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Page 1
Introduction
We're still thinking about the last CES and those few glimmers of interesting and unique products when we are doing this review. As ASE Publishing walked around the show floor, one booth caught our ears. Think about all those portable speakers that are on the market with unimpressive volume and poor sound quality. Also, think about how bulky they are. Now throw that idea away and think about a Bluetooth speaker system that uses flat objects AS the speaker. That is what we're reviewing today, the Verb from Bass Egg.
About Bass Egg
Bass Egg didn't have an "About Us" page on their website. We'll give you some background about the company... Bass Egg is located in West Palm Beach, Florida, and has changed the way people think about portable sound. The company was founded by a group of individuals that wanted to save everyone from horrible portable audio. Now, they provide a truly unique sound experience with the Bass Egg Verb. - http://www.bassegg.com/ (Feel free to use that, Bass Egg!)
Packaging
The box that Bass Egg uses is pretty nice. It isn't a flimsy box and the design looks good. You'll have to look around the package to figure out what the Verb does. The scattered "sound" lines probably don't give it away on their own.
The back does a better job of selling the product. "Everything is a speaker." Don't take their word for it, we'll show you in the video review.
Introduction
We're still thinking about the last CES and those few glimmers of interesting and unique products when we are doing this review. As ASE Publishing walked around the show floor, one booth caught our ears. Think about all those portable speakers that are on the market with unimpressive volume and poor sound quality. Also, think about how bulky they are. Now throw that idea away and think about a Bluetooth speaker system that uses flat objects AS the speaker. That is what we're reviewing today, the Verb from Bass Egg.
About Bass Egg
Bass Egg didn't have an "About Us" page on their website. We'll give you some background about the company... Bass Egg is located in West Palm Beach, Florida, and has changed the way people think about portable sound. The company was founded by a group of individuals that wanted to save everyone from horrible portable audio. Now, they provide a truly unique sound experience with the Bass Egg Verb. - http://www.bassegg.com/ (Feel free to use that, Bass Egg!)
Packaging
The box that Bass Egg uses is pretty nice. It isn't a flimsy box and the design looks good. You'll have to look around the package to figure out what the Verb does. The scattered "sound" lines probably don't give it away on their own.
The back does a better job of selling the product. "Everything is a speaker." Don't take their word for it, we'll show you in the video review.
Page 2
Specifications
Marketing Summary
Parts
The Bass Egg Verb comes with the transducer (the Verb), a mini-USB/headphone cable, and some instructions. The splitter cable allows the Verb to use 3.5mm headphone jacks and to charge the battery at the same time. The primary audio source is Bluetooth, though. This was only added as a convenience feature. We would have liked to see micro-USB charging instead of mini, but any USB standard is acceptable.
Make sure see the original unboxing video to get a recap of what's in the box. Or, you could skip to the full video review.
Specifications
- Battery - Rechargeable Lithium Ion
- Charging Time - 90 Minutes
- Charge Life - 4-10+ hours (depending on playback volume)
- Connectivity - Bluetooth or 3.5mm audio jack (cord included)
- Audio Specs - 50Hz to 16kHz and over 100dB
- Product Weight - 1 lb. 1 oz (17 oz)
- Product Dimensions - Height: 3.62"; Diameter 2.40"
Marketing Summary
Quote
The Bass Egg is a portable, rechargeable device that turns everyday objects into robust speaker systems. Unlike a traditional speaker, the Bass Egg has no speaker cone. Instead, it transduces vibrations into everyday objects, turning your world into a speaker. The bigger the object, the bigger the sound! A wood dining table... a cooler at the beach... the hood of your car... you name it! The result? Deep, rich, full-range sound.
https://www.bassegg.com/product.aspx
Parts
The Bass Egg Verb comes with the transducer (the Verb), a mini-USB/headphone cable, and some instructions. The splitter cable allows the Verb to use 3.5mm headphone jacks and to charge the battery at the same time. The primary audio source is Bluetooth, though. This was only added as a convenience feature. We would have liked to see micro-USB charging instead of mini, but any USB standard is acceptable.
Make sure see the original unboxing video to get a recap of what's in the box. Or, you could skip to the full video review.
Page 3
Verb
The Bass Egg Verb is not a lightweight. Looking at the Verb, you'd think that it was a plastic piece of junk until you hold it in your hand. This thing is made of metal with a great feel and quality construction. The controls and connections are located on the side of the Verb. Since it is round, there is no "side," but you get the idea. You've got two indicator LEDs (Bluetooth and charging), the switch, and the mini-USB charging/audio connection.
The Verb looks unassuming and is painted a very dark gray/black with a black top. The logo and indications are silk screened in white lettering. We thought that it was strange that the shape wasn't a box or cylindrical, but this shape allows you to hold it and manage it a bit easier. Still, it might shift around in a bag since it isn't flat.
The bottom of the Verb contains the only thing that matters. This is the transducer. The reason that the Verb is heavy is to give those sound vibrations more oomph. As you know, sound is merely pressure waves propagating in a medium. If the Verb had no weight to it, those sound waves wouldn't be as loud.
Verb
The Bass Egg Verb is not a lightweight. Looking at the Verb, you'd think that it was a plastic piece of junk until you hold it in your hand. This thing is made of metal with a great feel and quality construction. The controls and connections are located on the side of the Verb. Since it is round, there is no "side," but you get the idea. You've got two indicator LEDs (Bluetooth and charging), the switch, and the mini-USB charging/audio connection.
The Verb looks unassuming and is painted a very dark gray/black with a black top. The logo and indications are silk screened in white lettering. We thought that it was strange that the shape wasn't a box or cylindrical, but this shape allows you to hold it and manage it a bit easier. Still, it might shift around in a bag since it isn't flat.
The bottom of the Verb contains the only thing that matters. This is the transducer. The reason that the Verb is heavy is to give those sound vibrations more oomph. As you know, sound is merely pressure waves propagating in a medium. If the Verb had no weight to it, those sound waves wouldn't be as loud.
Page 4
Use
A word of caution. Reviews about sound devices are very subjective. You can do all the crazy types of measurements that many audiophile review sites do, but that doesn't tell the real story. We're looking at this product from a mainstream angle. Does the product work? Does it work better that other products? Is it easy to use? That sort of thing.
It's a Bluetooth speaker. You flip the switch to Bluetooth and it puts the Verb in pairing mode. Once paired with a device, that's it. Place the Verb on a flat surface (any flat surface) and be prepared to be shocked at the sound quality. Make sure you lower the volume on the device before using the Verb. One thing the Verb lacks is a direct volume control. You'll have to use the device volume, instead. When we first tried the Verb, it was insanely loud. That shocked us.
The Verb is an interesting product that begs you to try different surfaces. In our testing, wood surfaces seemed to produce rich and deep sounds. Metal produced more treble. Cardboard boxes provided some really good sound quality, depending on the size of the box. This is the type of product that just impresses people at parties. Just sit it on a table and let the table become the speaker. It works.
If you have access to a larger surface, you'll get better audio. We found that a very large office desk produced excellent bass. If you place it on a table that you're using, be prepared to have those nice sound vibrations propagating through the table.
All in all, the Verb works. It is the most unique portable speaker type of device we've seen in a long time.
There are some improvements that Bass Egg can do. We'd like to see micro-USB charging on a refresh along with direct volume controls. They could be easily placed on the top of the Verb (even touch controls instead of hard buttons). Still, this is a great product, as is.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Bass Egg Verb retails for about $100 (Amazon). You might balk at the price, but quality portable speakers are all around that range. If you do a lot of travel or entertain at parties, this is one of those must have devices in your arsenal. Even if you get it for the "check it out" factor, it is worth it. Bass Egg really did an excellent job in producing a quality product that actually works. Yes, we were skeptical, but the proof is in the sound that it provides.
Mini-USB is on its way out. We're thinking that Bass Egg has something new on the horizon for a refresh of the Verb. But, don't wait if you need a portable speaker right now. Did you check out the video review? Do it now to see what we mean. Excellent job, Bass Egg. It's not everyday that something really unique comes across the review bench. The fact that this is an American company makes it that much better.
ASE Publishing would like to thank Bass Egg for making this review possible.
Use
A word of caution. Reviews about sound devices are very subjective. You can do all the crazy types of measurements that many audiophile review sites do, but that doesn't tell the real story. We're looking at this product from a mainstream angle. Does the product work? Does it work better that other products? Is it easy to use? That sort of thing.
It's a Bluetooth speaker. You flip the switch to Bluetooth and it puts the Verb in pairing mode. Once paired with a device, that's it. Place the Verb on a flat surface (any flat surface) and be prepared to be shocked at the sound quality. Make sure you lower the volume on the device before using the Verb. One thing the Verb lacks is a direct volume control. You'll have to use the device volume, instead. When we first tried the Verb, it was insanely loud. That shocked us.
The Verb is an interesting product that begs you to try different surfaces. In our testing, wood surfaces seemed to produce rich and deep sounds. Metal produced more treble. Cardboard boxes provided some really good sound quality, depending on the size of the box. This is the type of product that just impresses people at parties. Just sit it on a table and let the table become the speaker. It works.
If you have access to a larger surface, you'll get better audio. We found that a very large office desk produced excellent bass. If you place it on a table that you're using, be prepared to have those nice sound vibrations propagating through the table.
All in all, the Verb works. It is the most unique portable speaker type of device we've seen in a long time.
There are some improvements that Bass Egg can do. We'd like to see micro-USB charging on a refresh along with direct volume controls. They could be easily placed on the top of the Verb (even touch controls instead of hard buttons). Still, this is a great product, as is.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Bass Egg Verb retails for about $100 (Amazon). You might balk at the price, but quality portable speakers are all around that range. If you do a lot of travel or entertain at parties, this is one of those must have devices in your arsenal. Even if you get it for the "check it out" factor, it is worth it. Bass Egg really did an excellent job in producing a quality product that actually works. Yes, we were skeptical, but the proof is in the sound that it provides.
Mini-USB is on its way out. We're thinking that Bass Egg has something new on the horizon for a refresh of the Verb. But, don't wait if you need a portable speaker right now. Did you check out the video review? Do it now to see what we mean. Excellent job, Bass Egg. It's not everyday that something really unique comes across the review bench. The fact that this is an American company makes it that much better.
ASE Publishing would like to thank Bass Egg for making this review possible.