GEAR4's StreetParty Compact Takes to the Streets- But Leaves Some to be Desired
GEAR4, an audio company from the United Kingdom, decided to expand into the U.S. market and get in on the growing market of Apple iPhone and iPod gadgets. “We know that people love to take their music with them, and we are providing solutions that make it easier than ever to listen to music anytime, anywhere,” said Tom Dudderidge, CEO of GEAR4. “It’s not always enough to have your headphones and an iPod, and these portable docks offer serious sound quality for any occasion.” The line-up ranges from $49-$150 and we decided to take a look at the lower end of that range: meet the StreetParty Compact
The size certainly grabbed our attention, as the ultra-compact design fit easily into our palms and was portable enough to take anywhere with us. An included power supply powers the speaker while charging our iPhone or iPod battery. We enjoyed listening to our tunes knowing the battery wasn’t being drained while doing so. You also have the choice to power your StreetParty Compact from four AAA batteries, and the unit looks pretty nice and feels solid.
As much as we loved the convenience and reasonable price, we have tried quite a few docks and one important quality wins out- sound. Our verdict: decent for the price, but the bass left much to be desired and the volume was barely enough to fill our dinky apartment. Simply put, it didn’t offer much power.
The Compact can definitely fill a niche for those of you wanting to charge your batteries while still offering at least clear sound. If you have a little more dough to spend, definitely check out the rest of Gear4’s StreetParty lineup. The most expensive and the largest is the Explorer-SP which is a lightweight speaker for your iPhone or iPod at $149 which includes a lithium-ion battery and a fast-charge feature. You get 10 hours of play for 2 hours of charging. A decent trade-off if you ask us.
The StreetParty Size0 is a backpack-friendly speaker dock that is only 16 mm thin and less than a pound. It a good middle-ground at $99 and definitely easy to tote around. It is also worth mentioning the previously-reviewed Altec Lansing iM5 which was sleek and sounded great, but also offered extra features- so you can output photos, add a subwoofer, and even input from an extra source- and even comes with a full set of international adapters.
