CONCLUSION

   When TDK asked us if we would like to test their upcoming A360 Wireless 360 Speaker a while back i was a bit skeptical at first since it's roughly half the size of the A73 Boombox and so i wasn't expecting much in terms of volume output. Well right now i am happy that we did ask them to send it over since although indeed not as powerful as the A73 Boombox it's a lot more powerful than anything else we've used to date (excluding the A73) and at the same time it looks great and it's quite compact. Now the four 2.5cm full-range speakers may already output very crisp mids/highs but i do think that had TDK used 5cm ones not only would they had released a more powerful portable speaker but the size would hardly need to be larger. Still these work like a charm and do offer a nice surround sound feeling especially when supported by the connected device (just don't forget to allow room between the rear of the speaker and the wall for example otherwise the result may not be the best). The 10cm subwoofer on the other hand proved to be more than enough for the A360 since it offers plenty of deep and warm bass. Regardless however i have to be honest here and so the A73 Boombox will always be our first choice when we need power over portability (unless TDK makes something more powerful in the future since the 3-way Boombox is EOL) and i expect the same to apply for people who want exactly that but for everything other than that the A360 Wireless 360 Speaker is really the ideal choice. Battery-wise TDK claims that the A360 can run for a total of 6 hours however once again that's only if you use it at "normal" volume levels so us using it at roughly 80% at all times was enough for it to last slightly over 4 hours (which is not really bad considering the volume level used).

   As mentioned already we are amongst the very few to get our hands on the A360 Wireless 360 Speaker prior to its official launch which means that it's not only available in stores just yet but it's also hardly even announced by TDK so we can't give a specific price tag. However since the recommended price tag according to TDK is currently set at 199Euros inside the EU you should be able to find it for less when it hits the stores (if not when it hits then certainly shortly after). Long story short the A360 Wireless 360 Speaker is a jack of all trades, it looks great, it's compact, offers very good audio clarity, plenty of bass, lots of volume (although less compared to the A73 Boombox) and we don't really expect it to hit stores with a price tag that far off compared to other a lot less powerful portable speakers in the market. The only thing I’d like to see would be a remote control since it came in very handy while testing the A73 Boombox but i guess we can't have it all. So for everything mentioned the A360 Wireless 360 Speaker grabs our Golden award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Compact Size
- Design
- Power Output (23W Total)
- Audio Clarity (Crisp & Clear Mids/Highs)
- Bass Levels (10cm Subwoofer)
- Bluetooth v2.1 & 3.5mm AUX Inputs
- Rechargeable Battery (Can Also Be Used To Charge Portable Devices)
- Price (Compared To Other Far Less Powerful Solutions)

CONS

- Battery Life (Just Over 4 Hours At 80% Volume)