The SonicGear TWS6 true wireless speaker is the company’s totally wire-free Bluetooth stereo speaker system. It’s perhaps not as cool as truly wire-free headphones, but these speakers are still a really nice way to position a set of stereo speakers anywhere, without leaving any cable mess.
In recent times, I’ve mostly listened to music through headphones. It’s been a while since I used external desktop speakers, as I hated the clutter they left on my desk space. So when SonicGear’s distributor Leapfrog Distribution approached me to review the TWS6, I was keen to see what their speakers had to offer.
The SonicGear TWS6 is a Bluetooth desktop stereo speaker. Both the left and right satellites look identical. They are cuboid shaped, a little over 5 inches on each side, and feature a nice wood body with wood grain finish. The TWS6 sports a nice yet simple design, and looks like it should sit in well with your living room furniture, though I do wish there were other colours available. The black colour you see is the only option that SonicGear offers. I hesitate to call this a compact speaker, but given it has a 5-inch speaker driver, the TWS6 can’t get any smaller.
The nice thing about being completely wire-free is that you can position the TWS6 anywhere. Your audio source device connects via Bluetooth to one side of the TWS6 speaker, which then connects to the other speaker also via Bluetooth. No wires anywhere. The “TWS” in the TWS6 name means Truly Wireless Stereo Speaker. (Don’t ask me why there isn’t an extra “S”!)
The TWS6 uses Bluetooth 4.2, and it can support an operating range of up to 10 metres. Your Bluetooth audio source can be up to 10 metres away from the first speaker. I don’t think you’ll ever need the second speaker to be 10 metres away from the first, but you can do that if that’s what you want.
In order to be totally wire-free, the TWS6 is powered by a built-in battery. There is a generous 1500mAh rechargeable battery in each of the speakers. They can be conveniently recharged via Micro-USB.
Each satellite speaker needs to be individually switched on. They have basic volume controls and a play/pause button. There’s also an AUX-in port in case you prefer to connect up the TWS6 with a direct 3.5 mm audio cable.
As a desktop speaker, the SonicGear TWS6 delivers very good sound quality. Its 5-inch full-range speaker driver is produces strong and full mid-range. The treble is smooth, but not bright. The mid-bass is good. Without a dedicated subwoofer, however, the TWS6 isn’t capable of reaching deep sub-bass, a characteristic common with typical desktop speakers.
While the SonicGear TWS6 aren’t audiophile-grade, I feel it is more than sufficient for casual listening. It gets plenty loud too. The TWS6 easily fills a medium-sized room, and more. I recorded sound levels of about 100 dB about 50 cm in front of the speaker, without significant distortion to music. At slightly lower levels, the TWS6 still sounds very good.
The SonicGear TWS6 is a step up from regular desktop speakers. Without lag-free Bluetooth features like aptX low-latency, I can’t recommend this for home theatres or watching movies though. For play music, even livening up a party, the TWS6 will work very well.
The SonicGear TWS6 comes with Micro-USB cables for charging and an audio cable.
You can find the SonicGear TWS6 retailing on Qoo10 at S$80.
Conclusion
The SonicGear TWS6 truly wire-free speakers can be conveniently placed anywhere to deliver good party music without leaving cable mess.
Pros:
- Truly wire-free for easy placement anywhere
- Nice and simple design
- Good sound quality
Cons:
- Bluetooth lag makes it unsuitable for movies