Smart speakers are slowly invading our homes. By our hands have already passed Google Home, Apple’s HomePod and Amazon Echo Plus, the latter with Alexa as a lead voice assistant. And precisely with Alexa we have been trying for the past few months.
The Energy System Smart Speaker 5 Home is a smart speaker that has stereo sound, Alexa compatibility and a fairly competitive price.
In the analysis of the Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home we will see what we can do with it, find out if it sounds good and find out to what extent it can be an option to take into account in front of the smart speakers of the big technology brands.
Technical data of the Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home
ENERGY SMART SPEAKER 5 HOME | |
DIMENSIONS | 112 x 112 x 211 mm |
WEIGHT | 1.26 kg |
SOUND SYSTEM | Stereo 2.0 |
POWER | 16 W |
FREQUENCY RESPONSE | 40 Hz – 18 KHz |
MICROPHONES | 2 omnidirectional |
CONNECTIVITY | BT 2.1, A2DP, AVRCP, WiFi 802.11 b / g / n |
COMPATIBILITY | Airplay, DLNA, Spotify Connect, Alexa |
OTHERS | Multiroom, 3.5mm jack, 1.5m power cable, RGB LED |
PRICE | 99.90 dollars |
An attractive speaker that fits in multiple places in the house
The Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home is not a small speaker. It is a tower about twenty centimeters high and about ten wide although the appearance is quite attractive. In the upper part we have the keypad, in the lower area a plastic base and the body is a rough bluish-colored fabric that hides the speakers.
We are not facing the most premium speaker and the plastic is quite present, but from a distance it does not clash and fits in most places where we have placed it. From a furniture with wood tone or the desk. The Smart Speaker 5 Home is not as sober as some black speakers, but it has a more cheerful color and can even serve to add a different touch.
The Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home is a loudspeaker that should be connected to the current, has the keypad on the top and offers a design with rectangular lines that combines a casual and modern touch that we believe fits in most parts of the house.
It is a somewhat heavy speaker (1.26 kg). This implies that it is quite stable although it is not comfortable to move from one place to another. During the first days I was testing it in different places of the house, but in the end I decided to leave it fixed in the office. Something that does not happen for example with the Google Home Mini, which by its size I usually move it.
In the rear area we have a vertical line that helps us differentiate at a glance which is the back, since it is a fairly symmetrical speaker. Below we have the 3.5mm jack port and the connector to plug it into the mains, where we have a 12V and 1.2A charger.
At the top is where all the control buttons are. The volume, off / on, pass song, mute the microphone or Alexa, switch to Bluetooth or WiFi or activate Alexa without having to do it by voice .
At first it is perhaps somewhat confusing to know what each button is for, especially for those who have never had an Alexa speaker. But what perhaps hits the most is quantity. In a speaker where the voice is the most important, maybe there are too many buttons. Personally, I would have preferred something more minimalist than finding myself with so many buttons.
Although, it is appreciated that Energy Sistem offers us so accessible the possibility of blocking the microphone so that the speaker does not hear anything even though we have it connected. In a world where privacy seems increasingly difficult to achieve, maintaining these options is relevant.
The layout of the buttons is perhaps not the most intuitive. Yes it is appreciated to have a very visual LED and the possibility of blocking the microphone so that the speaker does not hear what we say even if it is connected.
To know when the loudspeaker is active, the Energy System Smart Speaker 5 Home has a LED indicator that surrounds the entire top. It is easy to see and is well integrated. The LED will turn blue if Alexa works normally, a violet tone when we activate Bluetooth, white when it reaches maximum volume and red when something goes wrong or the microphone is blocked.
Also in the area of the keypad is where we find two microphones. It is a loudspeaker that detects our voice well when we are close, up to a distance of about 5 or 6 meters.
In the lower area we have four tacos so that the speaker does not slip, however they are very small and what ends up happening is that the body of the device rubs against the table.
Simple and hassle-free configuration
Connecting the Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home to your mobile is very simple. On the one hand it can act as a bluetooth speaker to use and pair with the mobile or the computer to send the sound with this method. But smart speakers go further.
In order to extract the full match to the speaker we will need to install the Energy Multiroom Wi-Fi application, available for both Android and iOS. It is a free application with a pretty basic design, but it fulfills its function. It will help us to configure the speaker for the first time and connect it to Alexa and also use it as a speaker to listen to music directly via WiFi.The synchronization with Spotify is very simple from the application.
The Energy Sistem loudspeaker is compatible with Alexa, Spotify Connect, Airplay and directly with the mobile phone via Bluetooth. To control the music we will need to install your own application, available on both Android and iOS.
We have compatibility with Spotify Connect, iOS AirPlay and Amazon Alexa. We therefore have a whole series of ways to listen to music, whether they are asking Alexa to give us a specific radio or sending a song via Spotify on our mobile phone even though we are not on the same WiFi.
Another option that incorporates the Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home is the multiroom. From the application we can “add an extra speaker” to connect it to each other and sound at the same time as if it were a multi-channel system, although the speaker does not have the 5GHz channel to connect with each other.
The Energy Smart Speaker does not have WiFi ac and the truth is that when we have installed it away from the router we have noticed some connection problems.
It does not have to be directly related to the lack of WiFi AC, but while in the room it has worked perfectly, when we have placed it in the dining room and something away from the router we have noticed some delay.
Sound quality is very powerful but lack of forcefulness
We have already talked about the Energy Sistem speaker as a method to interact with Alexa, but what about its sound quality? How does it behave as a speaker to listen to music?
Through two 8W speakers each, we have a 2.0 stereo system with a passive membrane on the front.
The Smart Speaker 5 Home incorporates two 8W and 2.5 “speakers each, for a total of 16W with a 2.0 stereo system. The front of the speaker has a membrane with a passive radiator to boost the bass.
The result is a quite powerful sound, which reaches 100 decibels. When we put it at maximum volume it distorts slightly, although it is not a problem. Yes it has seemed more striking to us that the serious ones are lacking in forcefulness. Despite the volume and size of the speaker, where we could think we would get a sound with more punch, the truth is that we have fallen somewhat low. For those looking for a sound with big bass, the Smart Speaker 5 Home is a step up from the smallest ones. But the difference is more in size than in result.
The level of treble and medium is correct and the experience of listening to music with the Smart Speaker 5 Home is good. For a room, a kitchen or a small room, the volume level is more than enough and the stereo effect is noticeable.
Most of the time I’ve been listening to songs through Spotify Connect, although when I connected it via bluetooth I noticed that it costs more to play the song. Sometimes there is some other cut and the experience is not so round.
The sound of the Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home is quite powerful, reaching 100 decibels and without large distortions even at maximum volume. Still we have noticed that it lacks some forcefulness in the serious, especially considering its size.
Having heard other premium smart speakers such as the Apple HomePod or the Amazon Echo Plus , this Energy System Smart Speaker 5 Home is clearly at several points below, although it is a clear jump compared to the Google Home Mini, which play in a lower category.
If what you are looking for is an intelligent loudspeaker that produces a more powerful sound, but you do not look for the maximum fidelity of sound, this Energy System Speaker 5 Home is an option between two worlds. For those who value a loud and clear sound, but are not looking to spend so much money on a premium sound.
Tags: Alexa, Amazon, Energy Smart Speaker 5 Home, speaker
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