Two Bluetooth speakers Review – Roberts Beacon 325 and Roberts Beacon 335

Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker these are compact Bluetooth speakers that sound as good as they look. This is how the company Roberts Radio Ltd. describes these new solutions. The fact that the products of the Englishmen meet these days almost perfectly the spirit of the time, is not least justified in the fact that users love it to be able to consume always and everywhere music and this can be realized above all with compact, portable solutions perfectly. The Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker also fulfill exactly this task, but present themselves a little differently than most solutions from Roberts Radio Ltd. do.

Roberts Beacon Bluetooth Speaker Series – A new product group

It’s no coincidence that Roberts Radio Ltd. has created a completely new product group with Roberts Beacon Bluetooth Speaker Series, because as we’ve just mentioned, the solutions in this series differ from the systems that the English company has offered so far.

Roberts Radio Ltd. is, as the name suggests, first and foremost a specialist for classic radios, namely portable radios, whereby the company can refer to a very, very long history. The company has a very, very long history, and they know how to use it to their advantage, because almost all of their solutions play perfectly with a retro touch, with a vintage charm, borrowing from products known from the 1950s and 1960s.

This is also true for the newly founded Roberts Beacon Bluetooth Speaker Series, where we are not dealing with a radio as usual, but with pure Bluetooth speakers.

Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker

The new Roberts Beacon Bluetooth Speaker Series currently includes two models that are basically the same except for a few details, namely the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker solutions.

The design, dimensions and features of the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker are almost identical, but the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker has an additional equalizer compared to its brother, as well as the option to connect two of these speakers to form a stereo pair.

In addition, and this has to be emphasized especially for portable Bluetooth speakers, the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker has a two-hour longer battery life than the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker, according to the spec sheet.

Furthermore, a USB port is also available here, which can be used for charging smartphones and tablets.

Smartphones, tablets and notebooks as a source

As Bluetooth speakers, the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker naturally use mobile devices as a source, be it a smartphone or tablet, but notebooks can also serve as a source for music without any problems.

Roberts Radio Ltd. doesn’t reveal which Bluetooth module it is, but in this case this is of secondary importance anyway. What is relevant above all is that the connection is simple and fast at the push of a button, and that a reliable signal transmission is guaranteed.

Of course, the most diverse streaming services are available via smartphones and tablets in addition to the user’s own content. Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, whatever you have subscribed to, it can be played directly via the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker. Internet radio as well as podcast can also be played, it’s just a matter of having the appropriate app installed on your smartphone or tablet, whether it’s Apple iOS or Google Android.

Besides Bluetooth, the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker also offer an analog input as an alternative, which is a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack.

Simple operation

The Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker are as easy to use as possible. There are only four buttons on the top of both solutions.

First there is the standby button, then a button for connecting via Bluetooth, as well as two buttons that are primarily used to control the volume.

These two buttons are also used to control the equalizer on the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker.

Three status LEDs indicate the battery’s charge status, and the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker has an additional LED to indicate the activated equalizer.

Amazingly good sound

Roberts Radio Ltd. promises a rich sound for the two new models Roberts Beacon 325 and Roberts Beacon 335 despite their compact dimensions, even speaks of a room-filling sound. This is achieved by a 45 mm broadband driver with a powerful neodymium magnet in the drive, which is supported by two passive bass radiators.

Compact dimensions

The manufacturer is convinced that the two new Bluetooth speakers can be taken anywhere without any problems and can of course be placed anywhere in the house. This is ensured by dimensions of just 19 cm in height, 9.4 cm in depth, and 9.3 cm in width.

Even if the new Bluetooth speakers present themselves in the truest sense of the word brightly colored, Roberts Radio Ltd. sets nevertheless also here on one for the enterprise straight typical Vintage touch. The Roberts Beacon 325 and Roberts Beacon 335 models are also somewhat reminiscent of classic portable radios from the 1950s and 1960s.

By the way, a textile covering takes up a large part of the devices here, which is manufactured in England according to the manufacturer and is supposed to fit the two models Roberts Beacon 325 and Roberts Beacon 335 aesthetically perfectly. In addition, it is designed to provide the best possible acoustic transparency for optimal sound.

It should be mentioned in this context, and for the sake of completeness, that although the solutions are developed in England, they are of course ultimately manufactured in China.

Colorful – the right design variant for every taste

The color variants Sunburst Yellow, Dusky Pink, Teal Blue, Midnight Blue and Charcoal Grey are available for the Roberts Beacon 325 and Pastel Cream, Duck Egg, Berry Red and Carbon Black for the Roberts Beacon 335.

The user can thus choose from a wide range of design variants to find the one that suits him best.

Environmentally friendly packaging

This time, we would like to explicitly praise the packaging, which is 100% recyclable and for which the manufacturer has already received an award, and rightly so.

The packaging is made entirely of cardboard and does not use any plastic, but it still offers enough protection, thus fulfills its purpose completely, and also gives the buyer the feeling of having purchased a high-quality, elegant product.

From the practice

We’ve already mentioned that the handling of the two Bluetooth speakers is extremely simple, but that’s to be expected in this product group. It’s good that Roberts Radio Ltd. didn’t bother to create a special app for the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker, because frankly speaking, you don’t need such an app.

Four buttons on the device itself are easily enough, even on the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker with the additional equalizer and the option to pair two pieces into a stereo pair. Even this is so easy that the quick start guide, which covers the speaker before unpacking, explains all the necessary steps in a comprehensible way.

The Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker look very elegant, and with the aforementioned retro touch, they are completely in line with the English manufacturer’s design language, but the solutions also look modern and contemporary.

However, we were a bit disturbed by the haptics of both Bluetooth speakers. In contrast to the design, it looks a bit “cheap”.

Sure, both products are made of plastic, as is common in this class, but that alone is not the problem. Not all plastics are the same, and other manufacturers in this field rely on rubberized surfaces, for example, which look much higher quality and don’t convey the “plastic touch”, as is the case here.

However, when it comes to the ultimately most important point, and that is the sound, there is no reason for complaint at all. In view of the very compact dimensions, the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker systems deliver an appealing performance, whereby it can be clearly stated that the bass and mid-range is quite strongly emphasized here. This is probably not a disadvantage for the intended use and most users want exactly such a sound pattern anyway, so there is no reason for criticism in this respect.

It should be mentioned that the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker are primarily designed for playing music at moderate volumes, and other solutions should be chosen for a garden party.

At a volume that allows relaxed music enjoyment in the study, bathroom, bedroom or even on the terrace, the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker systems are really fun and can also approximately reach the manufacturer’s specified playtime of up to twelve hours in the case of the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and 14 hours in the case of the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker in the test.

Prices and availability

The new Roberts Beacon Series Bluetooth speakers are available now from select retailers at a suggested retail price of € 169,- for the Roberts Beacon 325 and €199,- for the Roberts Beacon 335. Color options include Sunburst Yellow, Dusky Pink, Teal Blue, Midnight Blue and Charcoal Grey for the Roberts Beacon 325 and Pastel Cream, Duck Egg, Berry Red and Carbon Black for the Roberts Beacon 335.

Getting to the point

The new Bluetooth speakers from Roberts Radio Ltd. were quite convincing in our test. With compact dimensions, a low weight and a very elegant design, they find their place everywhere in and around the house and deliver appealing music enjoyment for hours. Due to the small price difference, we would personally go for the Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker instead of the Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker, not so much because of the additional equalizer and the possibility to connect two of these speakers to a stereo pair, but quite practically because of the possibility to charge a smartphone via USB.

Roberts Beacon 325 Bluetooth Speaker and Roberts Beacon 335 Bluetooth Speaker, thus two very elegant Bluetooth speakers from the house of Roberts Radio Ltd. are available, which in a proven manner on retro touch, yet convey a modern look and convince with an appealing sound with compact dimensions.

Test Environment

• Apple iPhone 12
• Spotify
• TIDAL HiFi