Polk Audio Camden Square Wireless Portable Speaker

I purchased 4 Portable Bluetooth Speakers ranging in price from $79 - $129. As always, reviews without context are rather useless for me as it's impossible to establish a baseline. So while this review can hopefully stand in isolation, it's also heavily contrasted against 3 other bluetooth speakers:1. Klipsch KMC1 @ $1292. Polk Audio Camden @ $903. Klipsch GiG @ $804. Bose SoundLink @ $129CONNECTIVITY and USABILITY: The Camden Square constantly "searches" for Bluetooth so there's no button to push or hold. The moment I turned it on, my iPhone found it and it connected immediately. Less than 10 seconds and no buttons. I DID experience a few hiccups later on where music was "skipping" while streaming via Bluetooth (the only one to do so) but I'll report more later if it becomes a concern. There aren't many extra features on this (no USB charging like the KMC1, not swivel arm or volume knob like the GiG, and no sleek plug like the SoundLink. BUT, the dedicated buttons on the front make up for it. I probably wouldn't use those other features much, but I'll use buttons EVERY day and the ability to change tracks and volume and play/pause will come in handy. Still, would've been nice if this too came with a USB charger as the battery (and weight) seem like they could charge an iPhone 10 times and still have hours of listening time. This thing is hefty too, feels like there's a high-quality amplifier and large battery inside.PORTABILITY and STYLE: I wasn't entirely sold on the styling of this, it's probably not a love it or hate it type of styling, but more of a really like it or indifferent. I was the latter, though I wouldn't have chosen it first. The leather binding around the sides is a nice touch as is the built-in handle on the back of the speaker. Kind of funky retro. Looks better in bathrooms and kitchens too (that white grill). This feels less like an indoor speaker than the KMC1, but still feels a little too nice for say the beach. Seems like something you'd take glamping. But, given the fact the battery life is reported to be 24 hours at medium volumes, I guess it's the MOST portable as you don't need to charge it as often.SOUND: the sound quality is really good! FAR better than the Bose SoundLink and the Klipsch GiG. It's easily the loudest speaker of the 4 I tested and can easily take whatever you give it (so long as you're not expecting it to put out loads of bass). Still, the bass output is solid (though not nearly as strong as the Klipsch KMC 1 was a little too bass-heavy while this was more accurate. It easily filled up my living room (16' x 19' and vaulted ceilings) with music. One reviewer said it's not loud "enough." While I trust it's how he feels, it's hard to evaluate what that means. This EASILY puts out twice the output of the Bose SoundLink (without distorting) and the Klipsch GiG, and about 15% more volume than the Klipsch KMC1. It's loud enough to shower, with a ventilation fan running, and singing along while STILL being able to hear the music clearly above all the noise. It's loud enough to fill a bedroom with "adult" (parent-level) listening volumes. Do me a favor: turn on your iPhone 6 (or whatever...doesn't matter), play a song, and turn the volume all the way up. If we were to call that volume a 2/10 (meaning everyone in the room can easily here it, and still enjoy it) then the Camden would be a 9/10. The KMC1 would be an 8/10. The GiG would be a 6/10. The SoundLink would be a 5/10. Two smaller (4" woofer) home stereo bookshelf speakers would be a 13/10. You can't compare battery-powered, portable speakers to actual stereo systems. For the size and weight, the Camden is impressive. I also own a Tivoli Radio and this FAR outperforms it. As I said in the KMC1 review, this Polk Audio Camden FAR outperforms the Bose SoundLink. The SoundLink gets distorted very quickly (even at upper-medium volumes), it doesn't get very loud, and it's not very clear. To me, the SoundLink is on par with a baby monitor, or those old rectangle cassette recorders found in classrooms in the 80's and 90's. There's not separation of treble, midrange, or bass... it's all just one muffled sound. It's not BAD, but it's not good. Anybody who says the SoundLink sounds great either hasn't A/B tested against other speakers, or works for Bose, I promise you.BATTERY LIFE: After owning this for a little over 1 month now I feel I can accurately comment on the batter life. It's incredible. The reported "24-hour" battery life (from a single charge) is no exaggeration. I listen to the Camden every day in the morning (at near 80-85% max volume) for approximately 25 minutes and again sporadically throughout the weekday nights (also at high volumes). And I'm listening to woofer-driving music, not NPR. Still, I can go 3 full weeks without having to charge it. I love the infrequency of required charges bc you actually REMEMBER when you last charged it (since there's no battery meter). Even after a week of use, I don't have any battery-life anxiety over bringing it down to the beach with me to use for 3-4 hours. It just keeps going.CONCLUSION: As of right now, I'm keeping the Polk Audio Camden. Sure, the styling isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided to buy a bluetooth speaker, but after awhile it sort of grew on me. The sound quality isn't as rich as the Klipsch KMC1, but it still sounded great. Plus, the overall output level is higher and it was difficult to make this thing distort. The front-facing buttons are very useful and include PLAY/PAUSE, VOL +/-, and TRACK FW/BACK!! Given it's weight it does seem less portable than the Klipsch GiG and the Bose SoundLink, but it does have a convenient indentation handle on the backside. It doesn't feel like the outer shell will break easily, but it's difficult to review durability this early on. I've seen this listed for close to $200, but I got mine on Amazon for $90. For $90, it's an absolute steal and easily worth 50% more (especially if the battery life tends to hold to its claim).ADDITIONAL COMPARISONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OBSESSIVE PEOPLE LIKE ME:If I could build my own, I'd take the styling and sleekness of the Bose SoundLink, the volume/battery/controls of the Camden, and the tonality and USB charging of the KMC1. But I'm buying this for sound quality, portability, usability, and battery life and the Camden easily tops them all when you average these 4 categories. Price didn't factor in my decision -- I'd have easily paid $129 for the Camden -- BUT the fact it costs $40-50 less than the SoundLink and the KMC1 is absolutely crazy. If you can get one for less than $100, then take my word for it and go for the Camden as nothing under $100 (or even $150 when considering battery life) can come close. If you don't need as much volume, don't mind slightly less-convenient controls, and want a tone monster get the KMC1.My home audio equipment includes pretty high-end B&W speakers in one room, high-end Paradigm towers in another, with boutique-quality integrated amplifiers -- I'm not easily impressed, wouldn't actually buy Polk Audio home speakers, and resisted buying a battery-powered speakerfor fear of low sound quality. If you have high standards yet still want portability, the Camden is as good as I've found. It almost competes with the Sonos Play 1 and those don't have to house expensive, space-stealing batteries.

I would never buy a wireless speaker especially in this price range without listening first. One day while in a local store I was putting a bunch of speakers to the test with my music and accidentally found this speaker. I really liked the design, the look, it certainly stood out from the other models.It is a bit heavier than some other portable speakers, but has a handle built in the back for easy carrying.This speaker has a very long battery life at 24 hours and delivers on that, I use it a lot and have only charged a few times.This speaker packs a punch, very loud, we use it in the back yard all the time. The sound field is very wide, and the music is as it should be, nice bass, clear, crisp, responsive, and pleasing. The speaker delivers at all volume levels, and is close to perfect.The controls are easy to use and the app works great. The DJ app allows for users to enter a playlist so you can share your music. This speaker pairs easily and the sound is so good I use it often when watching movies on my ipad.I was not thrilled at the price at the store, although I know this speaker is well worth it, I watched it on Amazon for a while and got lucky with a huge price drop and I purchased.Was at a pool party one time and a family members Bose SoundLink 3 battery died, we used the Camden Square which could have played until the next day, and the sound was louder and the quality in my opinion better. This speaker is one of the best in it's class.

I listen to new age, ambient, chill, jazz, and rock music at low to medium levels. I found that the sound was clear and detailed at low to medium high volumes, and found the bass to be adequate, even at low levels. I have not tested this, but I doubt the maximum volume of the speaker is enough to be heard over the conversation at any significantly large gathering. But it will fill a room with music that can be heard in the next room.The Polk Icon flashes three times when you reach maximum volume. The Polk Icon also continually flashes if you bring the volume below the minimum. There is an annoying loud beep when you turn the speaker on.It's easy enough to connect with bluetooth. But I do experience occasional drops which require me to reconnect the speaker. I have not had time to determine if the root cause is the speaker, or my phone. The fast forward/back/stop buttons work as expected.The manual does document that the speaker will not come fully charged, but the speaker charged quickly enough. I have not yet let the battery run down, so I cannot confirm or deny the 24 hour estimate.I did not use the DJStream app can cannot comment about that.The speaker has considerable weight at 4 pounds, and size 7 inches squared, at so I am not sure how many people will be slinging it around in backpacks. It is a well built speaker and feels solid to grasp. The built in handle makes it easy enough to carry around the house with one hand.It is not weather resistant, so take it outdoors only under dry conditions.I took a 1/2 star off because of the bluetooth drops, and another 1/2 star off because I do not think it can be played sufficiently loud to be a party speaker as Polk implies. But I am happy with the speaker and would re-purchase as long as the price remained in the under $100.00 USD range.