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When we refer to wireless speakers, we’re usually talking about Bluetooth speakers, or systems that use Wi-Fi. But how about “close contact induction” speakers? Not familiar? The $69.90 Oaxis Bento aims to change that. With no Bluetooth pairing or Wi-Fi access required, the Bento plays music from your phone or tablet wirelessly by amplifying magnetic waves using electromagnetic induction sensors beneath a surface that you place your phone on. This is certainly a forward-thinking speaker, but it still has some figuring out to do. The technology works as promised, but it could sound a lot better than it does. The Editors’ Choice JBL Clip+ ($79.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is available for even less than the Bento, and has a much more reliable wireless audio connection thanks to Bluetooth.
Design
The Bento doesn’t look like a typical speaker. Its rounded edges and flat top hide a speaker grille and some lovely geometric design work that you have to pick the speaker up to really see. Available in white with an aqua blue speaker grille or in black with a red grille, the 1.1-pound, 2.5-by-7.3-by-5-inch (HWD) exterior houses two 40mm drivers that deliver 2.5 watts each.
The top panel is where the magic happens. There’s a line printed on the panel, and you use this line as a rough guide for placement of your phone or tablet’s speakers. When the unit is powered up (the Power switch is located on the rear panel, along with a 3.5mm Aux input and a micro USB charging port for use with the included cable), just press play on your device and set it down flat, with its speakers near the line. It’s easy to tell when you have found the best placement; the Bento gets more detailed and full-sounding, and an LED on the front panel rapidly blinks.
Volume adjustment and all playback control is still done on your device. This is a bit of annoyance. Sure, plenty of Bluetooth speakers lack volume or playback controls, but in this case, adjusting volume output will likely involve picking up your device or at least moving it a bit, and small changes in its placement can make a big difference in audio performance. 
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Oaxis estimates the battery life to be roughly 6 hours, but results will vary depending on the volumes levels used. Given the speaker’s rather bulky size and fairly pedestrian battery life estimates, it would have been nice to see a wall power adapter included. It might make more sense to have the Bento connected to power all the time, rather than recharging it every 6 hours.
Performance
The Oaxis Bento’s audio can vary wildly, and the fact that you always hear it mixed with your phone’s speakers is not ideal. Ironically, the Bento sounds best when it’s not doing its main trick: If you plug your phone or tablet into the speaker’s 3.5mm aux input using the supplied cable, things sound more crisp and precise, but the speaker is no longer working in concert with your phone’s speakers.
See How We Test Speakers
On tracks with heavy levels of sub-bass, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Bento can deliver fairly clean audio at moderate levels. However, the position of your phone or tablet is very important; if it’s just a little off-target, the audio can distort wildly. The drivers also simply distort if the volume is too high on tracks with deep bass. Given the speaker’s price, this is not particularly surprising.
Tracks that have less in the way of deep bass, like Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” have no distortion issues whatsoever. However, the audio can sound a bit pinched and nasally. It’s hard to truly evaluate the Bento’s audio quality because you are also still getting the output of your phone’s speakers, which varies from device to device in terms of quality.
Both of the above tracks, when played through the aux input with the included cable, sound far better. The Bill Callahan track is clear, crisp, and no longer sounds nasally or pinched in the high-mids. The Knife track still distorts at top volumes, but the overall audio performance is much more clear and balanced at moderate levels. The problem is that no one is buying this speaker in order to use the included aux cable instead of its core induction feature.
Conclusions
The one thing the Bento has going for it, aside from its very original approach to wireless audio, is its simplicity: Set your phone or tablet down, press Play, and you’ll hear your tunes. The problem is that the primary competition, Bluetooth speakers, are also very simple. You can pair your device in less than 10 seconds with a typical Bluetooth speaker. And, honestly, Bluetooth streaming sounds better.
If you’re after a much simpler, more easily portable wireless speaker, Bluetooth is probably the answer for you. The JBL Clip+, the Jabra Solemate Mini ($60.02 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , and the Divoom Voombox Ongo ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) are all solid options in the $100-and-below price range, while the LifeNSoul BM101 is ideal if you want an even less expensive (and outdoor-friendly) device. The technology in the Bento is very cool, but it seems a few iterations shy of exceptional. At $70, though, the Bento doesn’t need to be exceptional. So if Bluetooth isn’t your thing, and you want a portable speaker that can amplify any sound source, the Bento might be worth checking out. For some, its simplicity and unique technology will outweigh its quirks and so-so audio.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/oaxis-bento