What Hi-Fi? Verdict
A neat design, but no serious threat to the top performers out there, especially at this price
Pros
- +
Stand-out looks
- +
Charges handheld devices via USB
- +
Decent sense of scale
Cons
- -
Zingy treble
- -
Lack of refinement across the board
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If Darth Vader was offering Imperial Stormtroopers a little bonus for offing Rebel fighters, the Gear4 Xorb Bluetooth speaker would surely be near the top of his wish list. Beneath the Xorb’s eye-catching hemisphere form factor and ripple-effect grille are three drive units, including a subwoofer, and a total of 30W of amplification.
Gear4 Xorb review: connectivity
A cluster of activity on the back of the Xorb includes a volume dial and tone control, the latter doubling as a means of connecting your Bluetooth-enabled device (press and hold it to start the pairing process). There’s also a 3.5mm jack for hooking up other external kit and a USB socket for charging your smartphone or tablet.
Gear4 Xorb review: performance
The Xorb delivers music on a decent scale. There’s a fine sense of openness and clarity from the speaker and nothing bordering on the ‘boxy’ sound you sometimes get with such devices.
Tunes sound exciting and zesty, although highs do have a tendency to fizz too enthusiastically – there’s a real lack of refinement in this area and rocky tracks such as Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir more often than not crash and splash their way to a conclusion.
Gear4 Xorb review: verdict
You’ll get far more bang for your buck elsewhere – such as with the JBL Flip or Sony SRS-BTM8.
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