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The BluWall kicks out a lot of sound for such a relatively small speaker. It goes way louder than is comfortable to listen to in an average sized room, and easily fills a big space with sound.
It goes really low as well, thanks to the passive radiator on the back which couples with the woofer to produce nice, deep sub bass that most Bluetooth speakers don't even attempt to try and play.
Listening to bass heavy music in FLAC on the BluWall is really satisfying, and Spotify set at 320kbps sounds great as well. There is a noticeable drop in quality when using Bluetooth, but not by much, and if you're used to using a Bluetooth speaker then the improvement you'll hear when playing Hi-Res files is most welcome.
We Liked
The BluWall sounds great, especially when handling big bass lines.
The host of input and connectivity options all have their place, and I found myself using them all on different occasions to do different things, even using the line in when watching films on my laptop to beef up the sound.
It produces high quality audio good enough for use as a home system, and is portable enough to take on your travels as well. Having high-resolution audio on the move is a bonus, and hopefully one day will become the norm for wireless speaker systems.
We Disliked
There are issues with the BluWall. It often had trouble connecting to my Wi-Fi network, meaning I had to manually add it again. This only takes a minute or two, but is a bit annoying if you keep having to do it.
The battery isn't that great either, the manual says it will last for eight hours, but I found it to be closer to six at the volume levels I normally listen to.
The control app, although nice to look at and easy to use, is very basic. There's no EQ or tone controls. The volume is extremely sensitive, jumping from quite quiet to very loud with a couple of clicks. Once it's at half volume it's really loud, and doesn't get any louder as you turn it up to full.
You can get better control using the buttons on the unit, but if it's up on a shelf and you're using the app then you want that control to be there.
While the BluWall can play very loud, at high volume it loses a lot of it's warmth, with the bass not quite able to keep up with the raised mids and highs, giving it a harsher, scratchy sound.
I never found myself wanting it that loud though, and it still sounds nice and deep at a decent enough volume for everyday listening.
Verdict
With the Otone BluWall Direct you get a lot of bang for your buck. There's nothing else at a similar price range that offers not only Hi-Res audio, but all the other connectivity options and such deep, solid sub bass.
It bridges the gap between something you'd use at home and a portable speaker you'll use on the move. Although there are better options for a multi room system, as a standalone unit and portable speaker this is well worth a look.
