Using your smartphone or tablet isn't always the best of ways for listening to audio, whether that be music, a movie or some other media. A dedicated speaker setup is almost the way to go for nearly perfect crisp and rich audio. That can be an extremely pricey project, but thankfully, there are other ways of upgrading your audio game. On a tighter budget, 808 Audio's new Canz XL wireless speaker is perfect for just that situation.
The Canz XL speaker is, as the name implies, in the shape of a can. Some might be turned off by this design, but it's a nice change for the standard square or rectangle body we almost always see in wireless speakers. The Canz XL is a refreshing move away from that traditional design.
Sitting on top of the speaker are four buttons: a power button, a button to switch the bass boost as well as the regular equalization, and then you have your standard volume down and volume up buttons. Pairing the speaker and a Bluetooth device is as simple as tapping the power button. There's a blue light that should be blinking rapidly indicating that it's ready to pair. If it isn't, it's as simple as tapping the power button twice to send off a new audio signal.
Around the back of the Canz XL is a plastic button you can push in to release the hidden handle for the speaker. This makes for easy carrying.
No worries if you don't have any wireless/Bluetooth capabilities, as the Canz XL has an auxiliary-in port for use of a cable. Right below that is a DC-in port for charging.
If you're looking for something that packs a punch, the Canz XL's 360-degree sound is crisp. Listening to a number of orchestral Christmas tunes, the Canz XL performs very well. It's not the best that it could be and there are some questionable areas during listening, but this was without changing any bass or equalizer settings by pressing that magic button.
By pressing the button that changes the bass and regular equalization, the quality of sounds is upgraded by an astronomical amount. All of the sudden, bass sounds deeper and just right with almost any song. I did switch it up and listen to something more drum-intensive. I was surprised at how well Jason Aldean's “Lights Come On” sounded on this speaker. You get rich, crisp sound with a deep bass. Even a slower song, “Dirt Road Anthem” by the same artist, sounded excellent.
Switching genre's up completely, Fifth Harmony's hit songs “Worth It” and “Work From Home” played with flawless sound quality. Sitting at just $100, it's significantly cheaper than the Beats Pill+ wireless speaker as well as many other so-called professional grade options out there. Sound is great, and while it does get close to pricier options, it does fall short in a few areas.
Unfortunately, tracks do seem to get distorted at higher audio levels. It's certainly not a great speaker for parties or outdoor listening in this sense. It performs its best at a normal sound level. There's also no track navigation, so you really do have to use your smartphone for many controls. At $100, I would've expected to see track navigation so that the speaker can operate independently of a smartphone or tablet sans the Bluetooth connection.
I was disappointed to discover that this speaker was mono audio. I'd much have rather seen two small drivers to produce stereo sound, but instead we have just a single, large, upward-firing 3.5-inch driver.
It's also not very portable. Coming in at 5-inches wide, 7.48-inches tall and 5-inches deep, it's not the most portable speaker you'll see at this price range. You'll definitely end up carrying it most of the time, as you certainly won't be fitting it into any luggage without it taking up a significant amount of space.
To sum it up, the Canz XL plays music and audio wonderfully. While quality is reduced at higher volumes levels, it's still an optimal speaker for everyday listening, especially at it's cheap price. Bass is deep, sound is rich and crisp.
Aside from some of the distortion, it's an overall wonderful experience with just a few pitfalls.
Buy it now: 808 Audio
