Victrola Music Edition 2 Review: Fill Your Small Space With Big Sound

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Victrola Music Edition 2

4.0

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Victrola's new Bluetooth speaker delivers impressive sound quality in a small package, perfect for hanging on your desk next to your Mac.

Victrola, known for its affordable modern turntables, has finally made its way into the world of Bluetooth speakers. We're excited to meet the Music Edition 2, a desktop speaker with great battery life and built-in wireless charging.

Victrola Music Edition 2

Victrola Music Edition 2 is a premium Bluetooth speaker with USB-C charging and playback up to 20 hours. . Buy at Amazon Buy at Best Buy Buy at Victrola

Victrola Music Edition 2. Design< /h2>

Music Edition 2 boasts a modern design that we think will fit most homes. Also, we liked how the geometric pattern on the front adds a bit of visual interest without feeling too gaudy.

The metal body also makes it more solid than many other portable speakers we've tried. It has an IP67 rating, which means you can safely take it around the pool or to the beach.

The geometric pattern adds visual interest to the front and back of the speaker.

The ME2 we received is a sleek matte black, but is also available in silver.

In the long run

Victrola says the Music Edition 2 can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. However, we only got about 19 hours at 50% volume before the speaker shut off. Close enough.

If you play at a lower volume, you can still get the claimed 20 hours.

The speaker charges via USB-C, and we found it took just over four and a half hours to fully charge.

But Victrola Music Edition 2 is more than just a desktop speaker — it is also a convenient Qi charging pad. We tested it with our iPhone and a thin TPU case and it worked without issue. However, when testing with a thicker case, we couldn't get it to charge.

The Qi charging cradle allows you to charge your smartphone or Qi-compatible headphones

Sure, using it as a charging stand drains the internal battery faster, but it's still a nice feature. We think this feature makes it a great accessory for a dorm room or studio apartment.

Victrola Music Edition 2 – sound quality and performance

Victrola Music Edition 2 supports Bluetooth 5.0, making it easy to pair with smartphones, tablets, computers or other Bluetooth-enabled audio devices. We had no problem connecting it to any device we threw at it. It doesn't have AirPlay.

It also has a line-in, which means you can plug it into an older device or free up a Bluetooth slot on your Mac if you so choose.

It even plays MP3s from USB-C flash drives, which is great if you're going on a hike and don't want to drain your phone's battery by playing music.

When it came time to test the sound, we were surprised at how full it sounded. It has an amazing amount of bass for a desktop speaker.

The mids also sounded good, and we're happy to report that the treble is crisp and seems to hold its own no matter the volume. There was no distortion even at maximum volume.

We have found that bass-heavy genres can be quite loud

Speaking of volume, they can be surprisingly loud. During our testing, it was around 78 decibels at maximum volume from three feet away, which seemed like a reasonable distance for a desktop speaker. A few times the speaker could average just over 80 decibels, but that depends a lot on what you're listening to.

This is slightly lower than HomePod mini and much lower than HomePod.

Because it's a single speaker, the soundstage isn't particularly robust. However, you can pair two speakers together for true stereo sound at a price halfway between that of a pair of HomePod mini or original HomePods.

Overall

Victrola Music Edition 2 is a great option when space is tight. You can easily place it on your desktop, bookshelf or kitchen counter. As we mentioned earlier, it would make a fantastic speaker for a dorm room, studio apartment, or small home office speaker.

The speaker charges via USB-C and also has an audio-in port for connecting to legacy devices

While it won't replace a high-end, finally, multi-speaker sound system for music lovers. For those who want a small, versatile speaker with a few extras, the Music Edition 2 is a good choice.

If you want a smaller speaker, Victrola also has the Music Edition 1, which is half the size of the ME2, has a 12-hour battery life and no wireless charging, and costs $99.99. .