Gear4 BlackBox review

There's nothing better than hooking up your MP3 player or laptop to a proper set of speakers and letting others enjoy your tunes with you, but that needn't be limited to a hi-fi. There are plenty of speaker sets that are small, light and - most importantly - portable, and many have more interesting features than simply a volume control and line input.

For a proper party you'll need to spend a little more on something like the Gear4 BlackBox. It's undeniably stylish and was instantly pawed over in the Labs, but it packs an impressive punch, too, particularly given its size and shape. Like the Parrot it features Bluetooth for easy streaming of audio, as well as a 3.5mm jack for other sources; and there's also a remote for skipping tracks without having to use the touch-sensitive controls on the device itself.

But it's the style that wins out over everything else: a red LED graphical equalizer bops away during tracks, device connections are confirmed onscreen and the sleek black finish looks at home in a living room in a way that the others here can't match. The sound quality is excellent, with rich bass and a full sound that doesn't distort. It does occasionally sound a little boxy - not surprising given that the speakers fire sideways - but it's undoubtedly the best of this group and more than justifies the extra outlay if you can stretch to it.

Author: Jonathan Bray