Antec Mobile Products SPzero Bluetooth Speaker Review
A Closer Look at the AMP SPzero Bluetooth Speaker
Our SPzero didn’t come with a box or instructions when we received it from Antec, so we have to skip the details on the packaging and also had to figure out how to use this on our own. Let’s first take a quick tour around the speaker and see what it has to offer.
Let’s start off with the look and feel of the SPzero: It is fantastic! The outside surface, with exception to the grille portion on the front and back, is a smooth silicone finish that feels very nice and looks great. It should help avoid scratches and be fairly durable while also providing a little slip resistance when sitting on various surfaces. However in your hand it sure does feel nice, but the silicone finish does cause it to be a little slippery. The metal bars on the top are solid and seem to be build with quality in mind. Overall the look may be a little goofy for some, but I feel that it actually looks slick.
Looking at the front of the speaker, you will notice its obvious cowbell shape with white (metal) bars on the top. This particular speaker is a blue and white combo, but there are six other combinations that AMP created for this speaker. On the face is a nicely designed grille pattern made from plastic. At the very top center is a hole that is actually the LED. This LED will blink white when it is powered on and red when it is low on juice.
The right side features the auxiliary and charging ports. The charging port is a standard Micro USB port, so finding a charger should be easy, should you forget to grab the included cable. Aux In and Aux Out are the other ports, with the Aux In port being the obvious input for your device, should you choose to not use Bluetooth. Is the Aux Out port confusing you? Well, that is actually to allow you to daisy chain the SPzero with another SPzero. So that means the Aux In port will also serve as the connecting port between the speakers. Antec tells us that you can go wild and connect as many SPzeros as you wish, so go nuts if you have the budget!
The rear of the speaker is another plastic speaker grille, but there is nothing additional on this side.
The left side of the speaker also doesn’t show you much other than a nice looking SPzero logo.
Jumping up top we see the obvious white metal bars again. The purpose behind these, from what I understand, is your option to hook up the button strap with the hook on it, so you can attach or hang the speaker from other objects. Up here you will find 3 buttons, which serve as volume down, power on/off, answer calls, pairing, and volume up. These buttons are completely covered by the silicone and have a nice firm actuation, so you know that you’re pressing them. Also note the small hole between the minus (volume down) button and the power button. This is the microphone location, should you decide to use this as a speakerphone when paired with your mobile phone.
Finally, on the bottom is basically the certifications (like FCC, Bluetooth, etc.) and the A.M.P logo.
The accessories that AMP includes with the SPzero include a no tangle USB to Micro USB cable (for charging) and a no tangle 3.5mm cord for connecting your device directly to the speaker or to another SPzero. Also included is a strap with a hook to connect to one of the metal bars. This strap features two snap buttons to hold it in place. For me, I’d be a little wary of the buttons coming undone since they don’t feel extremely tight.
When you hook up the strap, this is effectively what it’ll look like.
Let’s move on and check out how the SPzero operates and how easy it is to learn, as we received no instructions.