Hands-On: HUAWEI Sound X, a Wireless Speaker with Remarkable Bass
In recent years, we’ve seen all sorts of speakers flooding into the market, but most of these are lower end devices which offer nothing but a voice assistant and mediocre sound in exchange for their relatively low price.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to see the HUAWEI Sound X putting the focus firmly back on audio quality. Huawei has co-engineered the Sound X with Devialet, and the French audio giant has certainly brought a lot to the table. Powerful subwoofers, SAM® (Speaker Active Matching) bass enhancement technology, and Push-Push acoustic configuration combine to deliver a high fidelity audio experience. The Sound X also showcases handy features like OneHop Audio Sharing, so you get a good experience as well as fantastic sound.
Superior bass: Subwoofers and SAM® technology
As any audiophile will tell you, powerful bass can improve any genre of music by enriching the tapestry of sound and enhancing the sense of rhythm. Lossless music, when played through subwoofers, simply makes for a more immersive listening experience.
To achieve the best possible bass effects, Huawei has fitted the Sound X with two customized Devialet subwoofers which fill any normal-sized room with surging and powerful sound. Theoretically, the size limitations of Bluetooth speakers take a toll on the quality of low-frequency sound. But the Sound X makes up for this with its magnetic rare-earth materials. It can hit amplitudes of up to 20 mm, so it’s certainly not lacking in the power department.
I tested the Sound X with Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy in a regular-sized living room. With the Bluetooth audio volume set to about 50%, I could hear the tune clearly wherever I was in the room, with the sound output fluctuating between 65 dB and 85 dB. I turned my phone’s volume to maximum, and the speaker hit highs of 109 dB (at 110 dB you begin to feel uncomfortable, while 120 dB is equivalent to an electric saw). So whether you’re kicking back on the sofa or dancing vigorously, the Sound X will provide the perfect backing track.
As well as its powerful volume, the bass produced by the Sound X is boosted by Devialet’s SAM® bass enhancement technology. This means it can adapt sound signals in real-time to match the specific characteristics of the speaker, and ensure that the acoustic pressure reproduced by the speaker precisely matches the original recording. As a result, when you listen to music, it’s like you’re right there in the place where the track was originally recorded.
For anyone who doesn’t know Devialet, it’s one of the world’s top professional audio brands, and has played a key role in the advancement of acoustic technology, thanks to over a decade of relentless R&D. Devialet’s goal is to make immersive, distortion-free Hi-Fi audio universally accessible, so it’s no surprise that Huawei wanted to recruit the brand to co-develop the Sound X.
In practice, the bass produced by the Sound X can hit as low as 40 Hz, which really does shake you to the core. Details of the bass parts in The Who’s My Generation which I don’t get when I listen with my earphones are faithfully and meticulously reproduced by the Sound X. The drums are hard-hitting and the bass is booming.
Hi-Fi stereo sound: Crisp highs and rich midrange
In addition to remarkable bass, the Sound X also delivers crisp treble and rich midrange, which work together to create a 360° high-fidelity sound field.
Most speakers struggle beyond 8 kHz, whereas the Sound X hits as high as 40 kHz. In terms of distortion, maximum sound pressure (the Sound X can reach a staggering 93 dB), and gain flatness, the Sound X performs admirably. Even when you play faster paced songs, like The Strokes’ Reptilia or Juicebox, the vocals are crystal clear, and none of the songs’ detail is lost.
When it comes to nailing the perfect listening experience, the sound field is just as important as sound quality. Some speakers sound great in the store, but disappoint when you set them up at home. This is because the sound effect is affected by the environment where the speaker is located. This is true of the cinema, too. It’s only when you’re sitting in one of just a few seats that you get the full Dolby Audio effect. To tackle this issue, Huawei has fitted the Sound X with six powerful full-frequency tweeters, which are evenly distributed in a ring. This setup produces stunning surround sound effects, and you can hear high-fidelity sound radiating in a 360° sound field wherever you stand.
Design: A premium-looking speaker
Now let’s turn to the appearance of the Sound X.
The speaker has a sleek, black body. Its glossy upper part has been created using an advanced electroplating process. The interior is coated with premium, impact-resistant polycarbonate material which protects its components. The lower part of the speaker is covered in a fine mesh, which helps the audio signals move freely and sound clear.
On the top of the Sound X, there are touch-sensitive buttons which you can use to mute the speaker, configure the network, and adjust the volume. Around these buttons there are 12 RGB tri-color lights which spin and dance when you do things like use voice commands or pair to other devices. When you’re playing music, you can see the two subwoofers vibrating, and this stops dust from accumulating.
The Sound X also features OneHop Audio Sharing, so you can switch music or calls from your phone to the speaker with just one tap.
