INTRODUCTION

   When i first heard that scientists had taken the first steps for wireless charging of portable devices a few years back i was very intrigued since i do think that the future holds complete wireless freedom for everything in the electronics industry. Unfortunately to this day the consumer oriented devices that feature wireless charging are far from what i had hoped to see back then so in order to use wireless charging you need to place your smartphone on special Qi pads which only work with Qi compatible devices (since factory-ready Qi devices are quite rare Qi cards exist that add compatibility). Of course i expect "full" wireless charging in the coming years without such limitations but for now Qi is one of the "hottest" technologies around although it's not really as popular as one would think. Still it's popular enough for many manufacturers to implement it into their latest products to hit the market and one of those is the GroovyW Bluetooth Speaker by LUXA2.

   LUXA2- is a Taiwanese based designer and manufacturer of award winning portable accessories. Established in 2009, LUXA2 is committed to creating the best user-experience by consistently designing and innovating each and every product from concept to reality. LUXA2 believes that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication; and it is with this belief that our product designs are not only simplistic in nature but also incorporates functionality and premium aesthetic appeal at affordable prices. We promote not just products but total solutions. LUXA2s’ products are sold worldwide in major consumer and electronic retailers and online via www.luxa2.com and www.ttbuy.com.tw. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, the LUXA2 team possesses many talented specialists from all around the globe ranging from: sales mavericks, marketing aficionados, design wizards and R&D demons which are all lead by a top-gun management team. With offices in the USA, China, Australia and Germany, LUXA2’s presence on the global stage is ever-increasing to ultimately bring our mission of creating a simple, unique and luxury lifestyle to customers, and ultimately, a uniquely you.

   Unlike the Sound BlasterAxx Axx200 by Creative which we had with us roughly a week ago the GroovyW by LUXA2 follows the same path as most wireless portable speakers out there and so it can be used to stream audio onto it via Bluetooth v3.0, make and answer calls and recharge your portable devices via the 4000mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable battery located in the separate charging station. That's correct the GroovyW is perhaps the only wireless portable speaker out there currently that has its own 2200mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack and another one in its charging station. Of course you can charge the device directly but for the sake of "wireless charging" LUXA2 added the Qi compatible charging station (this is essentially the part which you need to have plugged into the wall charger) which can be used to recharge both the speaker and other portable devices (both via wires and Qi wireless charging) you may have with you. The GroovyW also features NFC (Near Field Communications) for easier pairing with compatible Bluetooth devices and touch sensitive illuminated controls. So far LUXA2 seems to have released something quite unique so let's check it out more thoroughly.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

LUXA2 ships the GroovyW inside a thick cardboard box that has the company logo at the front along with two product pictures and the main product features listed right beneath them.

A few words about the product are printed on the left side in 5 languages.

The features and bundle content lists are placed on the right side.

All the features of the GroovyW are also available at the rear and are also showcased with the help of 9 product pictures.

The front of the box opens up to reveal both a product picture and the product itself sitting behind a clear plastic cover.

With the GroovyW Bluetooth Speaker you are also getting the charging station, leatherette carrying pouch, USB charging cable, 3.5mm analog cable and a quick start guide.

THE GROOVYW

By default the GroovyW is placed on the charging station and so it measures 194mm in length, 17mm in width and 69mm in height with a weight of 788g.

Although most of the enclosure is made out of polished and matte hard plastic (the surrounding grill is excluded) there are two metal lines placed around it and LUXA2 has placed their logo at the front of the bottom one.

At first glance the power button is placed at the lower right side of the device and on the charging station.

Perhaps the most impressive looking part of the GroovyW is the top touch sensitive controls which are illuminated with the help of blue LEDs placed beneath them (from the left we see the NFC area, battery level indicator, microphone hole, Bluetooth activity LED, play/pause/answer/end calls button and the volume control buttons).

On the right side of the base we see the USB charging port (used to charge other devices), 4 LED charge indicator (for the station) and a microUSB port used to charge the station.

Turning the device over we see that the GroovyW also has a power on/off button (and a LED next to it), microUSB charging port and a 3.5mm analog audio input.

The whole point behind the wireless charging feature is that you can remove the speaker any time you want from the charging station without having to worry about cables.

Although the Qi charging area is round to fit the GroovyW exactly it should be compatible with other devices as well.

Without the charging station the GroovyW measures 180mm in length, 82mm in width and 66mm in height and weighs 596g.

Even without the charging base the GroovyW is not the smallest Bluetooth speaker out there (it does wear two 40mm drivers at the front and a 7W class-D amp so one can't really complain about size) but it's also far from being the largest one.

GROOVY AUDIO CENTER APPLICATION

The very first thing you should do is to download the LUXA2 Groovy Audio Center Application from the App and Google Play Stores (unfortunately the application is locked in portrait format and not landscape).

This application gives you the ability to customize the equalizer according to your liking or choose one of the 10 available presets, stream audio files onto the GroovyW and listen to internet radio stations.

CONCLUSION

   First of all I’d like to point out that the finish and quality of the GroovyW are both very high something which i happen to appreciate much especially since most wireless portable speakers out there place enclosure quality in second place. So for starters once you turn the GroovyW Bluetooth Speaker on the voice of an Asian male will inform you that pairing mode is enabled and although i like simple things i do prefer it over some annoying sounds I’ve heard in the past with other solutions. Now if you use the GroovyW without the LUXA2 Groovy Audio Center application you will notice that bass is almost non-existent while mids and highs are just ok in quality and depth. Things however get better once you download the application since it allows you to boost both the overall volume of the device and its bass levels and although the GroovyW is not one of the best wireless portable speakers we've ever used (probably because it makes use of the SBC codec and not the more popular aptX/AAC audio codecs) still it does quite well. Making and answering calls is also very easy especially since i was surprised to hear that the people over at the other end thought we were next to them (we also heard them loud and clear) so i guess LUXA2 did pay attention to some details. The Qi charging station is the one thing that really allows the GroovyW to set itself apart from every other portable wireless speaker in the market if not because of its "wireless charging" then certainly because of its standalone 4000mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable battery. Playback time was not easy to measure but standalone the speaker did last slightly over 5 hours at maximum volume while during on the go testing the charging station pushed that to slightly over 12 hours.

   Just by looking at the GroovyW Bluetooth speaker with wireless charging station you can tell that it's not going to be cheap not only because of its quality and finish but also because of the Qi charging station and the extra 4000mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable battery and that's more or less the case since it currently retails for USD112.98 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at around 120Euros inside the EU. Of course normally this price tag would be a real temptation for me and certainly enough to award the GroovyW with our Platinum Award since i do like the quality and innovation LUXA2 has placed into it but unfortunately we've heard much better wireless portable speakers in the past and so although not really bad in the audio department it does fall short compared to other solutions and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Qi Compatible Wireless Charging Base
- 2200mAh Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery (Speaker)
- 4000mAh Lithium-Polymer Rechargeable Battery (Station – Can also be used to recharge portable devices)
- Audio Playback Time (Up To 30 Hours)
- Good Volume Levels
- Touch Sensitive Illuminated Controls
- Illuminated Battery Level Indicator
- Groovy Audio Center App
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Overall Bass Levels
- Mids/Highs Still Need Work (Even With The App)