Review: Fugoo Style Bluetooth Speakers

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Bluetooth Speakers are apparently a dime-a-dozen with various manufacturers bringing their own spin to this popular accessory to smartphones, MP3 players and tablets. Fugoo's Style speakers don't just offer the longest battery life for a device in this class, they're surprisingly dynamic, versatile and compact.

I've reviewed my share of bluetooth speakers and have used them extensively as an adjunct to my notebook, tablet and smartphone specially when improved loudness and audio quality is paramount. Fugoo Style (US $199.99) intrigued me because it is three products in one depending on which 'jacket' or case you choose.

The Fugoo Style variant offers the same sound and capabilities as the more expensvie Sport and Style jacket-toting speakers but is thinner, lighter and designed for general use. Covered in a nice woven silver case with stainless steel borders, it is a design that endures and blends in easily.

The core of the Fugoo system are six speakers that are designed for 360' sound delivery that's both powerful yet dynamically separated so you can hear nuance and detail. Fugoo isn't the loudest speaker we've tried and I wish it was a bit louder, but it is one of the ones with the best sound and the speakers are dynamic.

Magnetic ferrofluid in the tweeters creates a fluid but physical connection between the speaker and the permanent neodymium magnet to use the magnet and surrounding structure as a heat sink.

Fugoo's Core-X technology is the big innovation here, since the path from your music files to the amplifier that drives the speakers is digital, all the way. Other wireless speakers convert to analog too early, allowing interference from cell phones and other radio sources to get amplified and sent to your ears.

DOubling as a speakerphone, Fugoo has built in support for Siri and Google Now and can easily trigger these intelligent personal assistant services once linked to a specific smartphone. 

The Fugoo Style speakers have been my constant companion for the last two weeks. I've used them tethered to my ancient but trusty Discman to play some of my favourite CDs. I've also connected it to my MacBook Pro to offload the audio for Podcasts and even for managing voice conferences and Skype sessions.

Fugoo boasts a 40 hour battery life, currently the longest I've tested on any speaker and I found these claims to be accurate as this thing just doesn't die

Pairing through Bluetooth is very easy since there are voice prompts (backed by some cool music) that explain the amount of battery power available, whether the speakers are on pairing mode and when they're off.

The Fugoo Spekers are some of the more compact and lighter speakers in the market and they're ideal for travelling. The sound quality is simply stunning. Listing to Ella and Louie's classic recordings delivered perfectly clear voice tracks and full trumpet and instrumentation. The Beatle's Revolver as well as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, complex recordings with layers of sound and detail, came through surprisingly well balanced and clear.

Fugoo Sport and Fugoo Tough offer increased levels of protection with the Tough being completely waterproof. Conversely, you can buy the Sports and Tough cases separately ($39.99 and $49.99 respectively) and morph the Fugoo to the desired level of protection and resistance.

Fugoo also offers a line of mount accessories and straps as well as a remote control unit to expand functionality and allow you to securely carry your speakers and your music in almost every conceivable situation which is something no competitor has. In a way, Fugoo is like the GoPro of Bluetooth speakers since you can tailor it for any condition just by adding the right accessories as needed.

Fugoo Style really innovates the crowded bluetooth speaker space with a powerful yet compact unit that can drive 360' sound and at the same time is versatile enough to be a sporty or completely tough speaker that can be carried, mounted or even strapped to a tree or a flagpole.

Fugoo is available online  direct on Fugoo.com and via Amazon.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Comments

[Dao]

I'm from Winnipeg and can you tell me which site you ordered the speaker from?