Recently, Ryan and I attended an AV conference that displayed hundreds of technological innovations such as amazing 4K projectors and multi-touch collaboration tables. But our favorite product on display also happened to be one of the smallest. So today we introduce to you:
The Bass Egg
In layman’s terms, the Bass Egg is a bluetooth speaker. In technical terms, it’s a crazy sound molding machine from the future that turns every surface it touches into a giant speaker. Literally, any surface. Check out this video below to see what I mean:
From here out Ryan and I will give you our take on the Bass Egg in different categories.
Initial Take
Ryan: The Bass Egg has a uniqueness going for it that no other speaker does. This speaker uses vibrations to project sound off any surface. That alone will have you playing with it for hours trying to find the perfect surface in your home for the Bass Egg.
Zack: The Bass Egg is small, but it gives a huge kick of sound when set on the right surface. Finding that surface is key. Other than listening to music, experimenting with surfaces can provide just as much enjoyment. I opened my Bass Egg up in the office and everyone crowded around to help me experiment. It’s a conversation starter for sure.
Design and Portability
Ryan: The Bass Egg design is pretty simple although it looks more like an egg that was cut in half and put back together in the shape of a really sleek hourglass. The device feels pretty solid in your hands and there is a definite heft to it for its size. It is not waterproof which would be nice but I hear if you put the Bass Egg in a Ziploc bag and put it in a pool, the entire pool can hear the sounds being played. I Haven’t been able to test this though.
The Bass Egg is easily portable, carries a 4-10 hour charge depending on your volume and could fit in aesthetically anywhere. I don’t think anyone would have any real issues with the physical design of the Bass Egg.
Zack: If you were counting on the Bass Egg to be egg shaped, you are in for a surprise. It should really be called something like Bass Butterfly or Hourglass. In actuality, its a beautiful speaker. Both the black and silver versions are really sharp. It’s small, so it fits everywhere, and can be thrown into any back pack or purse. It is a solid device however, and has some serious weight to it. There is one switch on the back for very easy usability. My only complaint on the design side is I wish it had a volume control physically on the device itself.
Surfaces
Ryan: Out of all the surfaces I tested the Bass Egg on, wood was definitely my favorite, although some plastics did well too. Large wooden tables worked wonders. You have to remember that the larger the surface the louder the Bass Egg will be able to play since there is not direct volume control on the device. Not all wooden surfaces created equally good sound though, as I found out when the Bass Egg didn’t produce much sound on a wooden boat dock I was at. The metal and granite surfaces I tested were not the greatest, and metal produces a real “tinny” sound quality when used. The Bass Egg did work very well with fiberglass (on the boat), glass windows, an empty cooler, with a float tube and on a car. There are two tips that everyone that owns a Bass Egg needs to know when searching for the perfect surface.
First, I recommend whatever surface you are using it on needs to be completely cleared off. If there is anything on the surface you are using the sound will play very differently because the vibrations will now be bouncing off that object as well.
Second, I have found that the amount of empty space in an object (the hollowness) actually helps produce a better and louder sound. For example, I used the Bass Egg on a suitcase. When the suitcase was full, the sound produced was not good quality. As soon as I emptied the suitcase, the sound quality was fantastic. That’s why the cooler worked really well and that’s why the float tube worked really well. Objects with empty space work the best.
Another quirk I noticed was that the Bass Egg actually worked best when planted horizontally against an object. This was proven by how successfully it worked with windows, walls and doors. This is one of the fun parts of the Bass Egg. Although be warned that the Bass Egg does not stick to surfaces so you have to hold it against these surfaces when using it horizontally. You can place the Bass Egg against a door and you may barely hear your music but the person behind the door will hear the music very clearly. Great for pranks and for just generally scaring the living daylights out of people.
Zack: Determining the surface to play your Bass Egg on can be the most fun, or the most infuriating,aspect about it. Each surface is an experiment, and if you are willing to take the time to find the perfect place its a fun adventure. However, if you are just trying to find a surface for some quick tunes it will lead to frustration.
I’ll give a quick rundown of each surface:
- Wood: This is the best surface by far. It provides the deepest bass, and overall quality sound. The larger, and more solid the surface is the better the sound, i.e. a well built desk is much better than a fold up table.
- Metal: Ironically gives a very metallic sound. The hood of my car did not produce a pleasant sound, but the roof of my car did alright. The coolest part about the Bass Egg playing on the roof of my car was that the sound inside my car was actually better, rather than outside of the car.
- Wall/Door: Much like the wood, these produced superior sound. And again like the car, the sound on the other side of wall or door is even better. This is optimal for pranks, just ask my girlfriend.
- Glass: I tried this on a glass table, and got less than par results. I tried it again on a window, and was thoroughly impressed.
- Plastics: This is very hit or miss. A cooler works well however, which is perfect for travel.
It seems to be the more weighted down or grounded the surface, the better the sound will be.
Parties and Vacation
Ryan: The Bass Egg could probably be used for any situation but I find it’s best for casual listening at the home, office or on vacation. The Bass Egg doesn’t really get loud enough for crowded environments unless you happen to have the perfect surface. Any situation where the Bass Egg might be touched is not a good situation for it since once you move it the sound will change. Knock it over and you won’t be hearing your music any more.
Zack: Other than being a great topic of conversation and being something people can play with, I don’t see this to be an ideal speaker for loud party music. It does have the capability to produce loud sound, but you have to place it on the absolute perfect surface. A sliding glass door would be great if the bass egg could stick to a vertical surface, but it can’t…. This is a really nice speaker for vacation however. It’s small size makes it great to sneak in any pack.
Overall Thoughts:
Ryan: Overall I really do enjoy my Bass Egg. The Bluetooth connectivity is great and the battery life isn’t too bad. I haven’t had any issues with the Bass Egg other than trying to find a nice surface for it to work on. That is one thing that makes the Bass Egg cool but once the novelty of searching for surfaces wears off it can be rather annoying. I will admit it is not nearly as practical as a normal set of speakers would be. The search for surfaces is frustrating when all you want to do is listen to your music. The Bass Egg is an extremely cool concept and for $99 it isn’t too expensive but there are definitely more practical speakers out there for the same price. Cool speaker that I hope they continue to improve!
Zack: In all honesty, the Bass Egg is not practical. It has to be stable at all times (if the bass on a song is too much, it can actually cause the Bass Egg to jump around and ruin the sound), and while at times it produces stellar sound quality, it is never consistent. Other Bluetooth speakers of the same price are certainly more practical in many more situations, and will always produce a great sound. But… those speakers aren’t even close in the category of “cool.” There is just something incredible about listening to your music through this innovative device. It thumps and bumps and will provide a wall of sound, literally. And that makes me love it despite it’s flaws.
Bass Egg Giveaway!
Ryan and I believe this is one of the neatest and most innovative devices we’ve seen in a long time. So we have decided to give away several Bass Eggs! More information about this will be coming out later this week. You can check here for more details.