Crystal Acoustics goes portable with £40 Bluetooth speaker

Just launched in the UK is the Crystal Acoustics Ovale Bluetooth stereo speaker, designed for listening on the move.

Selling for £40, it has combined controls for volume, play/pause and track forward/back skip, operates over a range of up to 10m, and as well as playing music will also allow handsfree calling when used with a Bluetooth phone, thanks to a built-in microphone.

The twin 28mm full-range drivers are driven by a 2x1.5W amplifier, and backed up with a passive bass radiator, and the company says the Ovale's large-capacity rechargeable battery 'guarantees 8 hours of non-stop portable use' from a 2.5 hour charge.

The speaker has a 'sleek, low-weight construction and soft rubber finish' to make it easy to carry around – it's 22cm long, and weighs 220g – and comes complete with a USB charging lead, plus a 3.5mm stereo interconnect to fit its auxiliary input.

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Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.