Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
DeeGuy310
DeeGuy310
Great review, btw you mentioned that this speaker might not be the best for listening to classical music, in that case, what other option would you suggest?
earfonia
earfonia
@DeeGuy310 Classical chamber music and other smaller or solo performance are fine. Basically, the small speaker doesn't perform well on a large and complex orchestra. The instrument separation is not there due to the small size and short distance between the stereo speakers. It sounds monoish. I don't find any single Bluetooth speaker is good for classical orchestra, because small speakers will make it sounds small and congested. For me, at minimal, a proper stereo bookshelf is a must for classical orchestra.
getclikinagas
getclikinagas
Excellent review earfonia.
Can the mic be used as a recording device for a computer?
abm0
abm0
Thanks a lot for the response curve! Finally some confirmation of just how mediocre this speaker is for its price. No more significant bass below 100 Hz? Creative must be kidding. The JBL Flip 3 murders this speaker at less than half the price. Even the 35-dollar Xiaomi Mi (the rectangular one) has better overall fidelity and bass extension, though probably can't match it in loudness.
earfonia
earfonia
@getclikinagas no, the mic is not in the list of recording devices.
 
@abm0 Ha ha ha... I did mention that FR graph varies between rooms and different placing, and I also mentioned that the graph is not a standard measurement, so you can NOT use it to compare with other standard measurement. I think you know that. The reason for me to show that graph is only to show the bass boost level in Tera Bass and Roar mode.
 
I haven't tried JBL Flip 3 or Xiaomi Mi (the long rectangular one), so I cannot comment which has better bass. Have you compared them with this Roar 2? 
 
My friend has both Xiaomi Mi BT speaker, the long rectangular one, and also Roar 2, and he told me that overall, to him Roar 2 still sounds way better than the Xiaomi. I only tried JBL Charge that to my memory, Roar 2 still has better bass. That's all I have for comparison. Btw, in Sgp, during IT show every 4 months in a year, Roar 2 is sold for only around US$ 125, which is I would say a very good bargain.
abm0
abm0
Nice try, but it's common knowledge that the greatest effect of rooms on speakers is to add bass (albeit in uneven humps) and _not_ subtract it. So unless you measured this thing in a room full of specially designed bass traps, I'll just go on and assume any missing bass that can be seen in the response curve is due to the SB Roar being nowhere near worth its price, just like Logitech's UE speakers are not worth their price, just like Sony's SRS speakers, just like the Jawbone Jambox line (though maybe those prices are due to Jawbone getting drunk on their success as being some of the first on the market to squeeze decent performance out of such small boxes) and just like Bose speakers (with the possible exception of some of the larger Soundlinks).
 
It seems most people just go with what's popular and they just assume it's popular because it's the best - that's how brands like Beats and Apple got to the undeserved levels of popularity and profit that they have. Meanwhile, some of the technologically-best products in the Bluetooth speaker niche are things like the new-version Xiaomi Mi (for under $50) or the JBL Flip 3 (for under $100) or the Denon Envaya Mini (for about $150, and it beats pretty much everything up to $200-$250, even contenders double its size, since it's one of the very best Bluetooth speakers made to date in terms of price/fidelity) and so on through the price ranges with the Bang&Olufsen Beoplay A1, the Fugoo XL, the Harman Kardon Go+Play, the Vifa Helsinki, the Vifa Oslo etc.
 
P.S.: Your friend may have the older model of the Xiaomi, the one that's now being called the "original" on GearBest. I was talking about this one (response curve included): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6QjamlXSM
abm0
abm0
Also nice try explaining away a 500 Hz hump through room modes, when anyone who's dealt with room treatment can tell you room modes have no significant influence and aren't worth calculating above 200-300 Hz. With the given room dimensions you have the worst (axial) room modes around 34, 61 and 66 Hz, with second harmonics at 68, 122 and 132 Hz. So it's getting extra help from the room in producing mid/low bass and still it performs poorly in that area. Clearly behind the times piece of tech.
 
Re: Xiaomi:
I admit, I got carried away and I exaggerated a bit - the Xiaomi doesn't have better bass extension, it has about the same, when evaluated at +/- 6 dB relative to the average. But that's still in "ridiculous" territory given the price differential.
 
earfonia
earfonia
@abm0 Thanks for the explanation! Btw, do you value a speaker sound only by the bass response? And do you think FR graph represent most of the sound quality? I heard Denon Envaya Mini, yes it sounds really good, and I can tell you that Roar 2 at least matches it sound quality with better bass.
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