KitSound Ignite Wireless Speaker Review

Good things really do come in small packages

by Steve Withers
Home AV Review

4

Recommended
KitSound Ignite Wireless Speaker Review
MSRP: £74.99

What is the KitSound Ignite?

The age of the wireless speaker is upon us and these days you’ll be hard put to find a device with many physical connections.

We won’t dwell on just what all these wireless signals are doing to our bodies but future generations can thank us for the extra arm. In the meantime, the wireless speaker offers a very convenient way to listen to music without resorting to cables or docks. We’ve seen a number of different models this year but the majority of them have been quite large, providing great sound quality but not necessarily any mobility.
The KitSound Boom Evolution is a good example, delivering excellent Bluetooth connectivity and sound quality but all in a reasonably large enclosure. However, what if you want something a little more mobile? Well KitSound have now catered for that with their recently launched Ignite. This attractive little wireless speaker offers Bluetooth connectivity, call-handling and even pairing to create a stereo system. It all sounds very interesting but what does it sound like?

KitSound Ignite Design and Connections

The Ignite is a simple little speaker, with an attractive design that comes in a choice of black or white. The build quality is very good and the Ignite has both a solid feel and a decent amount of weight considering its diminutive proportions. There is a classic grille at the front, behind which are two 40mm full range drivers. There’s also a gap near the top, inside which you can see the passive bass radiator. Along the top are some very simple touch controls, one for play/pause and the other for call answering but given the wireless nature of the Ignite, it’s unlikely you’ll ever need to touch them.
KitSound Ignite
KitSound Ignite

The Ignite is compatible with Apple, Android and Windows devices via Bluetooth (v2.1) and has a claimed range of up to 10m, although this will largely depend on the environment. At the rear there is an on/off switch, a mini-USB port for recharging and a 3.5mm jack for line-in connectivity. The built-in Li-ion battery has a claimed life of ten hours, although in testing the Ignite was telling us to recharge the battery after about six hours of continuous use. Still the Ignite certainly lives up to its billing as a mobile wireless speaker and it’s smooth finish and compact dimensions make it easy to pick-up and carry.
The Ignite is a simple little speaker, with an attractive design that comes in a choice of black or white.

KitSound Ignite Features

The Ignite has some useful features, including an on-screen battery life indicator when using with an iOS devices and a power-saving auto shut-down feature if you forget to turn it off. There is a built-in microphone and advanced noise-cancelling technology, which allows you to make clear wireless hands-free calling and conferencing with the Ignite. When receiving an incoming call, your music will automatically pause, meaning answering and hanging up is done by simply touching the top of the speaker or using your phone's controls. Finally, you can create a completely wireless stereo system by pairing two Ignite speakers together so that one becomes the left channel and one becomes the right.

KitSound Ignite Sound Quality

The Ignite was simple to setup, you just pair it with your Bluetooth device and away you go. There is a beep to inform you when the Ignite has turned on, when it is paired, when the battery needs recharging and when you turn it off. The KitSound logo on the front also lights up when the Ignite is performing a particular function. We tested the Ignite with a number of devices connected by both Bluetooth and line-in, using MP3 and AAC files. We’ve been very impressed by the sound quality of the KitSound products that we’ve reviewed to date, so we were expecting the little Ignite to impress us in this department and, sure enough, it did. Obviously the Ignite is quite small, about 15cm wide, so there is going to be a huge amount of stereo separation but it was able to produce a well defined sound.
KitSound Ignite
KitSound Ignite

It also isn’t technically that loud, rated at only 3 watts into 4 ohms but clearly KitSound are being honest in their measurements. The Ignite has plenty of volume for such a small speaker and can go reasonably loud without distorting. KitSound pride themselves in trying to deliver pure, rich and incredible sound - to use their words - and it would seem that with the Ignite they have succeeded. The sound had a wonderful sense of clarity and detail that surprised us coming from such a diminutive speaker. The mid-range was well represented, as was the higher end and there was even a decent bass presence, which had us forgetting at times that the source of the music was actually the little speaker. KitSound have eschewed digital processing in favour of a purer sound and this approach would seem to have been successful.
The sound had a wonderful sense of clarity and detail that surprised us coming from such a diminutive speaker.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Great Sound Quality
  • Attractive Design
  • Good build Quality
  • Nice price

Cons

  • None

KitSound Ignite Wireless Speaker Review

KitSound’s Ignite is a well designed wireless speaker that offers convenience, performance and value in a small but perfectly formed package. The design is attractive and the build quality is excellent, giving you a sense of a well engineered product. The setup is easy and the Ignite includes a number of useful features. The audio performance was excellent, with a well balanced and detailed sound that belied the speaker’s diminutive proportions. It could deliver plenty of volume without distorting and had a surprising amount of bass presence for something so small. KitSound haS kept the Ignite simple, concentrating on sound quality rather digital processing and their efforts have paid real dividends. If you’re looking for a small mobile wireless speaker then the Ignite might well be ideal.

Scores

Sound Quality

.
.
8

Build Quality

.
.
8

Value For Money

.
9

Verdict

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

Our Review Ethos

Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.

To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

Related Content

Faller OSKAR SV-100 Portable TV Voice Enhancer Review
  • By Martin Dew
  • Published
SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Review
  • By Martin Dew
  • Published
Paradigm Founder Multichannel Package Review
  • By Ed Selley
  • Published
Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series AV System Review
  • By Ed Selley
  • Published
Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 Soundbar Review
  • By Steve Withers
  • Published

Latest Headlines

LG set to launch CineBeam Q portable projector
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
KEF announces KC92 and four new Kube subwoofers
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
AVForums Home AV Podcast: 19th February 2024
  • By AVForums
  • Published
M&K Sound unveils new IW500 in-wall speaker
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
Marantz announces the Cinema 30 AV receiver
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
Back
Top Bottom