Where to buy? AliExpress
8Bitdo’s Retro Cube Speaker is a peculiar product. The company that made it became famous for bringing wireless controllers for Android smartphones, Nintendo Switch and so.
It’s a 3 watt sound box that follows 8Bitdo’s tradition of creating oldschool looks, this time inspired by the famous Nintendo Entertainment System. We have a plastic and metal construction in a very well finished product, just like many others from this manufacturer.
There are 4 round grills around the cube, but the sound isn’t 360 degrees. Its active driver, from which most of the audio comes out, is up front, and the rest of the sides are passive, aiding in lower frequencies (bass). The controls are at the top, in a D-Pad-like design. There are inputs for volume up and down, as long as the power button and the play/pause one. The absence of buttons to skip or return tracks is a bit odd – this can only be done through the cell phone, PC or other device you are using.
Talking about the sound quality… Well, I hoped this box would give me something like a JBL GO 2, which is similar in size and power output, but it’s not really like it. The bass is not as good as JBL’s product, which already has its limitation due to the small size, and I also noticed some mixed frequencies, so the resulting sound ends up being a little stuffy.
Of course I say that in a compelling way to differentiate the Retro Cube from the mentioned competitor, but I would not classify it as crappy either. It delivers an audio between regular and good, I would rate it with a 7.5/10 score. It’s loud enough to listen to music inside a bedroom, or to put it on the table in a small meeting. The big advantage here is that this is a pretty, pretty box, and besides playing music, it serves as a nice decoration item, especially for those who like Nintendo and/or retro gaming.
The battery is also super decent, as it lasted up to 7 hours when I used it with more than 50% volume. The manufacturer points to an 8 hours autonomy, and that should be the case with the volume at exactly 50% or less.
This speaker will cost something between 35-40 USD, the same as the JBL GO 2, for example. And, besides the audio difference, the Cube also doesn’t have capabilities like water resistance. So if I’m going for sound quality only, I would easily choose the GO 2 or similar competitors, because 8Bitdo isn’t on par with specialized companies in that department yet. But if I also consider visuals, the Retro Cube Speaker is a worthy item, and well, it still presents a sound quality that isn’t bad.
PROS:
– Nice build and design
– Good battery
CONS:
– Sound quality, although not bad, isn’t on par with known brand’s similar options