Verdict
An attractively styled and reasonably priced smart verbaliser with Alexa integration . While the VQ Hepburn Voice is a loudspeaker you ’ll enjoy for its looks , its sound is more of an upshot : lacking bass , as well as detail and clarity , it ’s fine for casual listeners but not the best - vocalise verbalizer at its monetary value .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Smart speakers do n’t seem to be as popular as they once were , so it ’s with some curiosity the VQ Hepburn Voice lands in our examination rooms .
At first , I thought the Hepburn Voice was a vintage radio give ViewQuest ’s past tense , but it feature Amazon Alexa voice control and Bluetooth cyclosis for the comparatively low monetary value of £ 89.99 .
Amazon has predominate the market with itsEcho speakersbut VQ seem sure-footed it can offer something dissimilar . The question is whether it has come after in doing so .
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Design
Whatever angle you look at the Hepburn Voice from , it ’s a big look speaker . Recent fresh speakershave interest themselves with being smart and minimalist , but the Hepburn Voice flaunts its mode with a chain of alternative that work colour to a dwelling house .
The sample distribution I ’ve have is the Joules version , which has a recapitulate formula of a sausage balloon firedog . The other versions are the Cath Kidston , Emma Bridgewater , Laura Ashley plan along with a standard VQ edition .
It ’ll surprise how heavy the Hepburn Voice is with a heft to it that suggest a premium production that could hold a few bashes . Thankfully there ’s a grip to bear it .
It ’s attractively styled for the money . The rotary dials and buttons on the top surface all have a chrome finish and glint ; and though the Hepburn Voice is mostly plastic , the manipulation of PU leather feels stalwart and gives the impression of a high quality than its price indicates . There ’s a nice mother wit of feedback from the dials ( with lilliputian clicks as they turn ) , while the button are tactile and fend off a spongy , chinchy spirit .
Those button let in mogul , playback , cut skipping , mike and EQ adjustments ( bass and treble , which strangely are n’t in the app ) . Either side of the button are the telephone dial – one for source pick and another for bulk control ; while in the midsection is an head colour airstrip that show the current source – Spotify is green , Bluetooth is gloomy , Alexa is cyan and so on .
Around the back are physical connexion with a occupation out , aux input and USB embrasure . There ’s a power supply for connecting to the main that has a reach of a beat or so .
Features
There ’s Wi - Fi and Bluetooth support , the former allow forSpotify Connectfunctionality and hurl via the Amazon Music app . lamentably that ’s all the Hepburn Voice has to offer on the Wi - Fi front as neither Tidal Connect nor Chromecast are uncommitted .
Amazon Alexa is build - in and to specify it up you take to connect to the Wi - Fi through the MyVQ app . It take me a few attack before the app recognised the speaker system but eventually the two come home together . The Hepburn Voice can take its time to connect to the Wi - Fi each sentence it ’s powered on – I time it at about 33 second , which feels longer than it sounds .
Alexa can learn over tawdry medicine and from a distance , the example where I had to iterate a petition or command were few , as were the number of times where I had to raise my articulation . The microphones dependably honed onto my voice .
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The MyVQ app is similar if you ’ve usedTriangleorAudio Pro productswith the same layout and sections . pucker deep down are 10 presets with none on the speaker itself , a pick I think is sensitive .
While there ’s no Tidal Connect support , the app offers a selection of built - in cyclosis divine service , include Tidal , iHeartRadio , TuneIn , Napster , vTuner ( cyberspace radio ) , and Amazon Music . That ’s by no means a big excerption though .
The app also offers reservoir selection ( Wi - Fi , Bluetooth , lineage - in ) approach to configurations ( you could turn the Hepburn Voice into a personal hotspot ) , firmware updates , and alert clock configurations . you may view assault and battery life and play euphony to multiple verbaliser – as long as they corroborate the MyVQ app .
VQ rates the barrage fire life as 8 hour , but stream from Spotify at somewhere around 50 % bulk , I ’d say you could eke out more . The built - in battery offers the convenience of placing the Hepburn Voice around a house or in the garden , and if it requires recharging there ’s the main force line . you may also power another machine ( tablet , smartphone ) through the USB port .
Sound Quality
VQ bigs up the Hepburn Voice ’s sound calibre in its promotional materials , highlighting its Dual Ultra - Wide Full Range loudspeaker , and its “ innovative ” digital sound processing . So it ’s with some dashing hopes that the VQ Hepburn Voice ’s audio is its weakest part .
It ’s a speaker that sounds better at higher volume than low-spirited though it ’s best to avoid going full whack as the speaker trades detail for loudness . Regardless of its volume level , it ’s a loudspeaker system short of detail , limpidity and definition . The Hepburn Voice ’s placid output is the character of sound suited to background hear rather than anything more focused .
It features a effective sense of dynamism in bounding between placid and flash , and vocals come through clearly enough . The soundstage is as wide as the verbaliser itself , so there ’s a decent two-channel core with songs that take advantage of it . Though it ’s not the most elaborated listen , as I mentioned , it ’s hunky-dory for a effortless session .
But given the pomp and ceremony VQ pass on the Hepburn Voice , the audio quality is a neglect opportunity . Bass is lacking on Rihanna ’s Pon de Replay – low frequencies do n’t provide much deepness or baron making for a tame public presentation . castrate the bass EQ does n’t impact thing greatly , nor does the treble button .
double note sound tame in GoGo Penguin ’s Raven , lacking brightness and bite which give the top ending of frequency range a clinical , lacklustre tone .
vocal music are break precedence in tracks such as Vampire Weekend ’s A - strong-armer or Chaka Khan ’s say Me Something dear , but the smoothness of the Hepburn Voice ’s level-headed results in a deficiency of definition , heartiness and clarity . There ’s a want of refinement here that smothers voice and instruments . irrespective of the musical style , everything sounds similar .
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Circumstances do n’t exchange much on a Bluetooth connexion , which go quieter than the Wi - Fi connection and ask rear the volume to full to get the best public presentation . I ’d say there ’s somewhat more detail and definition on a Bluetooth connection , and a degree more composure about the Hepburn Voice ’s audio but there ’s no beating about the bush – this speaker ’s auditory sensation is no more than average .
Should you buy it?
The Hepburn Voice dishes out the elan with a handsome aspect at an low-cost price .
It lacks detail , clarity and bass . The Amazon Echo 4th Gen is a saucy choice
Final Thoughts
I did n’t have large expectations for the VQ Hepburn Voice but I was rootle for it to be a good alternative to Amazon ’s Alexa orbit . While its looks are first class and its functionality self-coloured , the audio is n’t up to par .
It ’s a better listen than the BoomBocs Studio I reviewed and if you are break for an Alexa powered utterer , theAmazon Echo 4thGenis still available . If you ’re happy lose Wi - Fi and Alexa , there areportable speakerssuch as theCleer Scene , Soundcore Boom 2and JBL Flip 6 ( which we ’ve not critique ) that are similarly priced option .
Some will get laid the aesthetics of VQ Hepburn Voice but for me , phone is master reasonableness why you corrupt a speaker and the Hepburn Voice finds itself lacking in that section .
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How we test
We essay every wireless verbalizer we reexamine exhaustively over an lengthy period of clip . We employ manufacture standard tests to equate features properly . We ’ll always differentiate you what we observe . We never , ever , assume money to reexamine a merchandise .
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FAQs
You do need to do - up an Amazon account to get approach to Alexa , otherwise you wo n’t be able to use it with the Hepburn Voice speaker .
Full Specs
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