I-Venstar CSR 4.0 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Compatible with All Phones and Tablet iPhone Samsung Nexus Laptops Computers MP3 Player (Red/ Black)

I-Venstar Portable Bluetooth Speaker, TacoHis is a very nice portable speaker kit. In the box you get the Taco speaker, in an attractive shape and color scheme of red and black. It is contained in a matching zippered protective case for travel and that case has a Carabiner hook on one end. There are also a USB cable and an audio cable. Both fit in the case with the speaker and a manual.The first thing you need to do after taking it all out of the box is charge it up. Then you will need to pair this to your device. It will connect via either Bluetooth or NFC. I used Bluetooth with my iPhone. I had no issues connecting it. Alternatively, you can use the included audio cable to connect a player device that isn't either wireless technology but has a headphone jack. Oddly the input Jack is under a rubber flap on the bottom of the speaker, next to the charging port. This acts as the stand for the speaker for best placement. When using the wire the speaker won't be able to stand in the best position, poor design choice in my opinion.When the speaker is standing properly the sound emanating from it is quite good. There is a wide rich sound that envelops you in the music you are playing. It has good bass and sweet highs. My only problem was I wish it played a little louder. I couldn't get that loud sound I was craving. It may be that given to size the designers kept a cap on the sound to keep it from distorting. At the highest level I could play it was a very good sound, it rocks. It also has a speakerphone feature that lets you answer a call on your phone and that was good enough for function.I like this speaker kit and appreciate the extra stuff you get with it. It's an overall very good speaker with great portability.This product was provided at or nearly no cost for the purpose of evaluation and review.

Six months of light use indoors the unit suddenly won't power on and does not charge. Was great when it worked but not worth the money for such a short lifespan.*Update*The maker replaced the original device. After using the replacement some clear design differences were noted right away. Some for the better some just changes. First is the start and shutdown tones have much improved. On the prior model these tones were much louder than one would expect. In the new version the tones are reduced to a pleasant volume. The other changes are that the second version doesn't seem to have as much battery life as with the prior model and sometimes when it's plugged in charging I can hear a slight static hiss. This noise is not present when not charging.After having used the latest model I am overall happy with it though I do miss the battery life it had previously. Most often this speaker sits on my desk but also travels in my backpack easily. It's unique shape also works well when watching videos on the laptop. The shape is almost cylindrical but has ridges on its bottom which allow the speaker to rest at about a 45 degree angle. This angle works perfectly as the speaker can sit on the laptop just in front of the screen producing great sound to enhance the video.UPDATE 7-7-16Having to update this review after receiving the replacement unit and reduce the stars again. On the plus side the startup tone has been changed and much improved with a lower volume and pleasant sound. Alas, on the negative side the battery in standby and in-use does not lasting as long as the original design which failed shortly after purchase.Recently the speaker was sitting uncharged in a quiet room and I detected a slight hiss coming from the unplugged and powered off speaker. It seems that while in powered off mode and unplugged the speaker is still drawing a small current which generates barely audible hiss. I conjecture this is what was causing this replacement model to have a shortened standby and play duration.One other item different in the replacement is that it has an audible hiss when plugged into any USB source for charging. It’s same hiss as when the speaker is powered off only much more audible. It’s not too loud and it gets lost in sound when an audio stream is playing.

You really can't beat this bluetooth speaker at this price point. Along with it's unique design, it delivers sound wise too. I use it mostly in a machine shop while wearing earplugs and can actually hear my music. Granted you can't get too far away from it under those conditions, but it says a lot about it's loudness. At home it is more than enough to listen to your tunes while chilling, cleaning or even in the shower (don't take it in the shower with you though, it's not water proof...I don't think). It has excellent battery life, I can usually get a couple days at work with some home time thrown in too before having to charge it. The way the drivers are positioned inside gives a bit of a multi-directional sound to it. It comes with a zippered carry bag with a carabiner to hook it to a bag or whatever. Charging cable and aux cord are also included. Really the one thing I don't care for is that the charge port and aux jack are under a flap on the bottom of the device. The speaker cannot sit upright when connected to either port which affects the sound quality. Annoying yes, but not a deal breaker. Overall I recommend this speaker, especially for the price.

This is a perfect Bluetooth speaker for any1 that wants a quality speaker @ a cheap price if so this is 1 of 3 you're looking for! 1st this BT speaker pairs in seconds if your device has the NFC option if not no worries just pair as u would any other BT device! 2nd this has a cool sleek look, with a handy carry case and is very easy to operate! 3rd it has crisp clear sound but word of advice it's best if there's space left around it or it could sound slightly muffled but not a big deal as for sound it's loud even at max volume it doesn't crack or distort plus a great balance of heavy bass n treble! As stated this is 1 of 3 speakers for a low price that easily competes with the more expensive BT speaker's, so with this speaker and for the price it's definitely a great buy! 1 thing I am having a problem with is the mic for call's it doesn't work at all unfortunately but over all great speaker!P.S- the other 2 BT speaker's, other than this 1 are "Jam plus" and the best 1 hands down is the "Trueutek"!