Lenco Speakerball review

Lenco's Speakerball is a quirky football-sized dock that could be fine for a kitchen Tested at £100

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Fine if you’re looking for an objet over sound quality, but there’s better for the cash

Pros

  • +

    Quirky design

  • +

    charges your iThing

  • +

    you can control iTunes from the remote

Cons

  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    sound is too cluttered

  • -

    doesn’t go very loud

  • -

    flimsy remote control

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

We’re used to seeing iPods sprouting from rectangles and ovals, but plonking our player on top of a sphere is a novel one.

The Lenco Speakerball is a kid’s football-sized affair with the dock on top, a mini USB socket for connecting to a PC and using iTunes, an AC adaptor jack (no battery) and a 3.5mm output. The remote control is a standard plastic job.

Would be fine as a kitchen option
So far so good. And the sound? That’s where things fall apart a bit. It isn’t offensive – there’s just nothing special about it.

Involved instrumentation, such as that heard on Aerosmith’s Eat The Rich
sounded a little cluttered, especially when we pushed the volume, while El
Ten Eleven’s simpler Marriage Is The New Going Steady fared better, with better separation between parts.

We opted for a flat EQ (the controls seem to do more harm than good), which improved things – but unless your iPod contains 14,000 repeats of Fast Car by Tracey Chapman, the Speakerball is just that little bit cluttered for serious listening.

For an easy listen in the kitchen, though, this would be a passable choice.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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