Portable audio is going through something of a renaissance, though not everyone realizes it for what it is. The advent of Bluetooth, AirPlay and general wireless audio streaming make portable speakers ideal for home and travel, and Samsung’s DA-F60 aims to offer some booming sound in a package small enough to place anywhere you want.
The boombox of the 80s was a hulking beast of a machine but it did its main job well — it played music at a loud volume, was portable enough to be placed almost anywhere and worked without wires. Technology has made speakers smaller and more energy-efficient, and batteries can last longer on one charge. The fact computers, smartphones and tablets are so pervasive means there’s plenty of digital music to stream to speakers like the DA-F60.
The retro-inspired speaker is fairly small and light, and is both Bluetooth and NFC-enabled for easier pairing. It has a kickstand in the back for propping it up, as well as a protective cover that literally wraps overtop the front of the speaker. It’s a bit finicky in how it comes off in the back, but is still a nice design treatment that ensures the speaker maintains a pristine appearance and gains a measure of protection.
The addition of NFC isn’t really surprising, as it’s something Samsung has embraced on the smartphone and tablet side. Pairing with any NFC-enabled device requires holding it close to the speaker for a few seconds and hearing a beep to let you know that the pairing process is already underway. This is cool for playing back music, but also for watching a movie or video on a tablet or laptop. Of course, you might have to pair the old-fashioned way with a laptop, but that’s not really a drawback.
All the speaker’s controls are found on the right side, of which there really aren’t many. Push in the volume dial to make it pop out so you can use it. Below that are the Mute, Function and Bass buttons, along with the power button. On the back is a USB port for charging your phone, a 3.5mm jack for plugging in audio devices with a standard auxiliary cable. The Function button toggles between Bluetooth, Aux-In and SoundShare, Samsung’s proprietary sound streaming protocol that works within the ecosystem of its own products.
The Bass button adds an extra level of thump to the lows of the audio, which is fine for music that might benefit from it, but isn’t really necessary to use all the time.
Most consumers might not even realize it, but there’s extra technology at work with these speakers — at least for devices that speak the same language. The DA-F60 has aptX, a wireless audio codec that is said to offer CD-quality audio from compatible devices through a wired connection. The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One both have that codec inside, though iOS devices do not (Apple Macs do, however). The feature does work but it also depends where the music is coming from. It does better with songs you already have stored on your device than it does with tracks you’re streaming from Rdio, Songza, Slacker or other services. It’s just important to remember that this only works in a wired setup, which is where the Aux-In connection comes into play.
Battery life is a solid 10-12 hours, so there’s not much to worry about if this will be the speaker of choice for a barbecue or pool party. It’s obviously not waterproof or splashproof, so care has to be taken on where it’s placed, but that’s probably easy to handle.
For a small speaker, the DA-F60 packs impressive sound quality. It won’t overtake your home theatre speakers, of course, but for smaller spaces that benefit from smaller footprints and portability, Samsung’s speaker is a definite winner.
But all this comes at a price — a hefty one, too. At $299.99, the DA-F60 is pricier than other portable speakers that are just as small, but there is no guarantee those will offer the same level of quality, especially if you have a device that supports NFC and aptX. This isn’t an impulse purchase, and it shouldn’t be at that price, but it is the kind of speaker that should last you a pretty long time.
