Summer is here, and that means when the rain stops it’s time for barbecues in the garden, picnics in the park and impromptu seaside trips. But as with all life’s fun moments it needs a soundtrack to accompany it, and the soundtrack to these memories needs a speaker as adventurous and carefree as your summer plans. Nobody wants to be carrying around big heavy speakers or relying on tinny phone speakers so welcome to the Edifier ES20 Portable Bluetooth Speaker: a pocket-sized powerhouse designed to keep your favourite tunes flowing all season long, come rain or shine – it’s your ultimate summer-ready portable sound companion.
From the moment you unbox it, this small portable speaker impresses with its sleek retro design and old-school amp grill, wrapped in matte rubber finish which provides a reassuring grip it has a handy strap for easy holding. It measures approximately 9x9x5cm, making it easy to slip into backpack and has a good weight to it (326g) and doesn’t feel like cheap plastic.
This compact little speaker, with its Φ43mm full-range driver with neodymium magnets and Φ55mm passive bass radiator has 6W RMS total output power, is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance – perfect for outdoor use, has a high-capacity battery offering up to 15 hours of continuous playback, makes use of Bluetooth V5.4 with support for stereo pairing and multi-point connection and features a built-in high-sensitivity microphone so that when paired with your phone you can take clear calls.
Oh, and when it is switched on it features a built-in ambient LED backlight that bathes its surroundings in a gentle glow of alternating colours. Whether you’re winding down after a hot day or setting the mood for an evening gathering, this ambient lighting feature instantly elevates the vibe without ever feeling overdone.
Overall, I think that the Edifier ES20 Bluetooth Speaker is an excellent compact speaker to have in your bag for trips out but is just as good sitting on your desk. It small but powerful and extremely travel friendly – perfect for park and beach visits, especially as it is has protection against dust and water (it is IP67 rated).
Using Bluetooth v5.4 it has easy connectivity to smartphones, tablets, laptops and with multi-point connection you can stay connected to two devices (great for people like me that use it with different devices – phone and laptop). It even supports stereo pairing so that you can pair two of the speakers together for even more awesome sound.
Once paired to a device, such as a smartphone, it is very easy to use. It features four buttons on the side which allow you to power on/off, change volume up/down, change tracks and cycle through the LED light options. Download the EDIFIER ConneX mobile app and you have even more customisable options in that you can changes modes for music, games, movies and outdoor mode, you have more control over lighting effects (even making use of a red emergency light or preset configurations such as breathing, rainbow, static or glittering and colourful) and adjusting brightness levels, adjust gain levels and even see battery level.
But the most important thing about any speaker is how does it sound. Well, despite its compact size, the ES20 packs a powerful punch and sounds great while doing it – there is certainly no tinny sound that you might expect from a small speaker. It has clear mids, crisp highs and punchy lows. Vocals and acoustic instruments emerge with natural warmth, while pop, hip-hop and electronic tracks retain satisfying low-end impact, making every song feel festival-ready – even at the surprisingly loud volume levels it can reach. And when paired with another ES20, the sound is even better!
As it is a portable speaker it relies on battery power. And there are no worries there – it provides up to 15 hours of continuous playback (this is dependent on user settings – 15 hours use is with SBC decoding, 50% volume, and ambient light off). It is enough to get you through the day and then it is so easy to charge – just plug in a USB-C cable and plug in to a USB outlet for easy charging (or plug in to your laptop). Battery level can be viewed in the app (for accurate level) or as a visual representation using four small LED lights on the side of the speaker.
And with its built-in high-sensitivity MEMS microphone, when paired with your phone you can even make crystal clear hands free calls as it is enhanced with intelligent noise cancellation.
The Edifier ES20 compact Bluetooth speaker is an excellent travel companion. It is compact and lightweight enough to take everywhere with you but doesn’t compromise on audio quality. It sounds great, at low and high volumes, and the lighting effects give it that extra special feel. Available in black or white for under £50, it is perfect for your portable audio needs.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £49.99
For more information, visit www.edifier.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
