I tested a transparent Bluetooth speaker, and it's an EQ setting away from excellence

2 weeks ago 4

ZDNET's key takeaways

The Gemtones Infinity Max Bluetooth speaker is available now from the official Speck site.
With a beautiful array of lights and a unique "infinity look," this speaker is certainly a conversation starter.
The sound could benefit from a custom EQ option in the Speck app.

Bluetooth speakers are everywhere; some offer killer sound, while others sacrifice a bit of aural quality to cut costs or simply because not everyone is an audiophile. And that's an important thing to consider when looking into Bluetooth speakers.

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For me, quality sound is the number one priority. For those who prefer a bit of form over function, there's a particular Bluetooth speaker that will surely catch your eye. That speaker is the Speck Gemtones Infinity Max.

Let me get this out of the way first. This speaker is not the best-sounding device I've used. It lacks bass, pushes the mids a bit too hard, and the highs aren't nearly as crisp as they could be. Even with the addition of the Speck App (for Android and iOS), you can only get so much out of the speaker. If the company would add a custom EQ option, that would change. But as is, you get a handful of EQ options, none of which really excited me.

However…

What the Speck Gemtones Infinity Max Bluetooth speaker has is a great little light show. No, it's not a light show to rival Pink Floyd or Rush, but it's a lot of fun.

The specs

Up to 15 hours of playtime from a full charge (at 50% volume).
6 different light show settings.
Support for pairing up to 50 Infinity speakers to one another.
Can fill a space up to 5,000 square feet.
Bluetooth 5.3.
AUX input
USB-C charging port.
1-year Warranty.
Price - $129 on the official Speck site.

That's the extent of the specs offered by Speck.

My experience

Although the sound isn't nearly as good as some other speakers I've tested, with the right type of music, the Gemtones Infinity Max actually performs well.

I started out with classical music and found the speaker to be a bit muddy. With such a narrow soundstage, all of the voices and instruments were too close together to differentiate between soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass. The same thing happened with the instruments; it was next to impossible to discern violin from viola or cello from bass.

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However, when I moved to less dense music, the Gemtones Infinity Max came to life. This was especially so with Devin Townsend's "Happy Birthday" with the Rock EQ setting. The less complicated the music, the better it sounded. However, I will say that the Classical EQ setting gave the music a bit more depth, which is key to getting the most out of this speaker's sound. You really do need to choose the right EQ setting for your music of choice. If you're like me, you'll probably avoid the Pop setting because it pushes the mids far too much.

Here are some other reactions:

Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" was its usual hypnotizing on the Rock EQ option. But it's Kate Bush, so you wouldn't expect anything less.
311's "Weightless" had plenty of punch but not much low end.
Devo's "That's Good" really shined with this speaker. The highs were nice and splashy, the mids were spot on, and the bass wasn't overwhelming.
Judas Priest's "The Hellion" (one of the best intros ever written) actually had some good separation between K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton's guitars.
Van Halen's "Little Guitars" (my fav from the Roth era) brought EVH's guitar front and center as it should be.
Phil Collins's "Take Me Home" was a real treat, with a nice smooth mixture of voices and instruments.

The light show

Working with the Speck Gemtones Infinity Max isn't just about the sound but also the lights, and that's where this speaker really shines.

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The Infinity Max gets its name from the mirrored front surface. When the lights start doing their thing, you get an infinity effect, which is pretty cool. As for the lights, you can control them from within the Speck app, where you can select from four different patterns and three different brightness levels.

I'm not gonna lie; the light show this little speaker puts on is almost hypnotizing. When viewed from the right angle, the Spectrum Sync option is a lot of fun and gives the speaker an "infinite" depth.

ZDNET's buying advice

First, I only had one Infinity Max speaker to test, so I couldn't sync multiple units together. I would imagine having five or so of these speakers would put on quite the show. Ultimately, however, speakers are about sound and not gimmicks. Although the Infinity Max isn't going to put a smile on an audiophile's face, if you have someone younger on your gift list, they would be thrilled with the overall effect of this speaker.

If Speck would add a custom EQ to the speaker, I'd be more willing to recommend this to a wider range of people, but at $129, the Infinity Max is best suited for those who care less about high-quality sound and more about the overall effect.

If you have the money to spend, the Speck Gemtones Infinity Max speaker would be a great gift idea for those younger-at-heart members on your list. The look alone makes this speaker really stand out in a very crowded field.

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