Verdict
The AlphaTheta Wave - Eight is a very muscular party speaker in a surprisingly compact package . It sounds groovy , looks dainty , and can easily connect to just about anything . Its specify feature of speech is SonicLink , a downhearted - latency wireless communications protocol designed for dj . If that ’s something you need , this is an splendid mathematical product , for everyone else , the price might be a deal - surf
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Wave - Eight is the first loudspeaker to plunge from the professional DJ sub - brand of AlphaTheta . First impressions enumerate for a lot , so the brand is look to make a splash with this outlet .
There are lot of party speakers on the food market , but what sets this model apart is its suitability for live performances . It has a overplus of professional - grade inputs , it ’s compatible with verbaliser stand , and it ’s rugged enough to outlast life on the road . What ’s really exciting , though , is something called SonicLink .
SonicLink is an ultra - crushed - latent period wireless protocol that ’s designed to make it easier to DJ without wires , and the speaker come up with a SonicLink sender included so you may make the most of it . Combine this with a compact invention , a drag - out handle , and wheels for transferral , and you might just have the gross fellow for fluid party .
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With an request price of £ 859 / $ 899 , though , is the Wave - Eight worth the extra outlay compare to its relatively low-cost competition . I was excited to find out , and after annoying my neighbours with some banging melody for the preceding couple of weeks .
Design
The AlphaTheta Wave - Eight has a moderately traditional design that would n’t seem out of place on a leg or at a nightclub . It ’s all black , is construct mostly from a dauntless - feeling plastic fabric and has a metal grille track the large woofer on the front .
There ’s a grab handle on top and the side to make it easy to operate , and small rubber feet entail that it can be used in either horizontal or vertical orientation . On the bottom , you ’ll retrieve a jam that ’s compatible with standard 35 mm speaker system stand poles .
It has two bike at the bottom , and a telescoping handle on the top , so it can be roll about like a suitcase . It may be a relatively little loudspeaker system , but it ’s deceivingly heavy , weighing 12.7 kg , so these wheels are a welcome inclusion .
I was well-chosen to learn that they ’re made from a soft polyurethane material , like sea scooter wheels , so they ’re much good at dealing with vibrations from rough surface . This is something I ’d love to see other talker brands take , the heavy pliant wheels on utterer like theJBL PartyBoxseries andSony SRS - XV800feel awful by comparability .
On the back end , you ’ll find a pick of button and a couple of knobs to control the loudspeaker ’s basic mapping . There ’s a mightiness release , volume limiter , channel selector , and button for pairing Bluetooth , SonicLink and wireless loudspeaker grouping . There ’s also a node to change over between different legal profiles that are more worthy for music or vocals , you’re able to even make the speaker system act as a subwoofer .
The speaker unit isIPX4 value , which means it ’ll handle splashes of water , but it ca n’t be to the full submerged . The stimulus are underwrite by a large safety spile to keep them protected from rubble and moisture , and open up it reveals a pretty comprehensive array .
There ’s a 3.5 millimetre input , a 1/4 - inch balanced mic input signal , dual XLR inputs , a single XLR output and a USB - C for buck your earpiece . Here , you ’ll find more control knob , including microphone horizontal surface accommodation , bass , treble and reverb controls .
On the right - hand side of the speaker unit , there ’s a secret compartment , and here you ’ll find the SonicLink transmitter . It ’s held in place by a leaping - loaded clamp , a lot like a smartphone bearer . There ’s also a short USB cable , and you may charge the sender from the main speaker unit battery while it ’s stow away in this compartment .
Features
The defining feature of speech of the Wave - Eight is its SonicLink wireless connective . It ’s designed to be almost zero - rotational latency without sacrificing quality , so DJs can prompt songs with pin - point truth without needing a pumped-up connectedness . I ’m not a DJ , and this is n’t the kind of speaker system I ’d use with my TV , so a bit of latent period does n’t bother me much . However , I can sure enough see the ingathering for performers .
This system work using a transmitter boxwood that ’s about the size of a small-scale superpower bank . It has its own establish - in stamp battery and link up to your equipment via two RCA socket . This means it ’s good to go with any analogue source you could reckon .
The connection works at distance of up to 15 meter when unobstructed , 5 metres further than your typicalBluetooth connection , and the assault and battery lasts a recollective fourth dimension too . AlphaTheta ’s specification do n’t name an exact frame , and I failed to drain the battery entirely , but anecdotally , it only lost one Browning automatic rifle of battery out of three after around 4 hr of playback .
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Of of course , you could also use Bluetooth , for times when latency is n’t vital , and that ’s a much easier way to play some air from your phone . Plus , if it ’s more commodious , you’re able to just connect with a conducting wire using one of the many inputs on the buttocks .
Twin XLRs mean that this could be a good speaker for busker or karaoke parties , and forcible control make it easy to adjust the phone on the tent-fly .
There ’s no app for this talker , which is both a good and a bad thing . On one hand , it ’s one less app to clutter up your earphone , which I ’m sure most of us can prize . However , it ’s not quite as customisable as some of the contender . So if you ’re not incisive on the two independent EQ options , you ’re out of fortune .
The Wave - Eight can wirelessly pair with other Wave - Eight verbaliser , either over Bluetooth or SonicLink . It bear out up to 4 units , and you’re able to use strong-arm controls to make each speaker act as as a left / right channel , or as a subwoofer . I was n’t able to try this for myself , but it ’s always overnice to have expandability .
AlphaTheta advertises around 8 hours of bombardment life on a burster , but as with all electric battery title , that depends on how meretricious you ’re crank it . I read the speaker to a small gathering and it was run perpetually for around 5 hours at around 60 % mass . By the end , only one of the four battery indicator light-emitting diode had gone out . So it seems like it ’ll run for longer than advertised if you ’re play at modest volumes .
Sound Quality
The AlphaTheta Wave - Eight has an 8 - inch woofer and 1 - inch soft dome tweeter , both driven by a 110W course of instruction - D amplifier . There ’s also a sizable oblong bass port on the rear to give the humbled frequencies a boost .
Using the default “ Music ” visibility , the phone is well - equilibrise , but there ’s a petty encouragement in the low ending . It sounds snappy and energetic , giving basslines a hearty thump . I think it ’s likely to be the mode of choice for event , but if you ’re looking for accuracy , you’re able to switch to “ Flat ” musical mode and hear things exactly as they ’re intended . A speaker system like this might be overkill for studio use , but hey , it ’s an choice .
I was imprint by the Wave - Eight ’s power to produce sub - deep frequence , this speaker can exsert lower than most of the other party speakers that I ’ve tried . It ’s still no match for an factual dedicated subwoofer , which makes me call into question why anyone would apply the subwoofer mode . Regardless , it sounds fantastic with bass - heavy genres .
I also appreciated how well the vocals were reproduced . There ’s gross ton of clearness and presence in the vocal range , and that ’s not always the vitrine with speakers like this . If you need to kick the party up a gear , but do n’t want to sacrifice clarity , this speaker should be on your radiolocation .
Despite being a relatively compact speaker system , and have fewer machine driver than a lot of the competition , it can get exceedingly flashy . It ’s not quite on the degree of a giant like the JBL PartyBox Ultimate , but it ’ll easily match theSharp SumoBox CP - LS100 . With a couple of these in towage , you ’ll be able-bodied to rock a pretty tumid gathering .
I listen to a wide variety of genre from metal to pop , drum and bass , and everything in between . No matter what I threw at it , the speaker system sound brilliant . I ’ve found that a lot of party speakers come alive with typical political party genre , but that ’s not the case here . This unit is just as impressive with jazz as it is with EDM , and the versatility is really courteous to have at your disposal .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’re looking for a lowly - latency radio solution for DJing , this might be the good you may get . The SonicLink system is really telling and worked cleanly throughout my examination .
If you ’re not so bothered about latency , and just require a forte loudspeaker that sounds great , you have a circumstances more option – and most of them are tacky than this .
Final Thoughts
The AlphaTheta Wave - Eight is a badly impressive debut . It sounds fantastic , looks great and has all the features a discerning DJ could want . If you call for a powerful wireless loudspeaker system , and latent period is a serious concern , this is almost for certain one of the best options on the market .
The problem is the price , at £ 859 , this speaker is over twice the price of theSumoBox CP - LS100 . If you ’re not so bother about wireless latency , nabbing two of those will leave in a thunderous outturn that the AlphaTheta ca n’t peradventure match . Even just one produces a very like sound .
That say , there are distinct advantage with the Wave - Eight . It has a much more durable and compact design , built - in wheel for easier portability and , of course , SonicLink .
For me , the AlphaTheta is n’t deserving the extra outlay , but I ’m no DJ . If you are , and you ’re sick of all the wires cramping your flair , this could be just the ticket . It ’s a bang-up product for a very specific audience .
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How we test
We test every verbaliser we review thoroughly over an drawn-out period of time . We use industry received examination to compare lineament properly . We ’ll always evidence you what we encounter . We never , ever , swallow money to retrospect a merchandise .
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FAQs
Yes , you may pair up to four waving - Eights over SonicLink , two units over Bluetooth , and many more with an XLR connexion .
The AlphaTheta advertise 8 hour of battery life on a charge , but if you listen at moderate book , you might find that you get more than that .
Full Specifications
Full Specs
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