Verdict
The Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 experience like the very definition of you get what you pay for . Its audio execution is passable , barrage life underwhelming , and the pattern feels a little plain , but for $ 70 what else would you expect ?
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
If you ’re from the UK there ’s a good chance Monoprice is as familiar to you as Fig Newtons , Cheez Whiz and Little Debbie , but the US - based make has been sell budget electronics ( and more ) to our friends across the pool for 20 year now .
As well as monitors , cables , 3D printers and wall mounts for tellies , Monoprice also has its own range ofBluetooth talker – and the Harmony Capsule 200 looks like one of the most sympathetic . At $ 70 it ’s the second - priciest usable , which shows you just how affordable they are , but with more competition than the shortlist to be crowned Love Island ’s biggest moron , is it a pretended economic system ?
Design
The Capsule 200 take care like the result of a night of passion between anUltimate Ears Boom 3and aJBL Flip 5 – although with black the only colour option it ’s not as optic - charm as either . From a distance it looks more expensive than it is , but up exit the Capsule 200 is a bit unornamented . It feels square and firmly - wearing though ; you could set down it onto a hard surface and be fairly convinced it ’d survive largely unscathed .
While your initial reaction might be to stand it upright , the Capsule 200 has peaceful radiators on each final stage , so it ’s designed to be laid horizontally with the rubberize buttons on top . ascendancy are pretty comprehensive : there ’s a index clit ( with a row of four LED lights underneath to indicate how much power is left in the 2500mAh battery ) , play / intermission , Bluetooth , and the monolithic volume buttons can also be used to skim forward and back with a farsighted press . They take a fairish amount of effect to register , but I do n’t mind that with rugged speakers like this .
On the bottom there are two flattened ridge to keep the Capsule 200 upright , although it is still fairly easy to knock off balance and roll onto its side , and on our carpeting it refused to stay on its feet at all . The speaker is about the size of a wine bottleful and weighs just under a kilogram , so while it certainly characterize as portable , it ’s towards the larger end of the scale . It ’d in all probability take up too much outer space in a weekend bag , especially if you travel light .
Features
The Capsule 200 ’s feature list is hardly exhaustive , but it delivers where it matters . It has a ruggedness rating of IPX7 , which means it can drop up to half an hour a meter underwater and come forth unscathed . That ’s always ready to hand with a portable speaker , because you never have intercourse when the heavens might open , and it mean you could apply it in the bathroom or by the consortium . Do have in mind , though , that it ’s not designed to fend off any dust or other particles , so be careful if you take it to the beach .
This waterproofing think of that if you flip the Capsule 200 over you ’ll find a flap on the bottom that covers its port . There ’s USB - cytosine for charging , a 3.5 millimetre socket for going wired ( if you may recover a phone that still has a earphone port , evidently ) , and , most astonishingly , a micro Mount Rushmore State slot . It ’s hard to think who might require to listen to music from a micro Coyote State card in 2022 , but it does n’t on the dot take up much space .
There ’s no app , which is hardly a surprisal at this toll , so you have to press the power clitoris to switch between source . That means it ’s a long press to rick it off and on , but that just means you do n’t circumstantially push matter you do n’t signify to . There ’s also a microphone on top for throw chats with both humans and AI - based spokesperson supporter .
It ’s also potential to pair two Capsule 200s together using Qualcomm ’s TrueWireless Stereo technical school , but Monoprice only transmit us one speaker so I was n’t able to test this feature .
Sound Quality
With a dyad of 52 mm drivers power by 6W each , a 66 millimetre driver with 18W of power ( that ’s 30W in total , maths lover ) , plus those inactive radiators at each end , the Capsule 200 is moderately well - equipped , but it does what a batch of cheaper speakers do : it prioritises the top and bottom end at the expense of pretty much everything in between . Even then , the whole intro miss depth and the midrange is too often muddier than a Glastonbury car ballpark on the Monday forenoon .
The box claims 360º strait , which is technically lawful in that you could hear the Capsule 200 from all angles , but there are noticeable differences in audio quality depending on where you pose yourself in sexual relation to it . When you pump the volume up to take advantage of that world power things also jump to voice distorted , but it ’ll still go pretty loud .
Monoprice reckons you could get up to eight hours out of the Capsule 200 ’s barrage before it necessitate to be plugged in for a boozing , but that seems overly optimistic base on real - earthly concern testing . Even at pretty low intensity it flourish the livid pin after just over seven hours , so it ’d have to be unhearable to last much longer . To put that in context of use , the similarly sized ( albeit pricier ) JBL Flip 5 lasts nearly twice as long off a explosive charge .
The lights on top indicate how much battery is left , but the first audible warning came just two instant before it died , which makes said presentment closely to useless . The Capsule 200 also take about five hr to fully reload , which seems awfully long considering you could likely use up it in less time with the bulk pump up .
The Capsule 500 usesBluetooth 5.0 , and while plug in it to your phone is simple enough ( even if the machine name is a snatch on the mysterious side ) , range is n’t the best . It ’s ok when unobstructed , but put a couple of walls in the agency and it ’s reduced importantly , with frequent dropouts .
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Should you buy it?
The relatively low terms means you could look past the public presentation if you ’re looking for something you do n’t have to treat particularly well .
The Capsule 200 underperforms in both these areas , which is hardly surprising give its price tag , so steer clear if you want the best .
Final Thoughts
When regard the capabilities of the Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 you really need to consider the abject toll , but being on the affordable side is simply an account for underwhelming public presentation , not an exculpation .
For $ 70 , it ’s probably competent enough for background knowledge hearing , or something to chuck in a bag for a festival tripper , but the audio performance is n’t good enough for regular use and the battery living leaves a stack to be desired .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we survey thoroughly over an extended period of time . We use manufacture standard trial to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , take money to review a mathematical product .
feel out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
If you buy two Capsule 200 speakers , you may pair them to play in two-channel .
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Sustainability
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As part of this charge , whenever we review a Cartesian product we send the companionship a series of interrogative to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the equipment has on the surround .
We presently have n’t received response to the motion on this product , but will update this varlet the moment we do . you could see a elaborate breakdown of the questions we ask and why in oursustainability info page .
