REVIEW – Each day, my life always seems to be very hectic, and I have to be very proactive and create a moment to rest and relax and to unwind. Music is “the medicine for my soul” and if I cannot use earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker is often the perfect alternative. Each night, I like to fall asleep to my favorite music on Pandora, but I find it very uncomfortable to sleep with headphones or earbuds. A Bluetooth speaker on the nightstand is my solution.
What is it?
The Douni A5 Bluetooth speaker is a 25-watt Bluetooth speaker that also supports hands-free 2-way phone conversations including the ability to answer and hang up. It also supports its use as a wired speaker via its auxiliary port.
What’s in the box?
1 x Douni A5 Bluetooth Speaker
1 x AC Power Adapter
1 x Audio cable
1 x User Manual
Design and features
This Douni A5 speaker has a nice rich and clear sound with nice rounded bass. The well-rounded sound is produced via two 12.5 Watt speakers and sounds much like surround sound style speakers and without any distortion. The built-in 6600mAh battery not only makes it portable but allows it to play music for up to 12 hours depending on the level of the volume. It has a good wireless range of up to 66 feet and pairing is simple and automatic, including the initial pairing process. If you have a NFC compatible device, you can tap the check-in area at the top right of the controls to connect your phone, after you have performed the initial pairing function. The built-in microphone produces clear calls for both parties on the phone, and as a bonus, Siri is supported for iPhone users. If you are using the speaker at night and in the dark like I do, there is a thermal sensor across the top of the speaker that activates the buttons backlights when it detects the heat from your hands. Douni stands behind this product by including a one year warranty.
Layout
On the side of the speaker where the ports are located, from left to right there is an Aux-in port, and Aux out port, the DC in port, the USB jack for charging from the power bank, and the reset button.
On the top of the speaker from left to right are the following buttons: power, Bluetooth, call answer/hangup, track backward, play and pause, track forward, volume decrease, volume increase.
When the speaker is powered on there are indicator lights on the top left that show power, charge level, and Bluetooth on/off. The Aux LED only lights when a device is plugged into the auxiliary port. In the top right corner, there is the NFC icon that indicates the NFC area to tap for connecting NFC enables phones/devices.
At the bottom of the speaker, there are 2 holes and 2 contacts that are used for mounting to the optional wireless charging base and connecting to it.
Performance
As soon as I took this Bluetooth speaker out of the box, I had a good feeling about it. It has a hefty and sturdy feel to it and overall it just feels like quality. I plugged it in to charge with the AC adapter, and when I returned in a couple of hours I pressed the power button and it turned on and all of the buttons lit up. The green power LED, and the 3 orange charge level indicated that it ready to go. I pressed the Bluetooth button and it lit up blue and when I checked my Bluetooth settings on my phone, the A5 was available and ready for pairing. It connected with ease, and the speaker confirmed the connection status with a voice command. I then navigated on my phone to the Pandora app and hit play. I am truly impressed with the sound of this speaker, and even more so at night when there is little or no ambient sound and I get to really appreciate the quality of the sound that this speaker provides. I also tested the phone function for answering, hanging up and conversing, and all worked well. I use the Douni A5 every night when I go to bed, and I just simply plug my iPhone USB charging cable into the USB jack on the speaker and when I get up in the morning, I have a fully charged phone. The Aux in feature works well for non-Bluetooth audio devices. I have not yet found any use for the Aux out feature.
What I like
- The build quality
- The auxiliary jack option
- The USB charging option
- The really nice sound
- The built-in long-lasting battery
What can be improved
- The wireless charging dock should be included
- Built-in QI wireless charging would make this speaker perfect
Final thoughts
The Douni A5 Bluetooth speaker is one of the best of its kind that I have tested. It is really well built and has a feel of quality. The sound quality is great and it is loud enough for use indoors in any room. Being able to move around the room and have a clear phone conversation is a plus and the ability to have your phone being charged via the speaker while doing so, is very convenient. While I continue to stress that sound and convenience are all individually subjective dynamics, I do believe that most will like this speaker. I give it a big thumbs up!!
Price: $64.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was supplied by Douni.
