Comparison Bang&Olufsen Beolit 20 vs Bang&Olufsen BeoLit 17

— Mono. The simplest type of acoustics is a single-channel audio system equipped with one speaker. Of course, there is no question of any volume of sound.

— Stereo. Acoustic system equipped with two speakers responsible for the left and right channels. Allows you to create a minimal illusion of "surround" sound by simulating the displacement of the sound source in the space in front of the listener.

— 2.1. A system of two stereo speakers that create a minimal illusion of "surround" sound, and a subwoofer that provides powerful and rich sound at low and ultra-low frequencies.

A band is a certain part of the frequency range reproduced by the acoustic system. In single-way acoustics, only universal speakers are used that are responsible for the entire operating range. The presence of several bands means the use of specialized speakers, “sharpened” for certain frequencies: for example, in two-way speakers, separate high-frequency “tweeters” are most often provided, and in three-way speakers, frequencies are divided into low, medium and high.

For different frequencies, the optimal speaker design will also be different; thus, the multi-band design allows to achieve better sound quality. On the other hand, single-way speakers are lighter, more compact and less expensive.

The SPL (Sound Pressure Level) parameter determines the sound volume of portable acoustics. This indicator is expressed in decibels (dB). The higher the SPL, the louder and farther the sound produced by the speaker travels. It is important to consider that decibel is a non-linear quantity. In other words, increasing the volume from 20 dB to 40 dB or from 40 to 80 dB does not mean increasing it by 2 times. Therefore, when making an assessment, it is most convenient to refer to comparative tables of noise levels in special sources.

Initially, sound transmission via Bluetooth provides a rather strong signal compression, which can greatly spoil the impression when listening to music. To eliminate this shortcoming, various technologies are used (the most popular of which is the aptX codec). Of course, to use any of the technologies, it must be supported not only by acoustics, but also by the Bluetooth device with which it is used.

— aptX. A Bluetooth codec designed to greatly improve the quality of Bluetooth audio. According to the creators, it allows you to achieve quality comparable to Audio CD (16-bit/44.1kHz). The benefits of aptX are most noticeable when listening to high-quality content, but even on regular MP3 it can provide a noticeable improvement in sound.

aptX HD. This codec is a further development and improvement of the original aptX technology, which allows you to transmit sound in even higher quality — Hi-Res (24-bit / 48kHz). According to the creators, this standard allows you to achieve signal quality that is superior to AudioCD, and sound purity comparable to wired communication. The latter is often questioned, but it can be argued that, in general, aptX HD provides very high sound quality. On the other hand, all the advantages of this technology become noticeable only on Hi-Res audio — with a quality of 24-bit / 48kHz or higher; otherwise, the quality is limited not so much by the characteristics of the connection as by the propert...ies of the source files.

aptX Low Latency. A specific variation of the aptX described above, designed not so much to improve sound quality, but to reduce delays in signal transmission. Such delays inevitably occur when working via Bluetooth; they are not critical for listening to music, however, when watching videos or playing games, there may be a noticeable out of sync between the image and sound. The aptX LL codec eliminates this phenomenon by reducing latency to 32ms, a difference that is imperceptible to human perception (although it is still too high for serious tasks like studio work with sound).

— AAC. A codec used primarily in Apple portable technology to improve Bluetooth audio. In this sense, it is similar to aptX (see relevant paragraphs), but noticeably inferior to it in terms of capabilities: if the sound of aptX is compared with Audio CD, then AAC is at the level of a medium-quality MP3 file. However, this is quite enough for listening to the same MP3s, the difference becomes noticeable only on more advanced formats.

— LDAC. Sony proprietary Bluetooth codec. In terms of bandwidth and potential sound quality, it surpasses even aptX HD, providing performance at the Hi-Res level of 24-bit / 96kHz sound; there is even an opinion that this is the maximum quality that it makes sense to provide in wireless headphones — further improvement will simply be imperceptible to the human ear.

— Speakerphone. The ability to use portable acoustics as a hands-free system for a mobile phone. In this mode, the acoustics are connected to the device via Bluetooth, and the voice of the subscriber at the other end of the line is output not to the phone speaker, but through the speakers of the acoustic system. This is often more comfortable than holding the phone to your ear; in addition, the speakerphone is useful if several people need to participate in a conversation.

— NFC. NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology (about 10 cm). It allows for many uses, but in portable acoustics it is usually used as an addition to Bluetooth, which makes it easier to set up a connection. For example, a smartphone with an NFC module can simply be brought to a speaker with the same function — and both devices will automatically recognize each other, while the user will only have to confirm the connection.

— Multipoint. A technology used in Bluetooth models that allows the speaker to connect to multiple devices at the same time. Thanks to this, you can, for example, listen to music from a laptop, and when a call is received on a mobile phone, switch the acoustics to a conversation. This technology has its own characteristics for different manufacturers, and therefore, if the multipoint function is critical for you, you should separately clarify the details of its operation in the selected...model.

— Synchronization of speakers. The model supports the ability to synchronize the operation of several speakers connected to one signal source. This solution allows you to realize truly stereo sound, improve the quality and power of sound reproduction, as well as expand the stereo panorama. The only thing is that both speakers must support the appropriate connection type. Different brands may have their own speaker interconnection technologies (JBL Connect, JBL PartyBoost, Sony Party Chain), or maybe a universal TWS.

— Mobile application. The ability to operate the functions and settings of portable acoustics through a mobile application for a smartphone or tablet. Communication between the device and gadgets is usually carried out via the Bluetooth wireless protocol. The proprietary software may provide tools for flexible sound settings (equalizer, bass boost, etc.), managing wireless connections, selecting a sound source, etc. Also, through a mobile application, it is often possible to update the firmware of portable acoustics.

— Vibrospeaker. A kind of portable acoustics that uses external objects as a sound emitter — tables, window panes, etc. In simple words: in order for such a column to sound, it must be fixed on another object. However not all of them require fixing on an external object — some practically do not differ from ordinary portable acoustics, and the “vibration” function is provided as an additional option in them.

— Light effects. Such effects can be different — from the simplest set of light bulbs flashing at a constant frequency to advanced colour and music systems that produce multi-coloured patterns in time with the music being played. Anyway, this function carries more entertainment meaning and does not affect the sound of the device.

— Mini-Jack output (3.5 mm). A connector designed to output an audio signal from a speaker system to another device — for example, a stationary audio system with a mini-Jack (3.5 mm) line input. Note that the signal level at this output is low, and it is impossible to connect passive acoustics directly to it — you need to use an amplifier.

— For headphones (miniJack 3.5 mm). A specialized headphone output, made in the 3.5 mm mini-Jack format — this is the standard used by the vast majority of modern "ears". Headphones can come in handy in a situation where loud sounds are undesirable (for example, in a living room at a later time) — or vice versa, in noisy environments where the sound from the speakers is simply not heard.

— Hours. A traditional clock is a device for displaying time. They are not a "vital" function for portable acoustics, but in some cases it is faster to look at the time on the speaker's dial than to look for another clock.

— Alarm clock. Classic alarm clock — a sound signal at a user-defined time, which can be used both for getting up and for other purposes. Must be combined with a watch (see above). The specificity of alarm clocks in portable acoustics is that they allow you to use a certain song or even a radio station as a signal.

Theoretically, a higher capacity allows to achieve greater battery life, but in fact, the operating time also depends on the power consumption of acoustics — and it can be very different, depending on the characteristics and design features. So this parameter is secondary, and when choosing it is worth paying attention not so much to the battery capacity, but to the directly claimed operating time (see below).

Operating time of a portable audio system without connecting to an external power source (network or USB port, depending on the capabilities). Note that manufacturers tend to indicate battery life in their specifications under optimal conditions for energy saving: at low volume, without using additional functions, etc. Therefore, in fact, this indicator may be noticeably lower than the claimed one, and speakers with a long operating time will not sound at full volume for the specified hours.

The time it takes to charge a fully discharged device to 100% charge.

The presence of a standard connector for charging.

- microUSB. One of the miniature versions of the USB connector, still popular in portable gadgets, despite the emergence of a more advanced USB-C. It has relatively modest capabilities (in particular, it is inferior to USB-C in terms of the maximum possible charging power), but this moment is rarely critical. At the same time, there are a great many cables and chargers for microUSB.

— USB-C. A relatively new type of USB connector, actively gaining momentum. Like microUSB, it is small in size, but has a more convenient reversible design and advanced features, such as the ability to transmit higher power, which has a positive effect on charging time.