Luxa2’s GroovyR wireless speaker oozes style

The fabulously named Luxa2 GroovyR is a 6W circular wireless speaker that can be mounted on a wall or taken on a picnic. The metallic looking speaker certainly has the looks — especially its diamond-cut brushed aluminum rim — but while the plastic lower body looks great, it doesn’t feel as nice.

Given the portable nature of the speaker, this may be a good thing after all. Being made of plastic does mean it won’t be as heavy to lug around as if it was made entirely of aluminum — it’s just 8 ounces (230 grams) and about 4.7 inches (120mm) across, and 1.3 inches (32mm) thick. The GroovyR comes with a carry pouch to help you on your travels.

Luxa2 is a division of the popular Taiwanese PC company Thermaltake, and you can buy the GroovyR now from its website here. It costs $50, which converts to around £30 or AU$53, and it ships worldwide.

The cool thing about the GroovyR is a hidden catch on the top that reminded of those secret bookshelf entrances you see on TV. It flips around and has a hook you can use to mount the speaker on the wall, or use it as a dock for your phone. A rubber pad cushions your phone against the metallic edges of the rim to prevent scratches.

Connecting to the GroovyR was easy enough. Flip the on switch, search for the speaker on your smartphone or tablet and the devices get automatically paired. The GroovyR has a play time of up to 8 hours and is powered by a 1,050mAh battery.

The maximum audio volume is loud enough to fill a normal room, and there’s hardly any distortion even at the highest levels. While trebles were clear, the GroovyR lacked punch. Bass was decidedly weak, and you can feel the lack of it in bass heavy tracks where the sound comes out feeling flat.

At $50, the Luxa2 GroovyR isn’t very expensive and should be great for an impromptu party, but it doesn’t give you enough bass to get your heart pounding.