Review: Gear4 Blackbox speakers

The Blackbox is the larger of two new Bluetooth speaker systems from Gear4.

The main appeal of these new models is the attractive sleek black design and the lights on the front panel that can be arranged into one of three graphic equaliser displays.

In addition the main controls atop the device fade up into a cool blue, resulting in a striking all-round lighting effect.

The unit is supplied with a basic remote control and an audio cable, which can be used to connect any music player to the 3.5mm line-in socket at the back, if the device isn’t Bluetooth-enabled.

The Blackbox is compatible with any A2DP Bluetooth product, which includes mobile phones, computers, MP3 players or iPods using Gear4's Blustream TX adapter, which is available separately.

We tested the wireless performance using a couple of mobile phones and a PC with Bluetooth, but we were unimpressed with the performance. The audio was quite messy, particularly when coming from a mobile phone, and when the volume was pushed to over half the maximum things started to distort quite badly. The Bluetooth connection process was more awkward than it should have been, although the manual does a fairly good job of explaining things so it's not too tricky if you’re patient.

Pleasingly, performance improved dramatically when we hooked a music player directly to the auxiliary port: tones became crisp and clean and the quality of the speakers shone through. Although the bass isn’t particularly pronounced, the sound was very well balanced and didn't distort even at higher volumes.

Despite the attractive design and portable nature of the Blackbox, (it comes with a sturdy rubberised carry-case) the price premium is quite high considering its relatively poor wireless performance. If portability isn’t a concern you’ll find a far better all-round speaker in Parrot’s Boombox, and for those who aren't that bothered about wireless, there are cheaper alternatives around for better wired performance.

Vista compatible: Yes