Boston Acoustics has come out with a great midrange Bluetooth speaker system that sits on your table and pumps out quality sound. The MC100 Blue is an attractive tabletop speaker that also has NFC technology built-in for easy pairing with your wireless device. The Boston Acoustics MC100 Blue retails for $149.00 and can be found at many online retailers.
The MC100 Blue packs two 3.5-inch drivers into this compact speaker system to deliver full sound throughout the room. The great thing about this speaker system is that the volume does get satisfyingly loud, so that you can hear your music across the room. The MC100 Blue also features Boston Acoustics’ patented BassTrac technology that dynamically adjusts the level of bass based on the volume of the speakers. This allows the system to pump out great sounding bass levels no matter how high or low the volume on your speaker is.
The Bluetooth performance on the speaker was really good, as I was able to bring my phone across my entire house before the signal finally became poor. Pairing was extremely easy, as I just plugged in the speaker, turned on Bluetooth on my phone, clicked “Boston MC100Blue” in my Bluetooth menu and I was paired instantly. The MC100 Blue also has Near Field Technology (NFC) built in for instant pairing. However, since my phone does not have NFC capabilities, I was not able to test this feature.
Boston Acoustics has also included aptX technology in the MC100 Blue, which is an audio compression codec that allows for CD quality sound via Bluetooth streaming. This is a feature known to be included in high-quality Bluetooth peripherals. However, aptX is only available if you’re streaming from a device that supports aptX. According to Wikipedia, my iPhone does not support aptX streaming so I have not been able to test how this compares to normal Bluetooth streaming. Some of the popular devices that allow for aptX streaming are: Samsung Galaxy S, HTC One smartphones, Motorola Droid RAZR smartphones, and computers running Mac OSX.
Visually, the MC100 Blue is extremely attractive and well designed in a clean and minimalistic style. The speaker system is wrapped in a sleek black color and the materials are definitely high quality. The face of the speaker is tilted back so that the buttons on top are not visible from the front as well as allowing the speaker to better project the sound throughout your room. All you see on the front is the speaker grill and the Boston Acoustics logo. The only color you’ll see on the front of the speaker is blue LED indicators behind the speaker grill that light up only when you’re changing the volume or using the remote control. The buttons on top of the speaker also light up in blue and are very attractive. The back of the speaker contains the AC power jack as well as a reset button and holes used to mount the speaker to the wall. The speaker also has Aux-In and headphone jacks hidden on one side. The speaker system itself measures 6 by 15.75 by 5.28 inches (H x W x D) and weighs 4.5 pounds. It’s fairly large, however it’s not meant for travel. The MC100 Blue also comes with a small remote control that has the following functions: Power on/off, volume up/down, mute, Bluetooth pairing, aux, play/pause, stop, and skip back/forward.
The sound quality is very good, especially based on the price of the speaker system. While you won’t find audiophiles raving over the sound quality on the MC100 Blue, it is great for casual use around the house or office. The MC100 Blue pumps out the bass admirably at the low-end and the high-end sounds good as well. There is an extremely slight hollow tinny sound that you’ll typically hear on some mid-to-lower end speaker systems, but it’s very minor and it’s to be expected at this price range.
Overall, based on the cost of the unit, features, sound quality, and look of the MC100 Blue, I would definitely recommend it to friends looking for a speaker in this price range. If you’re looking for a mid-priced Bluetooth speaker system with good sound, remote control, and a great look, you’d be hard pressed to find something better than the MC100 Blue.
Boston Acoustics’ MC100 Blue can be purchased at many retailers for $149.00, including Amazon.
MSRP: $149.00
What I Like: Good sound quality; Attractive; Great price point; Bluetooth and NFC capability; Remote included
What Needs Improvement: A Slight improvement in sound quality could really boost this speaker to a must-have
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample