First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone! The only item I purchased during this year’s Double 12 sale was a Bluetooth speaker. I’ve used the UE BOOM before, but my needs have changed recently—I no longer prioritize portability or features like speakerphone calls. Since it stays in my office most of the time, I now place a higher priority on sound quality. So, during the Double 12 sale, B&W’s official flagship store had a discount: 500 yuan off plus a free official leather case, so I decided to buy it.
Two 2-inch full-range drivers plus two passive radiators deliver quite impressive bass.
On the back, there is a charging port, an AUX input, a USB port for firmware updates, and a RESET button.
On top, there are Bluetooth, volume, and play/pause buttons.
The honeycomb-structured edges provide greater stability.
Let’s start with the pros. First, regarding input sources: Bluetooth supports both aptX and AAC decoding, and then there’s B&W’s sound quality, which is truly impressive right out of the box. Although its soundstage and bass quantity fall far short of the MM1, compared to Bluetooth speakers from other brands, it is significantly better.
It offers 18 hours of battery life, and comes with a beautiful leather case.
Compared to the UE BOOM, this is a more dedicated speaker that supports better decoding standards and delivers much superior sound quality. The buttons on top can also control playback, pause, and skip tracks. However, it has a proprietary charging port and cannot be charged via USB; it is not waterproof and does not support phone calls. It feels more suited for connecting to a computer in a small space—if you take it outside, you’ll need to bring the power adapter as well.
As for the downsides: first, it’s a bit heavy; second, for some reason, every time I connect it to my Mac, the volume automatically maxes out, requiring manual adjustment before use—otherwise, it can be quite startling…
There are currently three main Bluetooth audio codecs: SBC, AAC, and aptX. In terms of sound quality, aptX is slightly better than AAC, while AAC is far superior to SBC.
B&The W T7 supports all three codecs. Currently, Mac supports all three, while iOS devices support SBC and AAC.
To check which codec is currently in use, hold Option and click the Bluetooth icon to open the advanced menu, where you’ll find the relevant information.
Photos in this post taken with a SONY A5100 + 35mm f/1.8, post-processed in Lightroom.
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