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Posted May 8, 2015 by Amy in Features
 
 

Amp I Right? Speaker Review

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Retro style pairs with modern technology in this stylish new speaker from ModCloth.

 

Anyone of a certain age will remember growing up with those great old plastic alarm clocks. Perhaps your grandparents still have one sitting on their bedside table. The iconic red and white plastic and blocky design instantly says “retro” in a way few things do, so it’s fun to see a reimagining of the idea in a form contemporary people can use and appreciate.

 

The Amp I Right? speaker is styled in both a similar form and from similar materials. It really looks and feels just like the original – especially in the box. When you remove the speaker from the packaging, you’ll find that the actual “clock” portion is just a placeholder box. It is there that you will place your mobile device when using the speaker.

 

Simply lay your device on its side, with the phone’s external speaker facing the righthand side of the Amp I Right. There are no cords to hook up, and you don’t need to sync or turn on bluetooth. Setting your phone onto the device suffices for the speaker portion.Then, you simply turn the retro black dial to amplify your music, turn up your phone alarm, or even up the volume on calls. Though it isn’t super loud, it does very noticeably amplify the sound.  It is important to ensure that the device is solidly situated, otherwise you may get some vibration, which definitely distracts from the experience. There is no need to remove your case, but it does seem to give a bit more sound if you do.

 

The device itself can be powered either via three AA batteries (handy for jamming on the go), or via USB. A USB cord is included in the packaging, although you’ll need to provide an adaptor if you want to plug directly into the wall. You can hook up your phone to the back of the device via another USB cord  if you want to charge while you rock out, and avoid draining your phone. While the external batteries do add portability to the device, a rechargeable battery would have been a nice feature, although it would definitely add expense to what is currently a fairly reasonable device.

 

The Amp I Right? portable speaker from ModCloth has a perfectly retro design that will add a fun touch to any room. While it scores high points on style, the functionality does not score quite as high. Though it does noticeably amplify the sound – and does so without either wired connection or battery draining bluetooth – it still falls short of the sort of sound you could get from your average bluetooth speaker. Still, the price is good, it looks very retro cool, and it’s very simple to use. If you’re looking for a cool, inexpensive alternative to the standard speaker, it’s definitely worth checking out.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)