This article is about neck speakers, a product I've wanted to buy ever since I learned about it on the TV show "Ame Talk."
The one featured on the program was a Sony product costing around 20,000 yen.
What I liked was,It doesn't block your ears, yet it's quiet and doesn't bother those around you, and it's wireless.Those are the three points.
To be honest, I thought the Sony products that were being advertised were a bit expensive, so I decided to try one out first and bought a 4,000 yen one from Amazon (as of May 2019).
conclusion
It gives the impression of being a product that is worth the price.
The only things that bother me are the audio delay and the sound leakage to the surrounding area, but otherwise, the usability is generally good.
I will discuss the detailed user experience later.
Product overview
The manufacturer is Doltech.
It has a plastic-like texture and undeniably feels cheap, but it's lightweight, so you don't feel any weight burden around your neck at all.
It doesn't seem very durable, so if you handle it roughly, it might crack or break.
If you have an average neck size, you should be able to put it around your neck through the opening.
However, since it doesn't have any adjustable features, it might not fit those who are confident they have a very thick neck.
To charge, connect the included USB cable.
It has a lid, but you can easily open it by pulling it with your fingernail.
Since it's located on the inside, I think it might be a little difficult to use while charging with a cable.
I doubt many people would use a neck speaker in that way, but...
The battery seems to last long enough to play continuously for about 12 hours.
It can be used after pairing with the base unit via Bluetooth.
Once paired, the neck speaker will automatically connect simply by turning it on.
I have it paired with my PC, and since my PC's Bluetooth is always on, it connects automatically just by turning on the neck speaker.
It has buttons for adjusting the volume, as well as buttons for play, pause, rewind, and fast forward.
Therefore, even when using it as a music player, you can perform the necessary operations from your fingertips.
Also, although I haven't used it yet, it seems to have a built-in microphone, so it can be used as a headset for phone calls.
My impressions after using it
As I mentioned in the introduction, the three things I was hoping for from this product were the following:
The key features are "not blocking your ears, being quiet to those around you despite not blocking your ears, and being wireless."
Of these, the expected result was not obtained regarding "being quiet around others."
Because the speakers are tilted slightly outwards, the sound I'm hearing can be heard by those around me.
Therefore, I think it's best not to expect much in terms of soundproofing for the surrounding area.
Upon investigation, I found that the same issue was present even with more expensive products from other companies.
It seems that this wasn't the original purpose, so this was a misunderstanding on my part.
Another point that unexpectedly bothered me was the audio delay.
Because the audio is transmitted via Bluetooth from the main unit, there is a delay between the audio and the actual screen display.
It seems that more expensive products rarely experience such delays, but this product is inexpensive, so I guess it's to be expected.
It's not noticeable when listening to music normally, but I think it would be jarring when watching fast-paced videos or playing games.
My way of using it
Well, I bought it out of curiosity, but to be honest, I haven't had many opportunities to use it in my daily life.
Currently, I mainly use it as an external speaker for my PC and to listen to baseball games playing on a radio playback app.
Since I don't usually use earphones or headphones, I feel like there aren't many situations where I could actually use them.
It also seems like it could be used as a headset for making calls on LINE or Skype, so I think it could be useful in those situations.
People who regularly use headphones or earphones can probably use this as a replacement for their existing headphones.
However, I felt that people who don't have that habit should carefully consider when and how they will use it before purchasing.
