Kinivo BTX450 Premium Bluetooth Boom-box Review

The Kinivo products keep coming so I will keep reviewing them, and I really don't mind one bit! I have been struggling with how to pronounce the name Kinivo and I finally got the word on exactly how it should be spoken (Kee-Nee-Voh). Now that we're all clear on that one I can move on with the rest of this review featuring the $49 Kinivo BTX450 Premium Bluetooth Boom-box. Not really sure if it's a Boom-box per-say? Maybe a bit small for that but it for sure has more "umpf" than the Kinivo BTX270's I reviewed early. Now if you really want power and deep base, you are going to have to go for something larger and more dedicated like the Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker System, again reviewed by yours truly earlier.

Getting back to the Kinivo BTX450 Premium Bluetooth Speakers. Where exactly do they fit in, where are they best used? Since they have a built in fairly high capacity 3600 mAh rechargeable battery with 6 hours of battery life, you don't need any wall power so you can take them just about anywhere and the Kinivo BTX450's do have a fair amount of volume to them so you can use them even when there is some background noise or in a larger sized room. The Kinivo BTX450's are still small enough to easily put inside a backpack or gym bag, and you can either pair your Bluetooth enable device to them or plug in using the supplied 3.5mm mini jack audio cable. They may be a bit large if you plan on adding them to your carry on so if this is your intended use then check out the Kinivo BTX270's since they are ideal for that purpose. But if you want a decent amount of quality sound in a still rather small package the Kinivo BTX450's would be the way to go.

I would describe the sound quality of the Kinivo BTX450's to be smooth, not an excessive amount of high or lows but enough to hear everything clearly and as it was intended to sound. Distortion is only present at very high volumes and when the bass is a dominant factor in the music being played. Most songs can be played at full volume with little to no audible distortion.

The Kinivo BTX450's are a very stylish looking speaker setup that would look good just about anywhere with its piano gloss black finish, simplistic top facing satin controls, clean round lines and sturdy rubber pads that keep it in place when the music starts a rock'n!

Here are all the stats for all you techno geeks:

Product Description

The Kinivo BTX450 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with rechargeable battery is designed to deliver 10W of full bodied rich sound and dynamic bass. Seamlessly stream music via Bluetooth from your computer, smartphone or other Bluetooth capable device.

Key Features:

• 10W of premium sound - Ideal for open areas - outdoors, parties and in larger rooms in the home (sleek black piano finish fits well in any décor)
• Built in 3600 mAh rechargeable battery lasts up to 6 hours
• Seamlessly stream music from any Bluetooth (A2DP) capable device
• Class-D digital amplifier
• Supporting Bluetooth protocol v2.1+EDR and A2DP audio streaming profile
• Connect any non-Bluetooth device via 3.5mm port
• Recharge your device while listening to music via built in USB port (this feature works only while the speaker is plugged into AC power)
• Note: The BTX450 speaker does not support handsfree calling 

Device compatibility: 

• iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S and 5, all iPads
• Android smartphones - HTC, All Droids, Samsung
• Blackberry smartphones
• Tablets like Galaxy Nexus, Samsung
• All Bluetooth (A2DP) capable devices
• All MP3 players, CD players, Laptops, Tablets and Other Music Devices with a 3.5mm audio socket

What's in the Box:

• Kinivo BTX450 speaker with built in rechargeable battery
• AC Power Adapter
• 3.5mm Audio Cable
• User manual

Warranty:

• The Kinivo BTX450 is backed by our 1 year warranty.

Kinivo BTX270 Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker Review

This is the first of my reviews on what I would consider to be compact wireless speakers from Kinivo. I am starting off with the Kinivo BTX270's but hope to follow up this review with another teo separate reviews on similar products from Kinivo: The Kinivo BTX350's and the Kinivo BTX450's. If you have not already watched my other two previous Kinivo product reviews then make sure to check them out:

• Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones Review
• Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker System Review

So getting back to the Kinivo BTX270's which in my opinion will fit somewhere in the middle in terms of quality versus size. They are very small and compact for sure which does have its pros and cons. On one hand they are super small and can go with you just about anywhere since they can literally fit in the side pouch of your cargo pants. The down side is a sacrifice in volume, especially when it comes to the low down bassy stuff. These speakers have pretty small drivers and only 3watts per speaker output which really is all you need for a hotel room or back yard deck if you still want to be able to talk to your company.

I found to get the base up a bit in terms of being at a more equal level to the mid range and high end, that I needed to adjust my EQ settings on my iPhone using the Bass Boast, this will bring the overall volume of the speakers down a bit but they do sound better to me with this setup.

For such a small speaker system they do have a pretty nice sound and as I already said give you plenty enough volume for your typical background music environment. The mids and highs are very clear and crisp, even the base is surprising when you think about how small they really are. I love being able to stream my iPhone music over Bluetooth to them and I can even see how much charge is left on the Kinivo BTX270's internal battery by looking at the Bluetooth icon on my iPhone.

The packaging is really nice and give this product a really high end feeling, even the included 3.5 inch mini jack to mini jack cable is really cool and looks to be very high quality, not some cheap throw in item.

The build quality of the Kinivo BTX270's is very good, they feel nice and solid and have a wrap around rubber casing that protects them very well in the event of a drop or fall (already tested by myself ;)

If you need ultra portability with relatively decent but moderate sound output then be sure to take a look at the Kinivo BTX270 Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker System!

Product Description:
The Kinivo BTX270 Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker with rechargeable battery is designed to deliver high quality sound with standard Bluetooth and apt-X enabled devices.

High Quality apt-X Audio Codec
The apt-X audio codec allows your Bluetooth apt-X capable devices to connect and transmit crystal clear audio. Improvements of apt-X over standard Bluetooth audio include reduced audio delay, CD quality audio and performance, and improved connectivity.

Key Features:

• 2 x 3W Acoustically Balanced Drivers (Total 6W) for enhanced listening experience
• Seamlessly stream music from any Bluetooth (A2DP) capable device.
• Supports handsfree calling with the built in microphone.
• iPhone and iPad battery meter support (speaker's battery status shows in iPhone and iPad).
• Built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 8 hours.
• Compact wireless high quality audio speaker.

 Dimensions:

• 2.25" H x 1.75" W x 6.00" L 

What's in the Box:

• Kinivo BTX270 Speaker
• Micro USB Charging Cable
• 3.5mm Audio Cable
• User manual

Americas Versus UK - Old Man Versus Young Man Bench-Off Challenge Winner

So after a few days of deliberation, I have come up with a winner for the Americas region for the Americas Versus UK - Old Man Versus Young Man Bench-Off Challenge.

Mark Macqueen will be announcing the UK winner and sending out a prize to that person.

The reason it took me a few days to decide on the Americas winner was because I was kind of torn between two video entries. One had a very clean 25 reps with no disputing the form, while the second entry had more reps, 27 in total, but it was hard to make out if his butt was coming off the bench based on the angle being used to video the challenge. After all I wanted to be true to the contest rules. After much thought I decided that since there was no way to determine if his butt came off the bench, then I have to give him the benefit of the doubt so the Americas prize goes to Brian from Silverback Fitness. Brian will be receiving a pair of Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Headphones!

As a consolation prize for the runner up with 25 very clean reps, Tim Kistner will be getting a pair of compact Kinivo Bluetooth Speakers that I will be receiving shortly for review, he can have them when I finish my review of course ;)

As a side note, I wanted to help promote another challenge that Dr Plankenstein's Fitness Training is hosting for a worthy charity, this challenge is a maximum dips you can do within 5 minutes so check that one out. I will be submitting a video entry for this one.

Again I want to thank Mark Macqueen for co-hosting this challenge with me and also to everyone who submitted a bodyweight bench press challenge video and helping to make fitness on YouTube fun and exciting!

Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker System Review

Many of you may also have a home gym setup of some sort, small or large, either way it's nice to have some sort of a sound system you can connect your music too so you can have the beats playing while you do your workout. We all know that having some motivational tunes playing helps us get in and stay in the mood while working out.

I already did a review on my Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones which I really enjoy for when I need to keep my music to myself like when I am at my local gym or working out later at night and need to keep the volume down a bit. Make sure to checkout that review if your in the market for a pair of great sounding inexpensive Bluetooth Headphones.

Since I was so happy with my first experience using Kinivo audio gear, I decided to hit up Kinivo once again about getting a pair of their M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speakers and they sped me off a pair ASAP. I've been playing around with them for about a week now, positioning them around areas of my home, both inside and out, in small closed in rooms and even large wide open areas and I can definitely say the Kinivo M2's have lots of volume and more than enough bass to be used for most purposes. Even on my outside deck that opens up to a large pool area, I can clearly hear the Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speakers, the bass remains strong and the mids and highs cut through no problem. Even when I was making a bunch of noise working on getting my pool ready for this summer.

Volume is one thing, the overall sound quality is good, the M2's are not as smooth as the Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones I reviewed but this is pretty normal for a box and satellite system since they tend to have a bit less midrange then a pair of stand alone bookshelf styled speakers. Don't get me wrong, I played all kinds of styles of music and the mixes through the Kinivo M2's and  everything sounded great. You are just going to get a bit more of that high and low end from the M2's.

The Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speakers are not marketed as a "portable" system but they are compact and light enough to be easily moved around so you could use them in your gym one day, bring them down to your deck for an outside party, plug them into your computer system for some gaming and then connect them to your home entertainment system for a movie and some popcorn.

In the box you will receive the Kinivo main 6.5 inch watt sub cabinet that houses the 56 watt internal amplifier along with base, treble, source and Bluetooth controls. You also get a pair of 14 watt each 2.5 inch satellite speakers, an RCA to 3.5mm mini stereo jack cable and the Kinivo M2 manual.

For $69 at the time of this review, you really can not go too wrong, that's a lot of quality sound for a small amount of cash :)

Here are some of the specifications for those of you who like the techie stuff:

Product Description

The Kinivo M2 Bluetooth speaker is a top of the line stereo speaker system featuring a powerful subwoofer for a rich, deep bass experience and an auxiliary input cable to connect non-Bluetooth devices via the 3.5mm headphone jack. Features bass and treble dials and a large volume control for easy volume adjustment. The M2 supports NFC for quick and easy Bluetooth pairing with NFC capable devices.

Key Features
- Powerful subwoofer for deep, rich bass audio
- 56W of premium sound for home and open areas
- Play audio from 3.5mm audio source or wirelessly from Bluetooth capable devices 
- Source button to switch between Bluetooth and auxiliary input
- Large lighted volume dial
- Bass and treble dials for adjustment
- NFC for quick and easy Bluetooth pairing with NFC capable devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Google Nexus 7 

Device Compatibility
- All Bluetooth (A2DP) capable devices 
- All 3.5mm audio output capable devices 
- Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 computers with a Bluetooth adapter
- Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iMac, Mac Mini, etc.
- Tablets - Windows, Apple, Android, Kindle
- Smartphones - Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPhone 
- All MP3 players, CD players, laptops, tablets and other music devices with a 3.5mm audio socket 

What's in the Box
- Subwoofer 
- 2 Satellite Speakers
- RCA to 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable
- User Manual

Warranty
The Kinivo M2 is backed by a 1 year warranty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Product Details

• Brand: Kinivo
• Model: M2
• Dimensions: 16.00" h x 10.00" w x 11.00" l,

Features

• 2.1 speaker system is designed for computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Android devices
• Easy to wirelessly pair and connect Bluetooth enabled devices with NFC. Satellite speakers are wired to the subwoofer, but you can wirelessly connect the smartphone / tablet / pc via Bluetooth
• Rich and powerful 56W speaker system enhances your audio experience for music, gaming, movies, and other entertainment
• Front facing volume control and adjustable bass and treble dials in rear of subwoofer system
• Play audio from a 3.5mm audio port or seamlessly stream audio from any Bluetooth (A2DP) capable media player

June Update Video - Back From Vegas - Up a Few Pounds - Kinivo M2 Speakers

A quick update video for June... I've been back from Vegas now for a week and a bit, I did a full workout set last week and started this weeks workouts, kind of taking it easy after being off for a week while in Vegas. While I was in Vegas I managed to pack on about three pounds of fat which was the plan with all the eating and drinking. I was feeling rather week sitting at around 5-6% body fat prior to my trip, my energy was low and my food cravings where high. That's all sorted out now that I'm back up to around 197 pounds and around 7-8% Body Fat. The plan is to stay around this weight and try and eat right at my maintenance or just a hair above and over the next few month perhaps put on 2-3 pounds of muscle, then do a final cut during the last month before the November Physique contest I plan to compete in.

I did a review of the Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones last May and I really liked them, I asked the good folks over at Kinivo if they could send me out their Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Speakers to test and review and they generously provided me with them. I did have to go and pick them up from a US location as they are not yet available to ship into Canada but the trip was worth it. I will be doing a full review shortly but for now I can say that for the rather low cost of about $69, they offer impressive sound and you will have no problems using them in a gym situation or even a large room or outside patio. They would also be perfect as a computer audio system, multimedia system and are light weight and portable enough to move around from location to location easy enough!

Anyways here are a couple photos for you till I come out with my official review for the Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Speakers.