Soen Audio Transit XS Speaker – Tech Review

While Bluetooth speakers are no stranger to Busted Wallet, we are always looking for the latest and greatest in design and technology. Today we bring you the Transit XS by SOEN Audio. This speaker features a slim compact design that can fit right in your pocket. The Transit XS is packed full of the most recent technology and produces a sound that may surprise you.

Key Features:

• Speakerphone – SOEN Precise Talk
• Cutting edge SOEN sound technology
• Seamless Bluetooth Connection
• USB Port for device charging
• Aux in for non-Bluetooth devices
• Versatile mounting options
• Designed to fit in a pocket

Specs:

• Thickness:  1.0” (25mm)
• Size: 1.0” x 2.6” x 6.3” (25mm x 66mm x 160mm)
• Weight: 0.6 lb (270gms)

 Design:

The Transit XS is a compact Bluetooth speaker with a slim design to take with you wherever you go. Available in five colors to suit your style this speaker is designed to fit in your pocket and is very easy to operate.  There are three buttons on the top of the speaker. The two volume buttons and the pairing button, which doubles as a play/pause button. Then there is the on and off switch. Below the power switch, the speaker has four led lights to indicate the battery life. We also noticed the speaker has a power save feature. Basically, if you leave the speaker on and are not steaming sound, it powers down so it does not drain the battery.

As for battery life, Overall is was pretty good. We tested it out and got over 5 hours of constant air play.  When it is time to power up, the speaker comes with an USB charging chord and you can still stream sound when its plugged in. Though it unfortunately did not come with a plug adapter for the USB charger.

Audio Quality:

Don’t let the size of this speaker fool you with sound quality. While this is not the most ideal speaker for a large room packed with a lot of people, this little guy can pack a powerful punch. Plus the patented Momentum Port™ provides some decent bass for such a compact speaker.  The Transit XS features the latest and greatest SOEN technologies to produce some respectable sound. As mentioned, it is not the most ideal speaker for a packed room, but we thought it would be fun to see if we could enhance the sound in any way. We discovered that by placing the speaker in a metal bowl, it amplified and projected the sound substantially bringing it to a whole new level.

Pairing

Overall the pairing mechanisms of the Transit XS are great. It took a little toying around to get it to connect at first, but then it does remember the device and the moment you turn the speaker on, it will connect to your Bluetooth device.  We did notice that if the music cut out due to low or weak cell signal, the sound was lost even the music still showed that it was still playing. A simple off/on with the speaker and it was back in working order. We paired it with a phone and computer and both worked great. One disadvantage is that because it is more of a personal Bluetooth speaker, the radius for the pairing is not very big. Basically you could barley walk out of the room.

Functionality:

The sound quality is sufficient for smaller more intimate settings.  This speaker is designed to take with you everywhere. You can clip it, stick it, of wear it. It does come with an optional clip attachment, which is great to clip to your side or on a bag, but what makes it versatile is it’s equipped with an easy mount connector, which fits a 1/4″ 20 camera mount.  This allows for additional accessories, like suction or specialized clip mounts to fit your style. One of the coolest features this speaker has is the built in speakerphone. The Transit XS turns into hands free calling. The SOEN Precise Talk™ minimizes ambient noise while enhancing vocals. This is great if you are pairing your phone and a call comes through, especially if you have it mounted to your bike.

Durability:

While we weren’t playing hackie sack with the speaker, it was a durable speaker for the typical day-to-day wear and tear. We used it in a kitchen setting, a backyard patio, a classroom, and for light dinner music. Needless to say, the speaker did get dropped a few times.  However, the overloaded TPE grips on the edges, not only help with the slip resistance, which work great, but also provide some padding incase the speaker falls.

Value:

A compact personal speaker for $129.95 is fairly reasonable compared to some of the other speakers out there. While the speaker is not waterproof, it does have a number of enticing features to persuade you to still want one. The most notable is the built in speaker phone. To turn your portable Bluetooth speaker into a hands free talking device is worth the price alone.

Buy now: $129.95 or go to Soen.com