I’ve always been a sucker for a brushed aluminium and an elegant design. There is something sleek about it. The AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker hits the perfect mark in terms of the design. At the end of the day, it’s also a speaker, so before I start praising the aesthetics, let’s take a closer look and see if the sound and functionality follows the design principles.
AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker
It’s not the first speaker I review. Previously, I got to play with more rugged designs from iClever. Have a look if you more into that. The AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker is elegant and will look really good on any shelf, as long as you keep the shelf tidy. Enough about the looks I guess, time to see what the speaker can do.
Let’s get the party started…
Go on! Throw a party. There is no doubt that the AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker is loud enough to fill a room with the sound up to an uncomfortable level. There is plenty of volume available, but I’d keep the levels up to 80% max if I’m honest as the sound gets distorted a little bit past that level. That’s ok, 80% is enough to make the conversations difficult.
Be prepared to spend a little time with the EQ on your phone. I have adjusted the sound profile a little bit as in my opinion, the high tones were little too quiet. There is plenty of ‘oomph’ by default, so unless you are into that (I’m a big fan of dynamic range rather than pure bass) you will be pleased.
I got, I got, I got, I got options
There’s music, but there are other things you can do with the Bluetooth interface. The AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker can handle calls. I enjoyed the Facebook Messenger conversation with my sister, sharing the call with few other people in the room. I could hear her just fine, but when I asked her about my voice quality, she said I sounded a little bit ‘underwater’. Regardless of her opinion, the conversation flowed smoothly with other people chipping in without any issues.
There is a 3.5mm audio jack if you are into these things and you can control the calls, volume etc. A pretty standard setup for a Bluetooth interface.
I run my battery tests little in favour of the Bluetooth speakers as I simply don’t have the conditions to run the music at 50% volume for 12 or so hours. The speaker passed it’s advertising 10h play time with flying colours.
Such a perfect day?
While I’m not going to hold the ‘underwater’ sound of my voice via internet calls against the speaker (mostly because I was far from the speaker), I have to mention the power-up sounds. When the AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker is powered up and connected – you get a very specific chime. I often wonder what makes companies choose something so ‘in your face’ over simple and gentle tones. It’s not as bad as ‘enthusiastic German‘, but it’s loud and irritating enough that I won’t risk turning the speaker on at night when someone is sleeping.
Conclusion
Time to wrap up. There are many speakers to choose from at this price point. With an elegant design and respectable sound, the AUKEY SK-S1 Bluetooth Speaker is a great choice if you are looking for something that will mainly sit on your shelf, play tunes and look pretty. As long as you remember to brace yourself for that chime!
