Philips BT3500 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Philips BT3500B wireless speaker offers a clear sound in a tidy package

by hodg100
Hi-Fi Review

Recommended
Philips BT3500 Bluetooth Speaker Review
MSRP: £79.99

What is it?

The world certainly isn’t short of these types of devices. Much like the trend for soundbars, designed to improve upon the weak sound output of a flat panel TV, it seems the public also has a thirst to beef up their mobile and portable audio world with a ‘proper’ speaker package. The BT3500B is such an option with a claimed 10W RMS output, via 2 two-inch speaker drivers for a current (October 2014) price around £79.99.

Who is it aimed at?


Well some of the press photos feature a casually dressed man sat listening to a BT3500 on a (presumably) cold, tile floor. Discounting the possibility this product is geared toward potential haemorrhoid sufferers, it’s for anybody really. Its portability and small form-factor means it can easily be plonked on a desk, shelf or window sill; so if you want to stream some music or a podcast from your phone, and you don’t want to put in your earphones, it’s very convenient.

Design

Strange as it may sound, the BT3500 is a little lighter than we expected but in our experience these tiny portable speakers can pack a surprising amount of ballast. The nearly all-black design is fashioned almost exclusively from plastic, except (we think) for the volume dial, which if it is, at least looks like its metallic.
Philips BT3500B
Philips BT3500B

Used flat, the actual dimensions are 201x35x101mm (WxDxH) but flipping out the kick stand from the back will obviously increase the depth and decrease the height – not that footprint is likely to be an issue! The only other features of note are the controls on the top of the speaker, which are there simply to switch between inputs or put it into pairing mode.

BT3500 Connections

You have two choices. Most, we expect, will make a direct connection using the Bluetooth capability in their smartphone or tablet and perhaps even their PC. A sub-sector of those people will even have the luxury of establishing the Bluetooth connection using NFC (Near Field Communication), by tapping their suitably equipped mobile device on the NFC tag at the top of the device. For those without NFC, it’s just a case of hitting the pairing button and finding it in your mobile’s Bluetooth menus. The other option is a 3.5mm stereo jack, which means you can attach the BT3500 to just about anything with an audio output.
It's a doddle to connect and use

In Use

Like just about everything you buy nowadays, this package comes replete with a USB charging cable. It is of the type, we would say, featuring the most common mini USB interface so you might find its compatible with one of your existing cables. We certainly know we could do without another for our ‘drawer of shame’.
Philips BT3500B
Philips makes a, not particularly lofty, claim of five hours battery life from a full charge and we could back that up with our experience, using it at around two-thirds full volume. We would actually have liked to see a bit more life in the battery but it only takes a couple of hours to recharge and you get around 40 minutes warning, from a flashing red light, when it is about to expire.

Explaining how to operate the BT3500 is a bit like teaching someone how to turn on a light – there’s a switch with positions for Off, Bluetooth and Audio In, with a corresponding light indicator of off, blue or red to show you what state you are in. The Bluetooth indicator will flash when it is in pairing mode or is in the process of pairing – you know the drill by now! You can also set up the BT3500B as an in-line speaker for your phone and it will even stop the music when a call comes in but the quality of the microphone isn’t particularly good so we wouldn’t recommend it for important conversations.
Pretty much a distortion free experience

Philips BT3500 Sound Quality

Whether listening to music or dialogue, the BT3500 presents a clear and distinct sound with a decent projection length ,capable of filling most small rooms to at least some degree. At these sort of sizes, you’re obviously not be able to hear every last drop of detail and you can’t expect much in the way of stereo separation either, but what is there certainly sounds far from unpleasant. The sound is quite bright in tone but it’s not shrill in any way so suits a range of music quite well.

We were particularly impressed by the performance with the spoken word, with even low bitrate internet radio sounding decent. The BT3500 also deals well with ‘echoey’ environments like a bathroom, so you can indulge in a soak with some musical accompaniment without it sounding unduly resonant. The Bluetooth signal is also robust enough to mean you can place your tablet or smartphone outside of the room.

There’s some ‘anti-clipping’ technology inside the BT3500, which is designed to ensure audio is free from distortion by monitoring, and adjusting, the signal in relation to how much power is available to the amplification – i.e. how much charge is in the battery. So, when the battery is running low, the dynamic range is clipped to prevent unpleasant peaks. And it actually does seem to work, with the BT3500 knocking out almost blemish free sound during the review process; and since there's not really oodles of dynamic range to play with, in the first place, you never really feel like you're missing out.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Nice, clear audio
  • Particularly good with spoken word
  • Well priced
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Battery life is disappointing
  • Doesn't seem as robust as some

Philips BT3500 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Should I buy the Philips BT3500?


Based on our experiences, we certainly can't think of any firm reasons why you shouldn't. The BT3500 provides a reliable and robust Bluetooth connection and presents audio that is clear and loud enough to fill a small room. It's also very easy to use and of sufficient build quality that it should survive many a travel. The battery life could be more generous but the pricing seems about right, so it's certainly one to consider for some casual listening when you're away from home.

What else could I consider?


The new Cambridge Audio Go is definitely worth a look, packing a similar feature-set and easy portability, we found the Go to have a bit more oomph than the Philips, although it is priced a little higher. The Bayan Audio Soundbook Go was another one we liked and it has an RRP exactly that of the BT3500. Build quality between the two is comparable, although arguably the Bayan is a tad more attractive and sound quality is actually very similar. For a more budget alternative, we can recommend the Toshiba TY-SP3, which is hardly designer in looks but is also very good with dialogue.

Scores

Sound Quality

.
.
.
7

Build Quality

.
.
.
7

Value For Money

.
.
8

Verdict

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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