Bose Companion 20
Price: $300
Rating: 4/5
While smaller brands battle to get their
voices heard in an increasingly crowded market for desktop speakers, Bose is a
name with plenty of resonance and pedigree in the category. Speakers such as
the portable and wireless Bose Soundlink have seen the company try to appeal to
a younger, mass market audience, so the Companion 20 desktop speakers are very
much on home turf.
Bose
Companion 20
Alongside inevitably dinky and
wall-mountable home cinema speaker systems and noise-cancelling headphones,
desktop speakers are where Bose has earned its stripes. And we’d suggest the
Companion 20 speakers are a perfect example.
They look smart and functional. Reliable.
The silver finish is typical ‘executive office’ Bose, while the wired ‘control
pod’ adds a touch of flair and function, thanks to integrated headphone and
3.5mm inputs and a premium feel to an affordable product. The speakers look
much more affordable up close and personal, but look the part either side of a
computer screen.
The ‘master’ speaker connects to mains
power, the pod remote control and to the other, ‘slave’, and speaker. There’s a
3.5mm input on the back of the main speaker as well as on the remote control
unit. The remote feels great in the hand, though being hard-wired means there’s
an extra cable and only so much extra flexibility in terms of placement.
A dial on top of the unit allows you to
adjust the volume (it’s quite sensitive) and the top of the remote itself is a
touch control for turning the speakers on and off (again, it’s sensitive – and
it’s quite easy to press it accidentally when adjusting the volume). There’s no
wireless connectivity or hidden features, just a simple desktop speaker system.
The
Bose speakers look superb, sound good and exude a feeling of class
Impressively room-filling sound
Wild nothing’s brand of dreamy pop music
seems to suit the Bose Companion 20 speakers down to the ground. Ethereal
vocals are given an open, spacious presentation with plenty of detail revealed.
Turn up the volume and they will fill a room no problem, sounding more powerful
and dynamic than we might have guessed.
There’s certainly no shortage of bass.
Listening to The xx, the sparse vocals and guitar sounds have plenty of room to
breathe – but introduce some deep bass and we have issues with both the
quantity – a little too much and quality a little loose around the edges.
Still, we’d certainly take that over a thin, unassuming presentation.
Calvin Harris’s Feel So Close requires a
little more energy, and while the bass and scale gets you half the way there,
the Companion 20 speakers don’t quite have the timing prowess required to make
the track really hit home. They are at the affordable end of this price group,
though, so this is no disgrace.
Wild
nothing’s brand of dreamy pop music seems to suit the Bose Companion 20
speakers down to the ground
Low on frills but high on reliable, solid
sound, the Bose Companion 20 speakers are, in a way, exactly what we expected
from a company with so many heritages. If you’re on a tight budget and want to
keep things simple, this set of desktop speakers could be the answer.
Rating: 4/5
For: Easy to accommodate; simple set-up;
clear vocals, good detail, and plenty of bass
Against: Bass can at times be over-egged;
not last word in excitement
Verdict: Solid sound, smart looks and
simple set-up make the Bose easy to recommend
Bose Companion 20 specs
·
Power: 25W
·
3.5mm input: Yes
·
Charging: No
·
Radio: No
·
Subwoofer out: No
·
Headphone out: Yes
·
Remote control: Yes
·
Detachable speakers: Yes
·
Battery: Yes
·
Finishes: One
·
Dimensions (H x W x D): 22 x 9 x 12cm
Epoz Aktimate Micro
Price: $375
Rating: 5/5
Epoz arrived on the desktop speaker scene
after collaboration between Epos, a well-known speaker brand in the UK, and an
Australian distributor. Hence the Epoz brand name. Dare we say the speakers
have clearly had a little more thought devoted to them than the name? A
succession of desktop offerings has won us over with simple functionality and
brilliant sound quality.
The Epoz Aktimate Micro is the company’s best
offering yet. The speakers come in the form of a powered ‘master’ speaker and a
passive ‘slave’. The former connects to mains power and then to its partner
using standard speaker cable (supplied). You’ll find a 3.5mm mini-jack input on
the back of the main speaker for connecting any music source, while there’s
also a USB input for connecting directly from a computer.
Epoz
Aktimate Micro
On the front of the speaker you’ll find two
control knobs, one for power, and one for volume. And there’s a trick up the
Micro’s sleeve, or more accurately, atop one of the units: an iPod dock.
Folding out of sight neatly when not in use, the cabinet opens up to reveal a
standard 30-pin Apple dock: fine for all previous generation iPhone and iPod
Touch devices, but for the latest-gen (iPhone 5 et al) you’ll need the $37.5
Lightning adapter or settle for the 3.5mm input.
Despite the name, the Aktimate Micro
speakers are the biggest in this test, and at the limits of what we’d call
“desktop”. (Although, despite their size, they walked off with our Award for
the best desktop speakers last year.) They may not offer much by way of design
frills, looking every bit a standard pair of speakers, but the finish is good
and the bright red color (black or white are also available) makes them stand
out from the crowd.
Largest cabinets here and sound it
If you want a pair of desktop speakers on a
budget to get the party started, then look no further. The larger cabinets
ensure there isn’t another product here that can match the Micros for scale,
dynamics or absolute volume. There are bags of good quality, punchy bass, yet
treble details and voices are clean and clear. The larger drivers find it easy
to deliver scale alongside subtlety.
It’s timing where the Aktimate Micros
really score. When it comes to a musical, involving performance, they have no
equal in this group. Foals’ Inhaler is an upbeat, dynamic track, and it sounds
more entertaining and more articulate here than on any rival: detailed drums
and jangly guitars skip along merrily.
They’re
big, but that size means superb sound and a handy dock for Apple devices
The dock sounds every bit as good, provided
your device isn’t restricted by lower-quality music files. Neatly integrated,
it holds any compatible Apple device and works without fuss.
So what’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one
really. If you want a pair of speakers to sit either side of your laptop, these
are a brilliant performance-per-pound option and the best-sounding here. That
said, they are on the big side, so won’t be for everyone, while there’s no
added flexibility of wireless connectivity. But, provided that doesn’t matter,
the Epoz Aktimate Micro speakers need to be near the top of your shortlist.
Rating: 5/5
For: Simple, functional design; good build;
big, entertaining, class-leading sound
Against: Larger than average for a desktop
proposition; no wireless connectivity
Verdict: If you’re comfortable with the
size, then there’s no arguing with the sound
Epoz Aktimate Micro specs
·
Power: 40W
·
3.5mm input: Yes
·
Charging: Yes
·
Radio: No
·
Subwoofer out: No
·
Headphone out: No
·
Remote control: No
·
Detachable speakers: Yes
·
Battery: No
·
Finishes: Three
·
Dimensions (H x W x D): 24 x 15 x 20cm
