This term, at my school, we have hosted countless school events to try to help the students learn to socialise again post lockdowns. When the editors at DRN offered me the chance to review a speaker I jumped at the opportunity. However, when I saw the BlueAnt X6 Party speaker I became less convinced.
BlueAnt is a proudly Australian-made brand with a strong reputation for excellent products. I couldn’t see how the impressive LED party lights and the recommended retail price of $579 could leave the manufacturers any remaining budget for high quality speaker components with enough power to fill a primary school gymnasium. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised.
First Impressions
When the speaker arrived to me it was a box, in a box, in a box. I now have three giant cardboard boxes to use as tunnels for my 9 month old son. However, despite all the boxing, the packaging was pleasingly minimal and designed with sustainability in mind. The speaker comes in a single piece along with two microphones and cables. There was only one small piece of soft plastic, used to protect the display. 
There are LED lights built into every part of it, including the handle, which makes holding it a little uncomfortable but ultimately worth it when the light show gets going. At 9kgs with a slimline design it is pretty easy to carry. The interface is really simple and user friendly with a single large knob used to adjust every variable feature of the device. I do like having a bit more control over the quality of sound from my devices and would have liked an equaliser. However, there is a ‘bass boost’ button and I appreciate the fact that the designers have done everything they can to ensure people who buy this speaker can just plug it in and start the party.
Set Up
Along with the lack of equalisers, this speaker comes without software or device set up required. Its default mode is ‘Bluetooth mode’ and it is astoundingly quick at finding and connecting with nearby devices. It comes with other connection modes – a USB, SD card and headphone cable style auxiliary input. However, the Bluetooth capability is so easy and the quality of the connection is so clear and strong that it’s hard to imagine why you would use the other connection modes. The other fun aspect of the Bluetooth function is that when you turn the speaker on there is a calming didgeridoo note followed by an American/Australian voice telling you which mode you have chosen. A great little reminder that you have bought an Australian made device.
There is a display built into the handle which tells you which connection mode you have selected and provides more information if you are using the USB or SD card connection modes. The display also has a red and a green LED built in to let you know when the battery is fully charged. At the back there is an RCA cable output if you want to connect it to a more elaborate speaker set up. The microphone inputs can be both echo and volume adjusted using the master knob. Beyond that, the buttons are so obvious and intuitive that it’s not even worth detailing them. Check out the pictures below to see for yourself.
In Use
Bluetooth mode is the way this speaker absolutely has to be used. The connection is clear, steady and crisp. As for the overall speaker sound quality, in the lowest frequencies I noticed a very subtle rumble that shouldn’t have been there. The middle and upper frequencies sounded flawless no matter what I tried. Binaural and directional sound wasn’t as well supported on the X6 as it has been on some of the other devices I have tested lately. Perhaps the duo mode function – for when you have two X6 speakers – supports this better. Finally, the volume was really impressive. I was only able to test it at half power when my screaming child and irate wife demanded that I stop. The company’s information sheet states that it can output more than 110 decibels (SPL) which is just slightly below the point where it would cause immediate harm to human hearing. Overall, the sound quality surpassed my expectations of what could be expected from a ‘party speaker’.
The microphones are basic karaoke mics but the supplied cables are good quality and don’t create any buzz or feedback. The ability to adjust mic volume and echo effect is a must for me in karaoke and I’m glad they included both of these functions. The guitar input is a really exciting idea and I have an electric/acoustic guitar that has been waiting for its moment to shine. Unfortunately, this input did create a persistent buzz, similar to what you’d expect from most entry level guitar amps. This occurred even when I plugged in the supplied microphone as suggested in the manual. The buzz was only present when something was plugged into the guitar input so it wouldn’t affect most of the ways this speaker could be used.
Really though, the selling point for this speaker is its highly impressive light display. The X6 has RGB lights covering the entire front side and part of the roof of the speaker. It has 15 light modes to choose from that are all mesmerising to watch. The lights are bright and fun and absolutely sold me on this speaker.
Gripes
Aside from the buzzing sound from the guitar input, there are a few gripes that I have about this speaker. Firstly, I found the bass boost to have little to no impact on the quality of the sound. The woofer itself is small compared with similarly priced speakers and the bass quality suffered as a result. For a speaker with such a powerful sound, it’s a shame that the bass wasn’t able to make the walls shake.
The guitar input also seems like a poor decision as it ruins the second microphone input. It is hard to imagine people using wired microphones for karaoke anymore, it would have been nice to have a wireless option – even at an extra cost. I would also like a bit more control over the balance as the sound is a little top heavy for my liking. Finally, my most petty gripe of all, the lights are supposed to synchronise with the music but I found that they moved at the same rate regardless of whether I played slow jazz, punk, pop or death metal. Ultimately though, none of these problems would be noticeable at the events this speaker is designed for – discos, parties, karaoke and your everyday good times.
Conclusion
The BlueAnt X6 Bluetooth Speaker is a bargain at RRP $579. The volume is literally deafening and the lights are fun to watch. If you have the tech skills, I’d recommend connecting it by Bluetooth to a computer and running microphones and an equaliser through that. I’d love to see how well the ‘Duo mode’ supports directional or binaural sound. At the end of the day, I’m really excited at the fact that this is an Australian product and can’t wait to see what BlueAnt creates next.
DRN would like to thank BlueAnt for providing the review unit.
