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There’s no shortage of Bluetooth speaker options in the sub-$200 price range, and fairly small devices have begun producing a bit more bass response and richness thanks to the increased use of passive radiators. The Cambridge Audio G2 is a powerful speaker for its size and $149.99 price tag, but sometimes seems a tad overwhelmed on tracks with intense bass content. The G2 does a solid job, and boasts the unique ability to connect two devices via Bluetooth simultaneously and toggle between them, but its performance doesn’t stand out in this price range and category when compared with the Editors’ Choice Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker ($198.98 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , or the slightly pricier Braven 805 ($129.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .
Design
The G2 has a simple, clean design, with its 2.6-by-7.4-by-2.2-inch (HWD) frame available in red, champagne, blue, titanium, or black versions. The front panel is a black speaker grille that covers the drivers and speakerphone mic, while a similar rear panel covers passive radiators that provide an added sense of low-end response. A control panel across the top has buttons for Call Answer/End, Volume Up/Down, Power, Bluetooth, and Aux (to switch to a wired sound source). There are no playback or track navigation controls on the speaker.
The rear panel houses connections for a USB port for charging mobile devices, a 3.5mm Aux input, the power adapter connection, and an A/B Mode switch. This switch allows you to pair two devices simultaneously and switch between the two quickly—a rare feature on portable Bluetooth speakers. The G2 comes with a 3.5mm cable and a drawstring carrying pouch. 
The G2 easily paired with an iPhone 5s, and automatically connected again upon power-up. Cambridge Audio designed the G2 to remember up to four devices for the auto-pairing function. The speaker’s estimated battery life is approximately 10 hours of playback on a full charge, but your results will vary with how loudly you play back your tunes. The included power adapter comes with international wall socket adapters, as well.
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Performance and Conclusions
On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the G2 delivers a decent sense of low-end at moderate volumes. It delivers deep lows without distorting at top volumes, though it sounds as if it’s just on the edge on distortion at times; this is most likely the sound of the passive radiators vibrating to their maximum potential. The G2 can put out a healthy amount of audio for its size, and the rubberized surface of its bottom panel ensures that it doesn’t dance around tabletops on bass-heavy tunes.
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Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a song with little in the way of deep bass, gives us a better idea of the G2’s sound signature. The baritone vocals on this track get a healthy dose of rich low-mid presence, but could use a bit more high-mid edge in order to stay in the forefront of the mix. Part of the problem is that the G2’s drivers aren’t angled upward at all; when you pick the speaker up and hold it at ear-level, it sounds brighter and crisper than it does when sitting on a tabletop, projecting audio forward. This is a common design mistake in portable speakers, but it means the G2 often sounds a bit too heavy in the low-mids. It’s never muddy, but much of its treble presence is lost due to the angle of the drivers. Placing a fairly thick paperback book under the speaker on one end to angle it upward can bring some of the brightness back.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop’s attack gets enough high-mid presence to remain sharp and slice through the mix, while the sub-bass synth hits that dance around the beat here are more implied than delivered, presenting more of their raspy top notes than thunderous low-end. The low-mids seem to rule the stage, almost competing with the vocals for dominance, but again angling the speaker upward solves a bit of this imbalance and restores some treble and clarity.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, are delivered with a better sense of balance than most other genres. These tracks actually benefit from the G2’s tendency to bring out the low-mids. In this scenario, the added low-mid presence gives the mix a little more body and richness, while the high-mids and highs of the higher register strings, brass stabs, and vocals remain in the forefront.
For $150, we’ve certainly heard worse Bluetooth speakers than the Cambridge Audio G2, but we’ve also heard more compelling options. If you’re looking for a speaker that can deliver a bit more bass presence and high-mid edge, the larger Braven 805 and the Bose SoundLink Color are both better options in terms of either performance (the former) or price (the latter). We’re also fans of the outdoor-friendly Divoom Voombox Party ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and the Jabra Solmate Mini ($60.02 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . For its price, the Cambridge Audio G2 delivers solid audio performance, but it doesn’t really stand out in a crowded field of portable Bluetooth speakers.
3.5
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The Cambridge Audio G2 is a solid Bluetooth speaker in a crowded category full of even more compelling options.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/cambridge-audio-g2