Before testing each product, I’ve always looked for more information on the Internet. And when I read some reviews of the iDeaPlay W200 Bluetooth Speaker, all I saw were excessive compliments. I was so doubtful because the speaker comes from an unknown brand.
Is it true that this is a flawless product or those reviewers were compensated for a positive review? We tested the speaker and had our own conclusion, keep reading to find out.
Design & Features
The iDeaPlay W200 looks pretty stylish and modern with an industrial design. The whole body is covered in aluminum grilles, you even can find a grille on the bottom. There are just some plastic trims along the top and bottom edges. The plastic feels solid and it comes in silver color, so you might think that the whole piece is metal.
All buttons are placed on top of the speaker, including the power button, mute, play/pause, EQ, volume up/down, wireless and AUX buttons. All of them are made of rubber, so I thought that the speaker has the water-resistant feature, but it is not mentioned anywhere. Therefore, I don’t recommend you to bring the speaker to the pool or beach.
On the back of the speaker, there are just the microUSB charging port and the AUX-in port.
I appreciate that there are large anti-skid feet on the bottom of the speaker. They are made to keep the speaker stable since there is a subwoofer here as well. Unfortunately, the speaker still moves around a little bit when using the speaker at a high volume level. I’m quite surprised because the solid build, heavy weight and anti-skid pads couldn’t keep the speaker stand still.
The IDeaPlay speaker is equipped with a 4,000mAh rechargeable lithium battery and it could power the speaker for up to 10 hours. However, I often have to turn up the volume to maximum when pairing it to my iPhone, so the battery life is significantly shorter at around 6 hours.
The speaker is promising with a 5-driver design. There are two 5W drivers on the front, a 10W subwoofer on the bottom and two passive radiators on the back. It is quite amazing that they managed to pack everything in such a portable product. You can check out the sound test below.
The sonic characteristics are not jaw-dropping like many reviewers said, but they are not bad by any means. The speaker does not only share the industrial design but it also has a very similar sound signature as the Bose Soundlink Mini.
While most other speakers at this size sound boxy, the IDeaPlay actually delivers a good soundstage. Many people will also appreciate the warm tone with a significantly boosted bass response. The mids are well present while the highs are just slightly recessed. The only problem is that the sounds seem to be processed before coming out of the speaker. When a track reaches a complicated section with a variety of instruments and vocals, the speaker is too weak to render them all and the result is that the volume level suddenly becomes lower. There might be processor inside and that explains why the speaker feels a little warm after playing music for a while.
The sound is a little dry for my taste. I’m not really impressed with the harsh mids. Besides, the bass is there but it is not deep and tight enough. However, we can’t ask much from a budget speaker at this size. This is still a good alternative when you can’t afford expensive speakers from Bose or Creative.
- Nice industrial design
- Solid build
- Impressive bass for the size
- Low price
- Sound is processed
- The speaker doesn’t stand still
The iDeaPlay W200 can’t compete with more expensive Bluetooth speakers. However, if you are just looking for a budget speaker with clear sound and good bass, it’s totally worth the price.