#urgebasics

I have this list of things I want in theory, but don’t want so much that I’ve devoted time into figuring out exactly which one I want. It’s a list of just things: no brand, no model, rarely even a price range. On that list, was a small bluetooth speaker. I didn’t have a real need for one, therefore I couldn’t rationalize dropping real money on a Jawbone Jambox or UE Boom. But I kinda wanted one. It had to be at least decent, but cheap. So when this Urge Basics speaker appeared on a daily deal site for around $30, I did a quick bit of research (all showing rave reviews, despite the pretty un-inspiring name), and nabbed one.

What is it:

The Urge Basics Soundbrick is a small bluetooth speaker, about the size of small electric pencil sharpener (if that helps at all), or a thick hot dog and bun. It doubles as a speakerphone (handy while getting a call mid-music), and has 3 large buttons on top for volume and play. It has a line in input (and cable), so your old Walkman can still output tunes to it, a line out, and charges with a ubiquitous micro USB cable (included). Comes in tons of fun colors, and supposedly holds a charge for 8 hours.

Using it:

Bluetooth speakers are not rocket science, or at least they shouldn’t be. This one isn’t. Turn it on, do your normal pairing dance, you’ll hear 2 loud beeps and the LED light in the grill will flash, and you’re connected. Boom. 

Build quality is surprisingly good. I say this because the name “Urge Basics,” does not instill confidence. I expected something far lighter, and China-ey feeling. But this feels weighty, sturdy, and solid. The rubber feet grip surfaces well, and the rubber texture looks great and won’t slip out of your hand, should you find yourself running away from something while holding it, for some reason. The buttons feel good, and fit and finish is much more than I expected from a $30 speaker. The beeps and lights are a little unrefined, but that bothers me little compared to physical build quality. And it actually looks nice. Nothing strange or cheap-looking about it. It’s attractive and simple.

As for output, the sound quality is pretty good. It’s not like live music, but it’s way better than your phone speaker. Not too tinny, not too bassy, sounds good to me. My main use cases for this are 2 places: on my desk at work (when no one else is around), and in my workshop. I’m not trying to fill a gymnasium, have it resonate throughout the house, or give a soundtrack to an outdoor BBQ (though I’ve used it for that and it was just fine for background music in my backyard). For those things, you should be looking at larger speakers. That being said, volume output is impressive for a speaker this small. When I’m in my workshop, I can get it plenty loud without maxing out. Same is true for my desk at work. My wife has used it in the kitchen (our home has a pretty open floor plan) and it was great there too. 

As for the speakerphone, it’s passable. When I’m at my desk and the speaker is nearby, it’s actually pretty good. If I’m in my shop and the room is quiet, it works. Beyond that, stick to your handset. But it’s a handy feature, and you can answer it by pressing the speaker’s play button, which too is handy.

Battery life is good. I can’t honestly tell you if it’ll last 8 hours. Haven’t tried. But I’ve never had issues with it running out on me, even when I’ve forgotten to charge it before a day I plan to use it heavily. I don’t use this all day every day, so battery isn’t really an issue for me. 

Like:

It’s solid. It sounds good. It’s small. It’s handsome. Fun colors. It holds a charge for a while. The speakerphone comes in handy. It’s easy to set up. It’s inexpensive.

No like:

Honestly, not much. The brand name is odd, but they’ve won me over. The beeps it makes to notify you of things are a little loud and stupid sounding, and the LED light is a little bright when using it, but aside from that, no issues here.

Conclusion: