Review: JBL SoundFly BT

I'm a music connoisseur. For the past 12 years, I've reviewed hundreds of albums and built up a massive digital library. I've even recorded a few songs on my own. As a writer, I'm constantly hunting down the latest bands and streaming stuff from SoundCloud. As you can imagine, I'm always looking for the latest audio gadgets to make my job of reviewing (and enjoying) music easier. The ideal gadget is something that lets me select any artist in my archive and play music anywhere without a lot of hassle or complicated setup.

Like many audiophiles, I've been a fan of Sonos' wireless music system for years. But I've never been a fan of the high price tag, which starts at about $300 per client plus another $50 for the company's Wi-Fi bridge. I've also tested the Logitech UE Smart Radio, which costs $180. Of course, there are countless iPhone docks and wireless speakers.

Recently, I heard about the JBL SoundFly, a compact music device that plugs directly into a wall outlet. The idea makes sense: you can move the device from room to room and start streaming from your phone easily, but (unlike a Jambox or JBL's Flip speaker) there are no battery-life issues to worry about.

JBL makes two versions. I tested the SoundFly BT, which costs $180 and is designed to stream from any Bluetooth-enabled device. The SoundFly Air costs $200 and works over Wi-Fi to stream from Apple hardware via AirPlay, but it was not quite available for testing. (We'll have a review of the AirPlay version in a few weeks.)

The SoundFly is rated at 20 watts, which is loud enough for most rooms. JBL employs what it calls Computer-Optimized Equalization (COE), which examines the frequency range of the audio stream you're playing and applies equalization to make sure the speaker still sounds good. There's also some compression at work to help reduce distortion (the hallmark of any small radio) by lowering the peak treble on the fly.

Because the BT model uses Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR with A2DP, the sound stream is going to be about half the quality of a normal CD or a WAV file you play on your computer. That makes the audio compression technology important, because it's trying to squeeze good sound over Bluetooth. I liked the idea of being able to grab the SoundFly, plug it into an outlet in the kitchen, play music for a few hours, then grab it and go stream something else from another room. The compact size (about 7.5 inches long, 14.4 ounces) makes it portable.

For me, this portability is the best feature: I can stream an album from SoundCloud on my iPad, move the device to my basement and start streaming a playlist from my iPhone. And unlike a battery-powered speaker, I can listen all day.

Setup is easy. When you plug the SoundFly into the wall, a voice announces the product is ready for pairing. (It says "JBL SoundFly is in pairing mode" but it sounds like "JBL SoundLie..." which is not a good sign.) After pairing, the same voice tells you the pairing is done. Since there isn't a remote or LCD screen for the device, the rest of the setup has to take place on your phone or tablet. You can stream from any app that makes sound, but JBL offers a couple of apps – one called JBL OnBeat and another called MusicFlow. Both allow you to play music on your mobile device.

First, I had to pair a device. Unlike a Bluetooth headset, you can't have multiple Bluetooth devices connected at the same time. So I started with an iPhone 5. The pairing worked smoothly, and I started streaming from the iPhone music app right away. Initially, the music had some stuttering or played a bit too fast. At other times, music played smoothly. I also paired the iPad and had similar results: some stuttering and pauses. This occurred both while I was standing in the same room as the SoundFly, and when I moved one room away. But when I tried a Samsung Galaxy S III, the audio played smoothly. Bluetooth doesn't degrade until you're about 30 feet away, so I had good coverage even in a larger room.

Audio quality is OK, but not great. I happened to have a Sonos Play:3 on-hand for testing, and the sound of Sonos' speaker was far superior. While the SoundFly's quality is not unbearable, it's not audiophile-grade by any means. Still, for such a small speaker, the SoundFly BT has good bass response and relatively clear treble. I tested several albums – the new one by Foals, an Alt-J release from last year, a 50 Cent stream on SoundCloud – and every stream sounded decent. It's pretty much in the middle of the pack among mid-sized Bluetooth speakers.

One unfortunate discovery during my tests is that you can't sync multiple SoundFlys together. So if you buy two or three speakers and set them up around your house, you can pair each one to a phone or tablet and play music on each speaker separately, but you can't send the same song from one smartphone to multiple speakers the way you can with Sonos, AirPlay, or devices that utilize dual-Bluetooth streaming like Soundfreaq's just-announced Sound Platform 2.

Also, like all Bluetooth speakers, the SoundFly BT plays all of the audio coming out of your phone or tablet, including keyboard clicks and notification chimes.

If flexibility is important, the SoundFly is a good buy with acceptable audio quality that's comparable to the larger, more powerful Bluetooth speakers. Logitech's UE Mobile Boombox costs $100 but does not provide as much bass. Larger speakers like the $300 Big Jambox sound better, but cost much more.

In the coming months, JBL plans to release a new app that will add some benefits. Still under development, the app for iOS and Android will allow you to tweak the settings to alter the tone and customize the DSP. That will be a welcome addition because, while the SoundFly BT has the convenience factor in the bag, it struggles on the audio front.

WIRED Flexibility in how you use the device and where. Easy setup. Twenty watts of power in an impressively small package.

TIRED Merely OK sound quality. No battery, so you can't take it to the beach. Can't stream to multiple devices. When plugged in, limits (or prevents) access to other sockets directly above and below.