I bought the AMP SP1 for use with audiobook playback after careful research on mid-size Bluetooth speakers. One of the most frustrating things I found when considering using a speaker for this purpose was how many of the models available would shut down if they hadn't received active audio for several minutes. Not when the Bluetooth connection actually breaks down, but when there is simply silence. That's supposed to save battery, of course, but what if the speaker is plugged in? Some of them even make it overly difficult to reconnect, for example you have to flip the mechanical power switch on the back and then press the connect button. annoyed! While I couldn't find an SP1 review that describes how it works, due to the lack of people complaining about this particular "feature", I gave it a go. and I'm glad I did. First, when SP1 is on, it stays on until you turn it off manually. Plugging it into a USB power source means it can stay on indefinitely. Second, once a Bluetooth connection is established, it will not be terminated. I keep my iPad connected to the speaker constantly for several days in a row - and even if the iPad sleeps for 12 hours, the connection still doesn't drop. After that, the pairing has to be re-established by pressing the middle button on the top of the speaker (at least the iPad redirects audio automatically without intervention). While it doesn't seem to automatically reconnect lost connections during normal operation, it does when it's first turned on. Please note that beeps will be played during power on/off and connection/disconnection. The volume of these signals is determined by the speaker's master volume, which is independent of the volume of your Bluetooth device. In terms of sound quality, it's honestly pretty good for the size of the speaker. Is it amazing, overwhelming with tons of bass and volume? Of course not - it's a tiny speaker! But the sound is much louder and better than the iPad's built-in speakers. For an audiobook voice, it's actually very good - maybe not as "clear" (read: harsh) as some people are used to, but it's a warm and tireless sound. The SP1 is solid and well built, with a nice thick rubber body. . While there are no distracting lights on the front, the entire power button on the right is transparent and illuminated in bright white or bright red. This can be annoying if you plan on keeping it activated in a dark button, since you can't cover the slide switch with tape. I also found that the rubber casing around the USB connector is a little thicker, which means that standard micro USB cables aren't too tight (e.g. connector in too far). All in all, SP1 is almost perfect for my purposes. The only things I'd like to see is automatic reconnection of dropped connections, the ability to disable or heavily mute the power indicator, and the ability to turn off beeps. From a design point of view it would be nice if it was stereo and maybe if there were media forward/back buttons.
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