You will agree with us when we say that a portable bluetooth stereo speaker made by Insignia is top tier. Their product quality and hardware performance is highly consistent. Modern aesthetic designs, highly durable speakers and longer lasting casings are all specialties of Insignia.
Due to this reason, we decided to test and review a couple of Insignia portable bluetooth speakers. We tried to find out which speaker performs the best and lasts longer.
In this review, you can find the key strengths and weaknesses of an Insignia portable bluetooth stereo speaker and check if it holds up as a valuable product.
Insignia FBA Bluetooth Stereo
Styled with a modern finish, this speaker has a power house packed inside it. A highly durable outer casing with a high performing speaker inside makes this speaker an all rounder.
Alternate #1 – Insignia Portable Stereo Speaker Red
Compact in size, this speaker has an extremely powerful speaker inside it. Equipped with the latest bluetooth technology it can easily connect to other bluetooth devices.
Alternate #2 – Insignia Sonic Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Designed to be extremely portable, this speaker is high performing in sound output and compact in size. The modern design and finish around the edges makes this speaker very eye pleasing.
Quick Summary of the Main Product
The Insignia FDA is a highly acclaimed portable bluetooth stereo speaker. We are pleased how It is designed with a modern style and equipped with high performance speakers. We are impressed by the cylindrical design and how it makes the sound output of this bluetooth stereo speaker very even. The speakers are covered with high quality metal grills to protect it from dust and any external damage. Although the speaker has a fine black finish, it makes a great addition to any working or living space.
We must mention that this Insignia portable bluetooth stereo speaker is installed with a high capacity battery. The battery is designed to act as a dual purpose power source. It can power your bluetooth speakers and can also charge your smartphone. We should also point out that the battery is made from Lithium-ion design which allows it to last longer and give consistent battery timings.
This portable bluetooth stereo speaker has an IPX5 waterproof rating. We also found that it makes this speaker completely resistant against any type of liquid splash. It can also perform easily in slight rain. We are impressed the way its protective metal grill covering the speaker makes it dustproof and protects the internal hardware. Furthermore, the edges are made from rubber to resist any damage from fall or shock.
Features and Benefits
Sound Quality:
Sound quality is an important factor when it comes to a portable bluetooth stereo speaker. The speakers used inside it are made from high quality magnet and durable rubber material.
You can see that due to the high quality materials even on micro level impacts the overall sound quality. The built in mini woofers enables the speaker to produce good quality sound with organic sounding music effects.
You can immediately sense a difference in volume performance compared to other products. The music effects and their deepness remains similar on all volume levels. Effects like bass and treble don’t face out when the volume is too low or too high.
Design:
How a speaker is designed and the speaker placement inside it directly contributes to many things. It affects the audio output, the portability and the utility of the speaker in general.
You can see that the Insignia FBA is styled and designed by keeping everything in check. It has cylindrical design for your ease and convenience. It can easily fit in your hand and inside your backpack. The round edges allow it to be used vertically or horizontally.
The circular placement of speakers inside it projects sound in all directions. You can sit in any direction of this speaker and still get the best quality. This allows you to place this speaker anywhere in your room and get a streamlined output.
Connectivity:
Now what makes a portable bluetooth stereo good is how much utility it provides for you. One thing that greatly contributes to is the bluetooth connectivity and other input options. It allows you and your speaker to be versatile in use.
This speaker gives you the latest bluetooth technology along with two more input options. It has an AUX cable for your wired experience and a charging port for your smartphone. The latest bluetooth version allows you to connect your devices like smartphone and laptops easily.
Having good bluetooth hardware makes your listening experience better by a lot. You get a stable and strong bluetooth connection from it. This also makes sure that your new devices don’t have any trouble connecting with your speaker.
Battery Life:
A portable bluetooth stereo speaker is designed and meant to be used for music experience on the go. A durable and longer lasting battery can easily increase your outdoor experience with a speaker.
The FBA is equipped with a high capacity battery for your convenience. It acts as a dual channel power bank. It powers your bluetooth speakers and it can also charge your smartphone simultaneously.
This reduces your worry of running out of battery while you are outside. It can easily give you a music playback time of upto 10 hours while fully charged. You can virtually take it anywhere without having to worry of charging it over and over again.
Water Resistance:
A portable bluetooth stereo speaker is designed to be used in an outdoor environment. A water resistant rating on your speaker takes off one less thing to worry about.
This Insignia portable bluetooth stereo speaker has an IPX5 water resistant rating. It means that this speaker is completely waterproof to splashes. You can use it on your outdoor adventures without worrying that it might get damaged due to any spill.
The waterproofing makes this device highly convenient for your indoor and outdoor use. You can take it on a beach or just your casual picnic without any worry.
Build Quality:
How a speaker is made and what materials are used greatly contribute the durability of a bluetooth speaker. This device is made from highly durable plastic materials. They are used for both the internal and external parts of the speaker.
The strong and tough materials allows your speaker to be resistant to any fall or shock damage. You can drop it by accident or it can collide with something. The PVC material protects your speakers from such circumstances.
You can easily use this speaker for a long period of time without any loss in overall performance. The rubber edges improve the stability. You can place it vertically and it won’t fall easily due to vibrations from the speakers.
Pros and Cons
- This device is designed in a cylindrical shape. It is easy to carry around and can be used vertically or horizontally.
- Multiple input options allow you to either use it in a wired or wireless manner. It can play music via bluetooth and AUX cable.
- It has a control panel on the top side for easy music control. It can be used to change tracks and control volume levels.
- The built-in microphone provides users with hands free phone call experience. It has noise cancellation technology which reduces a lot of background noise.
- The big battery installed inside it makes this speaker rather big in size. It can fit inside a backpack but takes a lot of space.
- Due to the large speakers inside, this speaker is rather heavy in weight. This can impact the ability to carry other stuff.
Social Proof
Our experience with the Insignia FBA has been very pleasant and quite fulfilling. To get a better understanding regarding the performance of this device, we decided to explore through many online reviews. We found that the majority of the reviews from customers were positive. Only ten percent of the reviews were critical of the device’s portability.
A lot of the reviews praised this bluetooth speaker for its material quality and durability. Many of the reviews were from people who have used this product for a long time. They updated their reviews on a regular basis stating that the product has maintained its sound quality and battery life.
Some of the customers that were new to this product praised it for its waterproof rating. They stated that the waterproofing allowed them to carry this speaker everywhere with them. Some said that the speaker didn’t show any drop in performance even after being exposed to spills and splashes.
More Recommendations!
#1: Best Lightweight Alternative to Insignia FBA Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speaker - Insignia RED Review
Designed to be a personal bluetooth speaker, this speaker is extremely light in weight. To compliment this feature, it has a curved edged design for a stylish look.
After using it with multiple devices, we found that it can easily connect with bluetooth devices like phones, laptops and tablets. The bluetooth version proved to be up to mark in its performance.
The rubber body of this speaker makes it very durable. Even after drop testing, this speaker didn’t show us any sign of internal or external damage.
The control buttons on the top side allowed us to change music and volume with ease. Furthermore, the speaker has a built-in microphone which enables the user with handsfree calling.
Features of RED Portable Stereo:
- Light in weight
- Highly portable
- Control buttons
- Modern design
- Rubber body
- Durable body
- Great sound quality
- Built-in microphone
- Grill covered speakers
- Compact
- Low battery life
- Low quality plastic material
Best Lightweight Alternative Speaker
The Best Lightweight Alternative Speaker is the Insignia RED Portable Stereo Speaker. It is designed to be very lightweight and easy to carry. It has high quality speakers inside for organic sounding music. It is equipped with a microphone for handsfree calling experience.
#2: Best Size Alternative to Insignia FBA Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speaker - Insignia Sonic Review
This speaker is designed to be compact in size and design. Hence, the curved pill like shape allows it to fit almost anywhere without any trouble.
After using and testing its battery life multiple times, this speaker didn’t show us any drop in the battery timings. This proved that the battery inside it is durable and longer lasting.
The water resistant IPX4 rating of this product allowed us to use it anywhere. After being exposed to spills and splashes, this device didn’t show us any sign of damage.
We found that the external body of this speaker is highly resistant and durable. It can survive minor fall damage and scratches all around the body.
Features of Sonic:
- Small size
- Lightweight
- Multiple input options
- High quality speakers
- Highly water resistant
- Easy to carry
- Modern design
- High quality exterior finish
- Consistent battery life
- AUX port
- Not entirely dust proof
- Distorted sound on high volumes
Best Size Alternative Speaker
The Best Size Alternative Speaker is the Insignia Sonic because it is compact and modern in design. It is equipped with multiple input options which makes it highly versatile in use. It also has a fine black finish which allows it to fit in your living space quite easily.
Guide to Buy
Build Quality:
A portable bluetooth product is meant to be used in outdoor settings such as a beach, a hiking trip or just a casual picnic. A high quality build speaker is made from high durable and resistant materials. It allows you to use it without damaging from any sort of impact, fall or shock. It is good to buy a speaker with high quality PVC material for increased strength and durability.
Price:
Price is a major major factor when buying a bluetooth product. A high priced speaker often charges more for the aesthetics with the same hardware as a fair priced speaker. It is recommended to buy a speaker that has good hardware installed inside it. You will compromise with design but it will still provide you with high quality music effects.
Battery life:
A bluetooth product that is easy to charge and can sustain a long time off a full charge determines its quality. Normally a speaker takes 2-3 hours to get to full charge. It can last upto 6-8 hours off that full charge. It is recommended to buy a speaker that has good and consistent battery timings. It increases the overall life of your speakers and allows you to carry it anywhere.
