Sonic Gear Pandora Micro Bluetooth Speaker Review

11:06 AM pandora , pandora micro , review , sonic gear , speaker , tech 0 Comments

     Hello people, welcome back. Today I will be reviewing the Sonic Gear Pandora Micro, like the Pandora Mini, the Pandora Micro is also a portable Bluetooth audio solution. Without further ado, let's dive deep into what this tiny thing is all about.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX, KEN?
     The Pandora Micro, 3.5mm jack cable, MicroUSB to USB cable and a piece of instruction.

TECH SPECS

• Bluetooth profile: support HS/HF, A2DP, AVRCP, OPP
• Total system power: RMS 5 Watts
• Impedance: 4Ω
• Driver: 2 x 40mm
• Frequency response: 100Hz ~ 20KHz
• Speaker function: Bluetooth, AUX-in, and Micro-SD card music playback
• Handsfree function
• Built-in rechargeable battery: 5 hours continues music playback at mid-volume

DESIGN

green pumpkin reporting in

     My initial thought when unpacking the Pandora Micro is that it looks a lot like pumpkin, I swear if I coloured it orange and added a stem up on top that some animal would eventually try to claw through it. Jokes aside, the Pandora Micro is shaped much like an oval, unlike the other speakers in the Pandora series (Pandora 3: Rectangle, Pandora Mini: Rounded Rectangle). Unlike the Pandora 3 and Mini, the Micro's speaker is not knitted as closely and you can see the drivers inside.

The visible drivers

back I/O

     Turning the Pandora Micro around, there's not much to see. From the left, there is a MicroSD card slot which is nifty to have. A MicroUSB port in order to charge the speaker and then your power switch. The power switch toggles you between 3 modes, having the switch at the far right turns the speakers off, having it at the middle will have you in Bluetooth mode, and to the far left is MicroSD mode. There are also media controls on the top of the unit which I will dive deeper into in the next section.

FUNCTIONALITY

The media controls

     As I have just mentioned, the Pandora Micro also features media controls situated on top of the unit like his two bigger brothers in the Pandora series. Controls include: forwards, backwards, volume decrease and volume increase. Situated in the middle of these 4 controls, is a Bluetooth logo where you can use to pick up calls if your phone is connected to the speaker. If you have not notice already, I refrained from using the word 'button' because frankly it isn't one.
     There is literally no feedback when you press any of the controls, making you constantly doubt yourself if you are actually activating the control or not. While this may not be the biggest deal breaker ever, I would presume this as an oversight from Sonic Gear for the other speakers in the Pandora series all have buttons that give feedback.
      Compared to the stationary Pandora 3, the Micro has an effective range of 20 meters which is pretty impressive. I have tried out the range by walking the speaker down a corridor and I'm glad to say with no interruption, the audio does not jitter until the 20 meter mark. About the battery life, it lasted more than 5 hours for me but might differ depending on how high of a volume you are playing at. I was using it at perhaps the 40% volume mark, but it's hard to tell as there is no real indication.

AUDIO QUALITY
     Audio quality wise, there really isn't much to say. There's no bass that's for sure, and music doesn't sound exceptionally well with the Pandora Micro. What I would say though is that the Micro is able to stand it's ground against my laptop which has JBL speakers built-in. Quality wise it is quite comparable between the Micro and my built-in speakers, the only edge the Micro has over my default speakers is the maximum volume which may or may not matter to you.
     I have to say though, when you get to an even higher volume on the Micro, the sound quality will start to degrade a little if you listen closely but seeing as you are in a situation where you need to crank up the volume to that high, that you wouldn't be able to notice the change in quality.

CONCLUSION
     The Pandora Micro presents itself as a very powerful audio solution in a portable and small form factor. If you are looking for a simple audio solution that you can keep in your bag without compromising volume-wise or it being a headphone/in-ears, the Pandora Micro might just suit your needs. The Pandora Micro comes in at a kind of reasonable price of MYR125.00 . In my opinion though, unless you are going to have pseudo-random parties or dance practices, I would recommend you to go for a good pair of headphones or in-ears for a much more optimal experience.