BenQ treVolo S Electrostatic Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

Everyone now is making Bluetooth speakers with a bunch of gimmicky features that you will never use.  Stripping needless features, BenQ has provided me with their treVolo S Electrostatic Portal Bluetooth Speaker that looks to have all you need, but does it?  Let’s go check out its specifications and features and then we will get into the speaker itself.

Specifications and Features

• Frequency Response‎: 60 Hz – 20 kHz‎
• Bluetooth 4.2‎
• NFC‎
• Input Types‎
  • 3.5 mm stereo input; USB audio‎ (DAC)
• Duo Mode‎
  • Stereo or Party mode
• Sound Mode
  • Pure or 3D
• Playing Time: Up to 18 hours
• Physical Buttons
  • Power Key, BT Pairing Key, Volume Key (+-), 3D Mode Key, Play / Pause‎
• LED Indicator‎
  • Power key, Red LED x1, Green LED x1, BT Pairing Key, Blue LED x1‎
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery‎
• Rear IO Port‎
  • Micro USB x1 ; Line-in x1‎
• Input Power Rating‎
  • DC 5V 2A‎
• Dimensions‎
  • 63.2×157.5×96.3 mm (Closed)‎
• Material:
  • Main Body
    • Iron
  • Front and Top Panel
    • PVC Plastic
  • Speaker Grill
    • Iron ‎
  • Weight
    • 1kg/2.20 pounds

The treVolo S comes packed with a nice array of features, and some I know don’t make any sense, but I will go through them, so bear with me.  Let’s check out an unboxing to see everything that comes with it.

Not a lot is included but the basics.

First off, it comes with a AC adapter.

A close up, so that you can see all of the certifications, input and output ratings.

The adapter comes out to a micro USB connection that plugs into the back of the treVolo S.

The adapter I showed previously did look a little odd but it’s only because the outlet portion is not attached, it actually slides into the adapter.

Pop in the adapter here, and slide it in place.

Pretty nice, if the prong breaks, you don’t need to buy a new adpter, just buy the prong insert alone.

Along with the adapter is a Quick Guide.  The guide goes over what’s included in the package, specifications, how to connect and some recommendations, in a few different languages.

With the Quick Guide, also included is a Warranty sheet to help you if you run into issues.

A handy little inclusion into the package is this treVolo pouch to help you keep this speaker portable and still looking nice when you have reached your destination and settled in.

Last but certainly not least, the trevelo S itself in all its glory.

In this next chapter, we will dig a little deeper to see what this speaker is all about.  Trust me, looks can be deceiving.

Continue: A close look at the treVolo S

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A close look at the treVolo S

I realize this little system might look underwhelming here but I took the picture at this angle to surprise you a bit.

Those speakers actually fold back looking somewhat like most bluetooth speakers today.  These are the 12-Watt dual woofers that help with the bass, and hidden behind them secured into the system the dual amplifiers.  This front panel is made out of PVC plastic painted white while the grille is made out of iron that is painted.

While the audio will play with the speakers folded, you might be underwhelmed with its performance.  It’s best to play audio with the speakers folded out as it allows for a more spacious sound.

On the back, with the speakers flipped out, we can see the openings on the side for the amplifier, there would be the same on the other side as well.  The 5 rubber circles help to avoid slamming the sides when closing up the speakers.  The sides as well as the back are made out of iron painted white.  It feels nice and cold to the touch.

On the back, we have the microUSB connection which can be used to charge the treVolo S, which takes about 3 hours to fully charge, then we also have the 3.5mm connection.  The 3.5mm jack sadly is only for analog audio that provides audio with less kick, but the microUSB connection can be connected for example to replace the dull speakers on a laptop for these for games, music and just about anything.  The microUSB connection sounds just as good as the Bluetooth connection.

Along the top of the speaker, we find 6 buttons, 2 LED lights and the NFC logo.  The buttons here from top to the bottom are buttons for Power, Bluetooth Pairing, Volume Up, Volume Down, Mode and Play/Pause.

When the system has been powered up by holding the power button for about 5 seconds, the LED indicator will turn on and illuminate green.  Powering on the treVolo S, the LED indicator for Bluetooth for illuminate blue.  If the Bluetooth button is held for 5 seconds, it will begin searching for available Bluetooth devices and blink on and off till it has been paired for about 30 seconds.  If no device is found to be paired, it will play an audible bleep and stay lit with a solid blue light.

Volume up and down are pretty standard, plus – to lower the volume and + to raise the volume.  When raising or lowering the volume when paired to my Google Pixel XL, I can see the volume slider on my phone raising and/or lowering as well.  When the volume is raised to the max, you will hear that same bleep letting you know it is maxed out.

A recommendation by BenQ that I not raise the volume to 100% as it could distort the audio.  Raising the volume to 100%, like with any other speaker causes a bit of listening fatigue distorting the audio making your listening experience a little less enjoyable, though I did not notice it in my testing.

Electrostatic speakers provide a less than 1% distortion rate while more traditional speaker will have a distortion rate of 10%.  Being that most of us have traditional speakers, it is surely something you can test yourself at home.

Mode, allows you to change between PURE and 3D Sound modes.  Pure mode sounds best, but the sound levels are very low, it is made for a quiet environment.  PURE sounds best on Bluetooth and connect to USB (as it utilizes DAC) 3D might be better for louder environments.  I prefer the 3D mode, as it fills the room a little more.

Play and Pause as expected will Play or Pause the music playing if the application being used supports the Play and or Pause functions.

While it is not a new feature, NFC is a welcomed feature here.  NFC is not Bluetooth, but Bluetooth must be enabled for NFC to work correctly since NFC utilizes Bluetooth.   Worry not, if your Bluetooth is disabled on your smartphone or tablet, it will inform you to enable Bluetooth.  Another nice feature of NFC is that if the speakers are turned off, if an NFC enabled device is passed over the NFC logo, the unit will turn on, making it a little more hands free.

To use it, pass an NFC enabled device (that has NFC and Bluetooth turned on) over the NFC logo and your devices will pair.  You may have to hit OK to allow the devices to pair the first time, but after that it will be automatic.

Just an example of how it looks like on Android once paired through Bluetooth and/or NFC.  BenQ also includes an application on the Google Play Store and the App Store named “BenQ Audio”.

This is the icon on the Android desktop after you have downloaded and installed it.

It is a very basic application, that for now has only 2 functions, Enable/Disable 3D Sound and allows you to also setup and configure Duo Mode.  Duo Mode is a feature that allows you to loop together two treVolo S speakers allowing for an even more immersive and rich stereo sound experience.  The audio through your phone or tablet can be played through your favorite music app and not through the BenQ Audio application, making it a bit more useless and only relevant for Duo mode.

Sadly, I can only tell you about it and show you how the pairing of those 2 devices from the BenQ Audio program looks like as I only had a single treVolo S to test with, but I can only assume it sounded good.

We have discussed pairing and connecting the device, but I think it might be best to actually show you how all of this works and just give you a sample of how it sounds.

In the video, I walked you through pairing the treVolo S through Bluetooth, NFC, 3.5mm and microUSB.  While the best audio experience is through Bluetooth/NFC and USB through its DAC technology translating digital audio to analog audio the best sounding the video was actually through 3.5mm.

I have to apologize, I had previously recorded and published a video showing the audio being played through all 3 methods but it actually got taken down being that I used other artists music.  I was showing who the artists were and the song titles not only in the video, but in the description as well, but it was not enough.  The video showed how the audio carried clear across a room (over 20 feet) and still sounded great.

I also had various types of music ranging from Andrea Bocelli to ZZ-Top including Blues, Rap, Classical, Metal, Rock and more in between, and yes there was a mandatory Metallica there.  This system played the lows, highs and even the bass incredibly well through Bluetooth and microUSB, but fell very flat on 3.5mm.  While the audio sounded fine on 3.5mm, it was very low compared to the previously mentioned technologies, but sometimes all you have is 3.5mm and well, it does work too.

I also mentioned in the video playing the treVolo S in the shower and it carried audio very well, clearly over the sound the shower makes but do this with caution.  All Hi-Fi/Hi-End stereo sound system, including speakers, amplifiers and the likes need to be kept away from humid environment, so make sure the bathroom is very well ventilated, I kept my door open and near the door.  There are audio devices that are waterproof, but those are not classified as Hi-Fi systems being that they are sealed systems.

The treVelo S’ speakers are coated to help protect against moisture, but it will not 100% prevent it.

This treVolo S is beautiful, and while it can be a conversation piece on its own it is best suited in a corner.  I say this because in a corner, at about ear level is where the best audio can be heard.  The audio not only travels directly towards your ears, but being that it is in a corner, it allows for the sound to bounce off of the walls amplifying its beautiful sound helping it to fill even more of a room.

The last points are the branding, while not garish, BenQ makes sure to let you know who makes this speaker.  The logo comes silk screened along the upper portion of the back of the speaker.

As to not hide itself on the rear, the treVolo branding is silk screened on the lower portion of face of the unit.  The branding I would say is also elegant.

With all this said, let’s go ahead and jump into my Final Thoughts & Conclusion to find out if these are actually worth it.

Continue: Final Thoughts & Conclusion

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Final Thoughts & Conclusion

BenQ took an interesting approach with the treVolo S that actually sets it apart from its big brother the treVolo that in my opinion make the treVolo S a better buy.  BenQ in making the treVolo S, BenQ decided to add NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 (instead of the original treVolo’s 4.1 Support) Duo Mode, longer battery life but then removed aptX Support and the Microphone.

aptX requires a certification for the logo and use which would mean you would have to pay more for the rights and the microphone allows you to utilize your smartphone to speak through and answer from the treVolo instead of your phone.  The microphone to me is a gimmicky feature because usually the speaker system is further away than your phone, so you would have to shout across the room, a useless feature maybe only used once or twice to show off the feature and then forgotten.  The truly useful part though is that can be used for recording, but most of us would also only use that feature once or twice.

The treVolo S provides amazing audio for lossless formats, but without the aptX feature it does not help lossy lower quality audio files.

Let’s go over some of the Pro’s and Con’s of the treVolo S.

Pros

• Great set of features, NFC, 3.5mm, Bluetooth, 3D Sound, USB DAC
• Sexy and unique Design
• Decent cost comparatively
• Excellent audio experience
• Great to have in an office or even nearby outdoors
• Excellent replacement for laptop speakers
• Compact
• Great battery life
• Bass is nice, but not over the top

Cons

• Lacking FM Radio
• Lossy audio outdoors
• No Microphone
• No Powerbank
• No SD Card slot

FM Radio would really come in handy for emergencies like a hurricane, power outage and things of the sort.   With that, FM audio can’t really be considered Hi-Fi, but still it is an audio source.  Even though a particular speaker would have FM Radio, how many times would you actually listen to it and adding an FM feature would surely drive the cost a bit more.

The treVolo S sounds amazing but provides the best experience when the sounds can be bounced off of walls.  I bring that up because outdoors the sound does not carry as well with nothing to bounce off of, akin to connecting playing off of a 3.5mm connection.  Bouncing the sound is not required for good audio, but with all sound systems it does help it travel and amplify the audio providing more of a surround sound experience.

As for the cost, its not the cheapest solution, not by far but quality is a must for things you want to hold on to.  This has very nice sound and beautiful looks as well as great features but comparing prices I noticed that many of the higher cost speakers and most of the lower cost speakers are made by companies that are not reputable and are amazingly hideous.  If I am paying this much money for speakers, I want them to come from a company I have at least heard of and not only sound great, but look nice too.  I can see these speakers in a kid’s room to a doctor’s office, so they are elegant and practical.

A Powerbank is a handy feature but there is a trade-off.  You can have a long battery life and a battery bank, but when you tap into that bank, you will drain the speakers battery and most battery banks in Bluetooth speakers are actually the capacity if not less than the capacity of newer cell phones.

Lastly, it does not include an SD Card slot.  This one I have mixed feelings about and find it mostly useless but of course, there are uses.  I find it useless because mostly it would be used in doors where you can access to Wi-Fi to allow you to stream your music through your phone through Bluetooth or if you have an unlimited data plan for your cell phone you can stream all the music you want and many times find new music you might like.  This would also be the cause playing outdoors, if you have unlimited data.  Using an SD card, you are limited to not only the capacity but by your selection of audio, you are confined to those songs alone when you can also have if you wanted those same songs stored on your phone, but we all have our favorites we can listen to when we want.

Another note regarding SD cards, speakers that utilize SD cards usually use low-end audio chipsets.  Low-end chipset’s cannot decode lossless audio unless they are paired with another DSP to utilize these additional functions so it really becomes a quantity over quality kind of thing.  Adding another acronym into the mix also makes it more expensive.

I love Metal, Rock, Ska and some punk, then I also love Symphony, Classical, Opera, Jazz and Blues.  Most pieces of Metal, Rock and Ska don’t focus too much on Bass unless its Cliff or Robert (Metallica references) but when you dip more into the realm of Jazz and Blues, you get some more defined Cello, Tuba and the distinct sounds that can be low and still reach the highs of the Sax, you will get that here.  Now if you are looking for thumping processed bass, these are not the speakers you are looking for.  There is nothing processed about the audio you will get with these speakers, all refined.

There are some features missing, some might be more important than others but the cons here are outweighed by the Pros.  Some features are gimmicky and some are needed, the needed features for a speaker are all here, but the cons cannot be forgotten and they do affect the overall rating.

With that, I give the BenQ treVolo S a 4 out of 5, a Recommended Buy.  While it is not perfect, it is great and the loss of that one star is for room for improvement maybe adding features…. without adding a heftier price tag.

Great job BenQ.

Parts of me wanted to give the treVolo S a 5 out of 5 rating because of how nice it all sounded and all of the features but on the flip side I wanted to give it a 4 out of 5 because of the features it was missing.  Extra features means extra cost, so there has to be a little give, and what they give you is good, dare I say great?  With all the R&D they put into this, which is also factored into the cost, they could release at some point a treVolo S2 with some of the extra’s keeping the price tag the same as the treVolo S or even lower.

Check it out here on Amazon: https://geni.us/6NAIJBN?eyni

What do you guys think, I would love to hear back from you.

Return: Intro