REVIEWED: Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 bluetooth speaker
A great value alternative to a Jambox and with a handy slot for miniSD and microSD cards, this easily stow-able speaker priorities bass over volume
Does any traveller actually need to take a speaker with them? The answer is probably a big fat no, with earphones far more convenient and compact than this new generation of portable Bluetooth speakers. And yet, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 is so small, but for long stints of work in hotel rooms it’s hard to resist.
Two-way speaker
Measuring 160x42x62mm and weighing just 396g, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 is small enough to fit inside the shoe, but it’s about as dense as an iPad Mini or a big guidebook. Inside are two front-facing active 2W neodymium drivers and one passive radiator, which link-up to any smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. It comes in a nice felt-like drawstring carry case.
Making the connection
Switch on the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 and it is immediately viewable in your smartphone or tablet’s Bluetooth menu. It connects a few seconds later, and hence everything you play on your device comes through the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 – and that includes phone calls. This speaker has a built-in microphone, so you can take part in conference calls with a little added audio quality.
Hard surface
Available in black, blue, grey, yellow and red, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 is best used on a hard surface. If you put the volume up really loud, something you will have to do using the buttons on the top of the speaker itself (up there are also buttons for skipping track, changing input and for hanging-up a phone call), the sound quality quickly degenerates into an treble heavy distorted mess. The speaker also moves around a table if you go really loud. However, if you listen at a more normal volume – and we’re still talking pretty loud – it’s got a lot more low-frequency sound than any laptop speakers. As a speaker for one or two people to listen to in a hotel bedroom, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 is bang on.
miniSD and microSD card slot
Almost uniquely in the Bluetooth speaker market, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 has a miniSD and microSD card slot in its side (maximum capacity is 32GB). A small silicon flap on one side reveals a microUSB slot, which is used for charging its internal 12 hour 1400mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery, as well as a small red LED indicator that shows you when the battery needs charging, an 3.5 mm audio jack for hardwiring in almost anything, and a slot for either a miniSD or microSD card. That’s actually great option, especially if you store a lot of your music on a microSD card slot in an Android smartphone.
Short range
That miniSD/microSD card slot means that the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 doesn’t have to be used as a Bluetooth speaker, which is good news because its range is actually no more than about 20 feet (in our test). If you’re going to use theEdifier Extreme Connect MP260 outside, perhaps on a beach, then we would strongly recommend you use that miniSD/microSD card slot.
Versatile and bass-heavy
Featuring some of the best quality low frequency sounds we’ve heard from a Bluetooth speaker as portable as this, the Edifier Extreme Connect MP260 makes a great value option for business and other travel – just don’t turn it up too loud.