JBL Voyager

With its innovative docking system, this speaker can be used both at home and on the go

JBL has over the years created some iconic designs for speakers, and with the Voyager, the company has done it again. The speaker looks pretty in a living room with its transparent enclosure, and has sonic power to fill up a biggish room; walk up close to it, and you notice a detachable speaker, the first of its kind, undock it and you can carry it with you.

In the past few months, we have seen a vast array of Bluetooth speakers being launched. Such speakers are becoming a necessity as more and more of our music now resides on phones and tablets, or is streamed via the internet; and the Voyager fits the bill. The speaker has two drivers built into it, one removable and one fixed, and is powered via an external power supply link. It also has an auxiliary port to connect a music source that may not have Bluetooth.

Take the central speaker out, and you have a hands-free unit, with which you can answer calls as well as travel. The central speaker has a battery built-in that lasts 5 hours, so you can take it with you and enjoy music where you go. Back at home in the evening, dock it right back and you have a home speaker.

The speakerphone on the Voyager works well, and with its SoundClear echo cancellation technology, the voice is crystal clear to both parties; you can now have a family voice call from your living room, or use it alone in your office for a conference call.

With an innovative simple docking system and iconic design, JBL has created a wonderful speaker. It maintains good sound quality and answers the need for both a home speaker as well as a portable one. I would have loved to see an option that lets me connect another Voyager to get a better sound across the living room, but for now a single speaker ends up filling the room, though it lacks clarity at the lower end of the frequency range.

musicspeakerVoyager