Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth Speaker Review

Inateck recently updated their BTSP-10 Bluetooth speaker and now call it the BTSP-10 Plus. My partner in crime, ATMINSIDE, reviewed the original BTSP-10 and came away impressed with the quality, performance, and its modern looks. Those looking for portability, good sound, and an affordable price seem to be Inateck’s target audience for the BTSP-10 Plus. Did they hit the bulls-eye? Let’s go find out.

Specifications and Features

One thing noticeable right from the start is Intateck upgraded the battery to a 2100 mAh, which is a step up from the BTSP-10’s 1500 mAh. The unit offers full support for Bluetooth 4.0 and features the CSR8635 Bluetooth audio chipset. The size and weight are comparable to the original BTSP-10. All specifications and features below courtesy Inateck.

The Inateck marketing team has a list of features they want you to know about. The features they mention highlight the sound quality and how it’s achieved, battery life, portability, and its functionality. Based on its price versus performance, they also give you a comparison to the much more expensive Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker.

Better life originated from high quality sound. It’s easy to enjoy the pure enjoyment of soaring highs and splendid deeps. All you have to do is provide the tunes and BTSP-10 Plus will do the rest.

3-Watt Precision Tuned Drivers Powered by double 3-watt precision-tuned drivers, multi-band compressors and built with high performance composite diaphragm 40 mm Rotunded 16-core NdFeB 3W magnetic driver.

Small and Mighty – Crafted to be taken everywhere. Stand it up, lay it down. BTSP-10 Plus was designed to easily fit in your backpack, purse, gym bag, or to even just be tossed into your car. Blended with black and red, your vision gets impact. A versatile, go anywhere shape that makes it as spontaneous as you – it brings the music, you bring the friends

Tap and Play -Controls are designed to be as easy to use as possible. The speaker keeps buttons to a minimum, while an array of simple light signals and audio cues conveys basic functions quickly and intuitively. So nothing gets between you and your enjoyment of the music.

Bose vs. Inateck The Bose Sound link costs as much as 4X the cost of Inateck’s BTSP-10 Plus. Impressive Cost vs. performance.

Music All Day or Night -Packed with an 9 to 15-hour built-in rechargeable battery. BTSP-10 Plus gets a whopping 15 hours of playback from a single charge, so you’ll need a rest before it ever will. The unit frees you to roam, whether it’s a spontaneous camping trip or rowdy late night party, it’s built to last.

Live Wirelessly Enjoy simplified Bluetooth® connectivity with the latest Bluetooth 4.0 technology. BTSP-10 Plus brings you closer to your music with instant pairing with any phone, tablet or computer to deliver clear, deep surround sound. With this unit, you can switch songs and adjust volume from up to 33 feet away.

Packaging/Accessories/Product Tour

The retail box has very little in the way of product information printed on it. Just an Inateck logo is on the front with product model and contact information on the back.

The inner box slides out from either side and is where all the goodies are found. The inner box is sturdy cardboard and does a good job of protecting the contents. A thin foam pad sits on top, and the BTSP-10 Plus itself sits just below. The speaker is wrapped in a plastic bag to further protect it from any scratches during transport. Below the speaker is where the accessories are found, which include a USB charging cable, 3.5 mm stereo audio cable, carrying bag, and product documentation.

Taking a closer look at the BTSP-10 Plus, we can see the front grill area received a make-over from the BTSP-10’s honeycomb design. Now we have large hexagon type aesthetics that seem to be more conducive to sound passing through the grill. Overall, the front grill is very nice looking and sturdy. The front grill is actually made of three pieces: the outer rubber cover, the metal mesh behind that, and a sponge layer behind the metal mesh. This design should go a long way towards keeping the speaker from making annoying rattles and add to the product’s longevity. At the lower-right corner is a status indicator LED that indicates various functions (more on this later).

At the back of the BTSP-10 Plus is a label that provides some basic specifications, branding, and the model number. The bottom area has four rubber feet to help keep the speaker from sliding around on a surface. There are also lots of ventilation holes at the bottom, which should take the worry out of keeping the unit cool.

Along the right side of the BTSP-10 Plus are the AUX jack, on/off switch, and the mini-USB port. The AUX jack is used for plugging in the 3.5 mm audio cable, which makes the speaker usable with any device that has a 3.5 mm output. The on/off switch also illuminates red when the device is charging and then turns green once fully charged. The mini-USB port is where the USB cable plugs in to charge the unit. You can charge the speaker from a PC, laptop, etc. Missing from the accessories is an AC-to-USB adapter for charging from a wall socket. Most people probably have one on hand, but I think adding one to the accessories would be a good idea.

Once you turn the speaker on, most of the user interaction is performed at the top of the BTSP-10 Plus. The small volume up and down buttons control the sound level, and the larger button with the Bluetooth logo performs several different functions we’ll explain shortly.

User Experience/Sound Quality

Sliding the power switch to the on position triggers an audible tone to let you know that it’s ready for action. If it isn’t yet paired with a device, the LED at the front will slowly flash red. Pairing a device to the BTSP-10 Plus couldn’t be any easier. All you have to do is press the Bluetooth button until you see the LED begin to alternately flash between red and blue. From there, just go to your Bluetooth enabled device and pair it. Once paired, the LED will flash blue letting you know you’re all set.

I paired my phone and tablet with the BTSP-10 Plus and spent several hours listening to music, movies on Netflix, and even used it to make and answer a few phone calls. The unit worked flawless throughout and provided an enjoyable experience. The sound quality is excellent for a device this size and remained consistent whether using Bluetooth or 3.5 mm cable connectivity. Sound quality will be subjective to each person’s taste, but the BTSP-10 Plus puts out a lot of volume and sounds very good even when the volume is cranked all the way up. When the volume is tuned down to the lower end of the spectrum, the sound quality remains pretty good if not just tad muffled on the lows. Once you raise the volume a little, the sound quality really begins to shine. When the volume level reaches around 30%, the highs and mids are crisp, and the bass is just right.

Conclusion

We’ve recently reviewed several different items from Inateck and each time have come away impressed with the quality, functionality, and value each of them offer. That trend continues with their BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker. The Speaker can be purchased from Amazon for $49.99, which is only $3 more than the previous version is selling for. Given the price versus performance, we think that’s a great deal.

The BTSP-10 Plus seems to check all the right boxes if you’re looking for an affordable, attractive, and well-built portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s a very versatile device with its connection options and the ability to use it for making and answering phone calls. If you’ve been looking to add to your portable device collection, or more specifically a Bluetooth speaker… the BTSP-10 Plus is worth taking a good look at.

Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.

–Dino DeCesari (Lvcoyote)