It’s not as small as some of the more portable Bluetooth speakers you’ll see in the market. It will definitely not fit in your pocket. If you want to blast your music off a device that looks like an old-time radio from the 1950s, then there is nothing better than the retro-looking Lofree Poison.
Combining old-school aesthetics with modern technology, the speaker takes the form of 50s-era radios – the kind people used to listen to AM and FM broadcasts many decades ago. With a metal grill out front and a large dial that lets you scan through the channel listing right above the grill the grill, this thing adds a unique-looking speaker that feels like a real throwback to much simpler times.
Despite the vintage looks, the Lofree Poison is a completely modern speaker, with two 52mm drivers, two 10-watt amplifiers, and a Nuvoton DSP to ensure it produces rich and full-bodied audio that, the outfit claims, “sounds more vast than other speakers of similar size.” Since a booming bass is a major requirement for every piece of audio gear these days, it separates the output, producing the mids and trebles from out front, while relying on a large diaphragm in the back to pump out the satisfying bass sound. It also integrates Waves’ MaxxAudio Mobile technology, which uses acoustic algorithms to alter the sound in real time, allowing the small speaker to sound like a much bigger piece of audio gear.
As with all portable speakers, it comes with Bluetooth for streaming music from your phone, along with an AUX cable in the back for plugging in your music source if you want to save battery life. Unlike most, it also comes with a built-in FM radio tuner, so you can tune in to local stations if you’d rather listen to spotty radio broadcasts with lots of static noise instead of streaming tracks from Spotify, Pandora, or your own music collection.
The Lofree Poison measures 7.1 x 4.1 x 2.7 inches, so while it’s not going to fit in your pocket, it should easily make room inside whatever bag you’re carrying. It comes with metal loops on the left and right sides, by the way, which you can use to strap it down to your pack, so you can have music playing while hiking, walking the dog, or tailgating with a group of friends.
Sadly, the onboard battery is only good for six hours of playback in a single charge, so you might want to bring a power bank along to keep the party going if you’re not getting access to an outlet for a while. Aside from the dial, it comes with button controls along the top, which allows users to control playback and volume, with engraved markings (instead of printed) to ensure the symbols are retained throughout the device’s lifetime. It comes in four colors: red, white, green, and turquoise.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Lofree Poison. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at HK$545.