Fancy turning your dinner
table into a speaker? We look at one solution
While some older readers, such as the
silver surfer brigade, may remember the Twist as a popular dance craze of their
youth, today the Twist is more likely to be recognised as a Bluetooth wireless
speaker. Adopting a stubby cylindrical shape and available in a choice of
black, silver, red or blue, the Twist has been developed by Damson, a company
recently set up in Yorkshire by James Talbot, who is passionate about the audio
quality of his favourite music when he is out and about on his travels. This
passion led him to design products to enhance his listening experience.
Small enough, at 56 x 74mm, to fit inside a
pocket but perhaps a tad too heavy at 333g for comfort, the Twist comes with a
drawstring soft carry pouch. You also get leads for USB and audio connectivity
using sockets at the rear of the device. The Twist is powered by a lithium-ion
battery, which can be recharged from a computer or the mains with a USB adapter
plug. You can link the device either through Bluetooth or a wired connection
using the supplied audio lead. Depending on your choice of connection, you will
get four or nine hours of playback. There's an option to daisy chain the Twist
to another device, but I cannot see this happening too often.
Along with an Off mode, the Twist can be
set to BT (Bluetooth) or On mode. Living up to its title, you need to twist the
top part of this product to select your chosen mode. When either pairing the
device or using Bluetooth as the delivery method, you need to put the Twist in
BT mode. A blue light will pulse when in pairing mode and hold steady when
playing audio. The On mode is used when you've linked the Twist to a
non-Bluetooth device such as an MP3 player or an early iPod.
The Twist has a stylish appearance that is
easy on the eye. The review unit was predominately black in colour with a
silver band running around the middle of the cylindrical body. The unit is
mounted on top of a plinth that has a sticky base to ensure that there is a
firm contact between the Twist and whatever surface it is mounted on. Even with
fairly loud output, I was unable to detect any movement of the Twist on a
variety of surface.
The Twist makes use of Incisor Diffusion
Technology, which was originally developed by the US Navy. This technology
involves the use of a resonator that works with an appropriate flat surface.
The result of this combination turns the surface into a kind of speaker that
produces vibrations that enhance the audio output to deliver a more rounded
sound with a fuller bass. You can actually feel the vibrations that are
produced by touching the mounting surface while the music is being played.
While the technology does have the ability
to improve the audio output, not all surfaces are suitable. When placed on some
surfaces, the vibrations created spoilt, rather than enhanced, the listening
pleasure. Some experimentation will be required to get the best results. I
found that it worked best for me when using a solid base rather than a surface
that was part of a box or empty container.
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Details
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Price: $128
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Manufacturer: Damson
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Website: www.damsonaudio.com
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Required spec: N.A
Ratings
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Quality: 7
·
Value: 6
·
Overall: 7
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