Roberts Beacon 320 Bluetooth Speaker - Dusky Pink

Product Information

If previously used and paired it will attempt to connect to the previously paired device – see ‘reconnecting bluetooth device’. Roberts clearly isn’t targeting the house-party crowd with the Beacon 330, instead seeking to please the discerning listener that likely makes up the majority of its consumer base. Even after taking this into account, I still feel the 330 would benefit from a bit of extra oomph across its EQ profiles. Roberts says the material provides benefits to the sound for optimal acoustic transparency. At either end of the cloth are gold trims, with the logo at the bottom featured in a gleaming gold finish. Despite the use of plastic for the casing, it’s an eye-catching look.

Beacon 330 only – A short press on the Bluetooth button will cause the speaker to reconnect to previously paired devices if they are within range (up to 10 devices in total). Internet radio offers thousands of channels from around the world too, and of course DLNA functionality means it can play music stored on your network, whether that be on a laptop or NAS drive. At this price, you’re better off hedging your bets and rolling with multi-room prodigies like the Sonos Play:3 or Bluesound Pulse Flex instead.

Statement design

Alternatively, even when the speaker is already connected, a long press on the Bluetooth button will disconnect the current device and make the speaker discoverable so that a new device may connect. As mentioned, you can link two Roberts Beacon 330 speakers together for a wireless stereo setup although we weren't able to test this for ourselves. The sound will change as you step through the options. After a few seconds without button presses the speaker will store the new setting.

When it comes to classical music, the Roberts Beacon 330 performs better, sounding suitably balanced in terms of mids and lows, but it certainly isn't the kind of speaker that's aimed at a party environment.Your product or AC/DC adaptor should not be exposed to liquids, steam, sand, dripping or splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the product or adaptor. When charging is completed the LEDs will stop flashing. The speaker is ready for use away from the mains supply if needed. Of all the sound profiles available, Normal and Classic are your best bets, with Classic adding a little more size and pushing out vocals more. Outdoor makes it sound bigger but also a little less defined, while Bass Boost makes the shallow bass slightly tighter but the vocals sound reined-in. They all sound fine, but neither mode grabs your attention. The battery in the speaker may not have sufficient capacity in all cases to fully charge the connected device. The Beacon 330 offers five EQ modes to choose from: Normal, Classic, Bass Boost, Outdoors and Speech. Press the power button – not too hard or long, or else you’ll turn the speaker off – and press either the volume “+” or “–” buttons once for Classic, twice for Bass Boost and four times for Outdoor mode. The small LED light beneath the Equalizer bar will flash a set number of times to indicate the mode the speaker is in.

The speaker will flash the battery status LEDs to indicate maximum or minimum volume level is reached. In the event of a malfunction due to electrostatic discharge, mains power supply transients or short interruptions, reset the product to resume normal operation. If you are not able to perform the reset operation, removal and reconnection of the power supply may be required. If the product is used in an environment with any ESD Immunity / Radiated Immunity / Conducted Immunity disturbance, the product may malfunction. It will automatically recover to normal when the ESD Immunity / Radiated Immunity / Conducted Immunity disturbance is stopped. Recycling Bluetooth: version 5.0; frequencies: 2.402 – 2.480GHz; power 0dBm; profile A2DP; codec SBC. Rechargeable battery: Lithium-ion 7.4V 2500mAh 18.5Wh (Beacon 310/320); 7.4V 3200mAh 23.68Wh (Beacon 330). The company reserves the right to amend the specification without notice. Around the rear is a USB-A port for charging a smartphone or other device, an aux port for a physical connection to another device, and the option to plug the Beacon 330 into the mains to recharge the battery. The EQ mode and USB-A charging port are exclusive to the Beacon 330, differentiating it from the Beacon 320. Roberts Beacon 330 features – Long battery life, plus EQ modes to adapt the sound Sadly for Roberts, that convenience almost pales into insignificance when reminded of the R-Line S2’s sound quality.

Everything you need to know about Beacon

Still, looking so good and feeling like a quality daily speaker ensures that the Roberts Beacon 330 will still be appealing to many. The Beacon 330 pumps out a decent sound through its 45mm neodymium driver unit, but over the course of listening to it, it’s clear there’s something… missing. A DAB radio works by using a receiver that scans for digital radio signals and automatically connects to them, allowing you to listen to broadcasts. You don’t need to tune a DAB radio to find stations, as you would with FM stations. DAB radios have an internal memory too, so you can save and store channels when they have been located. Every time you switch the radio on, those stations are there, ready for you to enjoy. A DAB Bluetooth radio is essentially a digital radio with the capability of using a bluetooth connection to stream to other digital devices that have music subscription services on them. When you activate the bluetooth function on your DAB radio, you will be invited to pair with another nearby device – such as a smartphone. Do that, and you can then select the music you want to play from your smartphone, using the DAB Bluetooth radio like a set of speakers.

There are no user serviceable parts inside this product. Do not attempt to disassemble any part of the product. The three little circles in the indicate battery status, while the bars at the bottom are there to help decipher the speaker’s EQ mode. To cancel stereo mode pairing give a long press on the Stereo Mode button on either speaker while they are connected. The volume, EQ and power off functions may be controlled by either speaker and will operate on both. Unlike other speakers in this price point, it's not rugged. There's no water resistance rating, and we don't really rate its chances in a fall but again – this is clearly a speaker aimed at remaining at home rather than being taken on your travels.Battery charge time – approximately 3 hours (Beacon 330 may take longer). EQ Setting (Beacon 330 only) It gives a better impression of itself with its mid-range and treble performance. The mid-range offers decent amounts of detail and nice form with vocals – Jill Scott’s voice in He Loves Me [Lyzel in E Flat] is given space and clarity, and the same can be said for Sting’s Shape of My Heart and the Stereophonics’ Maybe Tomorrow. Treble is clear, defined and likable, neither bright nor harsh in how it’s described. It’s with slower-paced and relaxed tunes where the Beacon 330 finds its groove. To reset your speaker use a paper clip to push the reset switch through the pin hole located underneath the speaker. Battery Life / Charge Time It will be necessary to press ON/OFF buttons on both speakers to turn on a previously connected pair, but they should then reconnect automatically.