Magic in a Box or Smoke and Mirrors?
Somewhat by accident we’ve become portable speaker experts over the past six months. I’ve always been an audio aficionado as well as a gadget freak, so the opportunity to review cutting-edge products that fit both of these interests is a no-brainer. We’ve brought you a couple great speakers from Kinivo as well as some uniquely-designed offerings from Tego, so when we were presented with the new MagicBox Wireless Speaker from DKnight we knew we’d have a sound basis of comparison (pun intended).
Running right at the same size as the BTX270, the MagicBox sports a cushion-covered top and sides to make carrying it in your bag friendlier to your other items. The top features soft and responsive buttons that allow you to skip through your playlist or answer the phone if it rings. It does not have separate external volume controls, instead relying on the skip forward/back buttons doing double-duty as volume by holding them down. A little bit awkward when you only want to bump it up a notch, but works in a pinch.
On the side of the unit you’ll find the typical USB charging port, an on/off switch and an auxiliary input for hooking up any device that does not have Bluetooth. There is also a TF card slot (same as MicroSD card) that in theory would allow you to load songs onto it and only carry the speaker. We did not test this feature as we didn’t have the proper memory card. The inclusion of a small blank one would have been a nice touch.
But of course the main reason for considering a unit like this is Bluetooth connectivity, and in this department it works just as expected. We found the connection process to be as easy as expected and the range of the connection well within industry standards.
But how does it sound? For the price (under $30) it sounds just fine. It is missing the deep bass we experienced in other speakers, and we did have a little bit of distortion when turned up to 100% (to be expected), but considering the MagicBox runs quite a bit cheaper than other box speakers, it is a fair tradeoff if your budget won’t allow a $50+ set.
With a claimed battery life of up to 10 hours of playtime, this unit might be a good combination of price and performance if you’re in the market for a wireless portable speaker solution. And judging by the glowing reviews online, I’m not the only one to think so! Pick one up on Amazon for under $30 in red, blue or black. It’ll work with any iOS or Andriod device that has Bluetooth as well as nearly any other electronic device by connecting it via the included cable through the AUX input.
For the price, I can live without the deep bass. It would be perfect for kids doing chores or my son who is 4, and loves to watch youtube videos on my note 3.
I would not have a use for this personally but it would make a fantastic gift for my friends son!
Looks like a great speaker for the price. Easily portable.
At my point in my life I wouldn’t need anything like this, but it would be a good gift idea.
This might make a nice back-to-school gift for a college student. I love that it is portable, has bluetooth, delivers a decent sound and is only $30 on Amazon – our favorite online shopping site! 🙂
Looks like a great device and I’m loving the Bluetooth connectivity as well. Thanks for the review.
Hey Scott,
Thanks for the review. The size is just nice in my opinion.
Something that I would get during my college time.
I would love to get this for my son. I bet he would really like this portable wireless bluetooth.
We need a wireless speaker in the house. I hate been saddled to a room by the cord on the stereo!
it looks like a jambox and the price is amazing. it if does what it claims it is an amazing buy.
It won’t pair with ipad, did pair with iPhone, doesen’t have much volumn, gonna have to spend some more $$$ for something better.
We haven’t had any issues pairing with anything Bluetooth. Apple just released an update two days ago (iOS 8.3) that fixes some Bluetooth issues, maybe an update is in order for your iPad. Bluetooth is Bluetooth, it should work with any of them.
Will not pair with a Transmitter with my Ipod? Only Bluetooth I havent been able to pair with?
Will pair with my Iphone!
That’s odd, but not unheard of in the Bluetooth world. There have been many versions of the Bluetooth specification…it could be that the transmitter is using an old (or newer) spec than the speaker.
I Got one last year in september, it worked fine but now april 2015 when I turn it on the voice waiting to pair
breaks up and repeats the same message and wont work. Any help?
Sorry for late reply, just saw your comment. They’re pretty good with warranty exchanges (so I’ve heard), so give that a try. Sounds like it got wet or a solder came loose.
Hi, I actually have the Jawbone Jambox with a Kinivo bluetooth adapter on my PC but having a real hard time pairing, I can see it all on my PC but it keeps saying error in connecting. I am at a loss
I also know the guys over at Kinivo. If you reach out to them on FB, they’re very responsive.
But isn’t the BT adapter supposed to be incoming data and not outgoing from a PC? Or maybe I’m thinking of a different product from them.
Great for the office!! Showed it to my boss, now he wants one. For the money spent, you can’t beat it! I paid $50 for a cumbersome stereo at the big W box store. My MagicBox totally out performs on sound quality. I’m not a musician and just wanted something simple…this is it!
Unfortunately, Magic Box doesn’t work well after falling off the top of a refrigerator. So I need a new one. But the sound is excellent. I use it with my Amazon Fire Stick and their free music content that comes with Prime. I only have a 1400 sq foot house, but the speaker can be heard throughout. Or you can just move it with you…out on the deck, ect.
I can see where a fall like that would be an issue. Our daughter just dropped her iPhone from the top shelf of her school locker, and needless to say that isn’t working so great now either!
I really enjoy the Magic Box. However, I am experiencing an interruption tone every 5 or 6 minutes when I’m using it. This happens after about 10 min. of use even with a full charge. I still use it but it is annoying. Do you know what could be causing this?
Hmm, that’s an odd one to me. Like a beep or something? Wonder if it happens when you get out/come back into Bluetooth range?