Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/12/04/review_logitec_purefi_mobile/
Logitech PureFi Mobile portable Bluetooth speaker set
A multi-purpose on-the-move system
Posted in Personal Tech, 4th December 2008 09:02 GMT
Review This versatile product is a combination of a Bluetooth speaker phone and a powered speaker rig that can be hooked up to any A2DP-capable device, or one with a USB cable or 3.5mm audio cable.
Like most kit coming from Logitech these days, the PureFi Mobile is a very well built device. Though black and silver plastics abound, the PureFi is as solid as a rock and the speaker grilles are very stiff, which bodes well for standing up to the knocks, bangs and drops that comes with a portable existence. Of course, portability is very much the PureFi Mobile's gig – at 275 x 70 x 30mm and weighing only 250g, it's unlikely to prove an encumbrance to any other than the very lightest of travellers.
Logitech's PureFi Mobile: resilient to the rough lifestyle of a portable speaker
Controls have been kept to the minimum in the, largely successful, quest for operational simplicity. For the phone side of things, you get call start, end and mute keys while for general system control you get on/off and sound-source buttons – the latter cycling through Bluetooth, USB and 3.5mm audio-in, with appropriate icons lighting up in green when in use. For audio control there are volume keys and a Stereo XL button that fires up the stereo expander feature.
The PureFi's 3.5mm audio-in jack and mini USB port are around the back, and it has two not exactly stylish but nevertheless sturdy and effective fold-out feet.
The Mobile comes with a built-in lithium-ion battery, so the first order of business is to charge it up either with the supplied mains adaptor or with the supplied USB cable. Logitech reckons a full charge is good for 12 hours of amplified playback.
We found a full charge actually lasted for closer to 14 hours when playing back at around 70 per cent of full volume from a Sony Walkman we had on test. Of course, having Bluetooth switched on will reduce the battery life, taking it back toward Logitech's estimate.
Set-up only really involves pairing Bluetooth devices and that could hardly be easier. Hold the source button down until the Bluetooth LED flashes alternately red and green, and then type '0000' into the device as the authorisation code. If only all Bluetooth pairing was this easy.
Controls have been kept to the minimum in the quest for operational simplicity
Once connected, the PureFi proved to be a very effective handsfree rig, those four 5.1cm speakers producing a clear and distortion-free sound at ordinary listening volumes, and the two built-in microphones proving equally good at relaying conversations in the other direction. The PureFi also had no problem in reconnecting when the phone was taken out of range and then brought back.
Owners of Bluetooth equipped Mac and Windows machines can also use the PureFi for VoIP calls and IM voice chats. While getting the PureFi to work as a USB speaker system with Linux Ubuntu proved simple enough, trying to get it to work with Skype was less easy and we never actually managed to make it stop sounding like a Dalek under 15ft of water.
The PureFi's performance as a mobile speaker unit is a case of managing expectations. Let's face it, nothing this size is ever going to give the excellent Edifier MP300 speaker set we tested recently a run for its money, but if you keep the volume down to a reasonable level, the PureFi doesn't make a bad fist of things.
When given a Maria Callas album, Arias, to chew on, the PureFi proved capable of producing a detailed and balanced sound. Moving on to albums by Kate Bush and Everything but the Girl, things still proved acceptably listenable. Only when we fired up Linkin Park's latest did the weak bass become a major issue. Bottom line is, keep away from loud rock and the PureFi does a decent enough job.
Stereo separation, or rather lack thereof, is bound to be an issue with any one-unit device, but if you hit the Stereo XL button, the PureFi does a good job of creating a reasonable sense of space. It's quite subtle, but all the better for not trying too hard to do something that at the end of the day isn't really physically possible.
Performance and portability balanced about right
Of course, no matter what you're playing, the PureFi will do a significantly better job than your laptop or PMP's built-in speakers are capable off. Plug the PureFi into a Cowon A3 or Archos 5 and you have your own miniature, portable, self-powered cinema. Would the PureFi sound better if it was bigger? Yes, of course, but then it would less convenient to cart about. Devices like this are always going to be a compromise and, on the whole, we reckon Logitech has got the balance about right.
The PureFi Mobile comes supplied with an excellent padded nylon carry case complete with a separate section for storing the cables but not - strangely - the power adapter. Still it's better than not having a carry case at all, and the PureFi seemed perfectly happy to charge using an HTC mini USB phone charger we had lying about.
Verdict
This is a bad box tricks, all things considered. The PureFi Mobile makes a fine Bluetooth handsfree device for phone or PC VoIP use and a pretty decent travel speaker. At £100 it's not exactly cheap, but it's fair value for what is a well made and versatile device.