LOOOP speakers I tested is that neither required much thought.
Switch them on. Connect your phone. Play your music.
That’s it.
Ichi would be my pick for travelling light or camping. I particularly like the illuminated colours for nighttime use, and at $49 it isn’t something I’d be precious about throwing into my luggage.
Ni is the better choice when you want considerably more sound and proper protection from water.
Neither speaker is trying to reinvent Bluetooth audio.
Instead, Uniden has put together a range that is portable, colourful, practical and — particularly at the lower end — cheap as chips.
Whether you’re listening to music in the shower, sitting outside your tent at night or heading off on another trip, these are speakers made to roam.
And for the vagabond in all of us, that’s rather the point.

Editor’s Note: DailyStraits received the Uniden LOOOP Ichi and Ni for the purpose of this review.