Seven Portable Bluetooth Speaker Systems, Tested And Reviewed

Luxa2 Groovy

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Luxa2 is Thermaltake's high-end consumer technology brand. While it's relatively young, Luxa2 is already known for its liberal use of aluminum and leather, two materials that are prominently featured on the Groovy Bluetooth-equipped speaker. Despite the intended luxury target market, an $83 price tag on Amazon.com is the second least-expensive in our round-up.

Bundle And First Impression

The Groovy comes with all of the accessories you need, such as a USB-to-micro-USB charging cable, a 3.5 mm male-to-male analog input cable, a leather carrying case (not shown), and a manual. Again, we're disappointed that an AC charger isn't included.

Luxa2 encases its speaker in a solid aluminum frame that wraps from the top to bottom around the back. You're able to choose between brown and black leather straps; both are bundled. Thanks to high-quality materials, this is a sturdy-feeling product that gives us the impression it'll last a while.

A gray cloth material surrounds the metal grille protecting the speakers. We couldn't get the the drivers' specifications, which typically isn't a good sign, but based on the unit's size, we guess they're in the 1.75" range. At 3" x 7.3" x 2.1" and 1.2 lbs (556 g), the Groovy is a bit heavier than Arctic's S113BT (though still small enough to carry around easily).

Connectivity And Controls

The Groovy is set up to communication over a Bluetooth 2.1-based connection, capable of up to 3 Mb/s, or a 3.5 mm audio jack. NFC isn't supported, and despite the addition of secure simple pairing to Bluetooth 2.1, we found that it took longer to establish a relationship with the Groovy compared to other speakers in our round-up.

All of the controls and inputs are along the top of the speaker. There are four buttons: power, lower volume, pause/play/answer phone, and raise volume. Unfortunately, there's no provision for skipping or repeating tracks. The auxiliary input, micro-USB charging port, and microphone port are also up there.

Subjective Sound Analysis

The Groovy's bass is naturally limited by its tiny drivers, just like the rest of the ultra-portable contenders. But relative to its competition with speakers smaller than 2", Luxa2 stands out with richer and deeper sound than Arctic's S113BT and Edifier's Extreme Connect.

On the other hand, the Groovy's built-in microphone is a mixed bag. It delivers the round-up's clearest sound, but sacrifices maximum volume. You have to get closer and speak louder with the Groovy's hands-free mode enabled. We'll give you a recorded example of this in our benchmarks toward the end of the story.

Livability And Subjective Conclusion

Luxa2's Groovy is built using the highest-quality materials and offers the best sound compared to the other ultra-portables we're reviewing. Despite minor shortcomings, such as a conspicuous lack of previous/next track controls and an overly quiet microphone, more important variable like solid audio performance earn our respect.