Betron KBS08 Bluetooth Speaker, Wireless and Portable

I’ve got Betron earphones and think they’re great, which prompted me to buy this speaker. I’m quite disappointed. At lower volumes it’s fine, but when you turn the volume up it just vibrates and sounds awful. The flashing light looks awful, but you can switch it off using the mode button. As a wee speaker to listen to quietly it’s fine, just don’t turn the volume up.

***** EDIT *****
Ok, so I’m an idiot! I had this speaker sitting on a pile of books when the sounds wasn’t very good. Turns out all I had to do was put it on a solid surface! The vibrating has gone and the sound is so much better. All it needed was to be on something solid like a shelf. I’m actually so happy with it now, and I’d like to add that the battery lasts for absolutely ages! I’d definitely recommend this, just don’t use it sitting on a pile of books

The Betron KBS08 Bluetooth Speaker, with its impressive sound and compact design, is the embodiment of power in a small package. This tiny titan of sound has consistently proven itself to be a cut above the rest in the arena of portable audio devices, delivering an acoustic experience like no other.

Housed in a unique alloy case, the KBS08 provides compatibility with all Bluetooth-enabled devices as well as with devices supporting a 3.5mm jack. The convenience doesn’t stop there; the speaker is also equipped with a built-in microphone for hands-free calling, adding more to its functionality.

The KBS08’s incredible audio performance is largely credited to its larger 40mm driver that projects fuller and richer sounds, making it a wonderful enhancement to any music or video player. The bass effect, in particular, is impressive; placing this portable speaker on a wooden table or desk elevates the bass impact, filling your room with vibrant, pulsating music.

Offering direct wireless streaming, the KBS08 allows you to stream music directly from compatible Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, or computers. Additionally, the speaker supports micro SD cards and includes a 3.5mm audio cable for non-wireless devices, providing a multitude of ways to enjoy your favourite tracks.

The speaker’s design caters to the traveler within us all. It is lightweight, compact (just 61 mm in width and 60 mm in height), and fits easily in a coat pocket, making it an ideal travel companion. Its robust, metallic body further enhances its durability, ensuring your musical journeys are never cut short.

The built-in MP3 player and FM radio are added perks, offering even more ways to enjoy your music. The user-friendly interface, featuring a 4-button control for volume adjustment, track change, play/pause, answering calls, and mode change, makes the experience seamless and effortless.

However, it’s important to note that the KBS08 is not waterproof. Exposure to moisture or a damp environment may damage the speaker, making it less suitable for use near pools or beaches. Additionally, while the LED light show adds a fun party vibe, some might find it bothersome during quieter listening sessions. However, you can easily turn off the lights by long-pressing the mode button.

Despite its petite size, the Betron KBS08 delivers a powerful audio performance, and the sound clarity is impressive. It pairs seamlessly with devices, charges quickly, and lasts for about 5 hours on a full charge. Its minor drawbacks – such as overamplification at high volumes and a strong bass emphasis in voice frequencies – hardly detract from its overall stellar performance and exceptional value for money.

In conclusion, the Betron KBS08 Bluetooth Speaker is a winning blend of powerful sound, portability, and stylish design. With its impressive features and ease of use, it is indeed a remarkable choice for music enthusiasts.

Pros:

* Compact and portable design
* Easy to pair with Bluetooth-enabled devices
* Strong and clear sound output
* Long-lasting battery life
* Versatility (Bluetooth, AUX, SD card support)

Cons:

* Overamplification at high volumes

Why did I choose the Betron KBS08?

I wanted a bluetooth speaker so I can listen to internet radio while I’m in the kitchen without having to take the laptop with me, and also for a better sound than my laptop speakers for watching movies/TV. Also, I wanted one with some decent bass that can fill the room when I feel like dancing, but not pay an arm and a leg.

Did I get what I wanted?

It works perfectly on Bluetooth with my phone and AUX with my laptop. The bass is incredible, when you put it on a wooden surface like a table you can actually feel the floor vibrate. The sound quality is really nice and decently loud to fill the room. I carried it to every corner of our small flat and it didn’t cut out even when I closed the heavy bathroom door.
The light strips also make it look really cool and will be a really stylish eye catcher at any house party.

Ease of use & charging:

It was simple to pair (immediately connected with both my Lenovo laptop and Samsung smartphone without issues), quick to charge and worked for about 4 hours on full charge before a loud beep alerted me to its need to be fed some electricity. It comes with a 3-way cable that allows you to charge the speaker via USB. Charging was fast, I didn’t time it exactly but I think it was fully charged again within 1-1.5 hours via a USB mains plug.
There are only a few buttons so you can’t do much wrong. You get the usual Play/Pause/Answer Phone, Forward/Louder, Backward/Quieter and Off/On, and also a Mode button that will cycle through the Bluetooth, FM and AUX functions when pressed. A nice lady tells you which mode you’ve gone into when the button is pressed and notifies you when the Bluetooth is connected.
It has 3 cable slots for AUX, Mini-USB and MicroSDTF. In order to use the AUX function of the speaker, set the Mode to AUX, connect the Mini-USB to your speaker and plug the AUX cable into the device you want to get the sound from. I have no device that uses MicroSDTF so could not test that.
The speaker starts up in the volume that you left it on when last using it, so if that was full volume don’t hold your ears close to it during startup.

Negative points:

Overamplification:
At very high volumes the low price of the speaker starts to show as it overamplifies during certain frequencies at a high volume.

Bass in speech:
For watching movies/TV, the bass is a bit TOO good. It’s quite unnerving to have the basses in people’s voice and sound effects emphasised that much.

Permanent light show:
While the lights are great for a party atmosphere, they do get a bit annoying when you just want some quiet background music and I have not found a way to switch them off completely.

The above would make me reduce the rating to 4.5*, but it’s not annoying enough to give it only 4* given the overall quality.

The following oddity also happened to me that is NOT the fault of the speaker:

Laptop Bluetooth Pitch Shifting:
My laptop’s Bluetooth settings make the speaker pitch shift and put out sound about a half tone higher than the source, resulting in everthing sounding like on helium. I managed to fix it briefly, but whenever a new song started, it would revert to pitch shifted sound again. I currently circumvent this by simply using it via the AUX cable or listening to internet radio via my phone, with which it works perfectly fine.
Some research showed that this is actually a common problem, due to software drivers cutting corners on sound quality in order to produce a consistent signal. If this happens to you, it’s not the speaker that’s at fault but your driver and you may need to do some poking around (my fix on Windows 7: Start > Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Manage Audio Devices > Properties > Tick “Remove All Enhancements”).

Verdict:

The sound that the KBS08 produces is incredible for such a tiny thing and it’s easy to use, a brilliant value for price ratio here! It weighs next to nothing and fits in a coat pocket, so it’s ideal for travel as well – no more putting my phone in a water glass!

I can’t currently do all the things that I want with the speaker due to the pitch shifting, but as that is not the fault of the speaker I really can’t blame it for that – the workaround with the AUX function or just using the phone works well enough for the time being. I just need an excuse to buy a laptop that has better bluetooth drivers on offer and I’ll be set!