Transparent is a Kickstarter success company that has a number of unique-looking, well performing, clear glass speakers that are as pretty as they are expensive. That's much the same with its latest release: The Transparent Light Speaker.
It's a wireless Bluetooth speaker with a unique, fire-light look and flicker, good sound quality, and a reasonable battery. With a price tag that reaches as high as $350, however, it's not the easiest to recommend for the more typical Bluetooth speaker virtues.
It sounds good, although not quite as good as other speakers in this price bracket. it has an IPX2 rating so has some water resistance, although nothing as sturdy as some of its more outdoorsy contemporaries.
And it supports Bluetooth 5.0, but there's no app support for EQ adjustment, and no option for voice controls.
What this speaker does that others don't is look gorgeous—in an eye-catching, piece of art kind of way. The combination of black aluminum casing and borosilicate glass—surrounding a collection of diffused LEDs that flicker in time to the music, looks quite beautiful.
Not every genre of music lends itself to the attempted hypnotic feel of the Light Speaker's emulated flickering, but some do. And the reflection off of the glass, the way the light bathes its surroundings, does evoke the feel of a naked flame like little I've seen before.
Transparent reportedly conducted a lot of research into how best to emulate a flame with LEDs and the result is very pleasing, though understandably most impactful in darker environments where it can be more readily appreciated. There are also options for yellow and stark white lights, adjustable with the turn dial. These can get very bright, so it's certainly possible that you could use this as a legitimate alternative to your phone's torch light if needed.
Sound quality on the Light Speaker is above average for most Bluetooth speakers, with a clear and warm sound that is head and shoulders above the comparably bassy mud of my first generation UE Megaboom. Bass is there, but not domineering, but the highs do overpower the mids enough that you miss some of that true depth of sound that the best Bluetooth speakers offer. That is especially prevalent when the volume is maxed out, where the 2.5-inch driver inside the Light Speaker loses a lot of its nuance in delivering a grand, but unexceptional sound.
There's no software or application to augment this speaker, which means there's no EQ adjustment possible if you want to tweak the sound to your taste, nor are there any voice controls. You can adjust the volume on your phone independently of the volume dial on the speaker, but that's it as far as remote controls. Still, Bluetooth pairing is quick and painless, and you can easily reset the speaker if you run into trouble with a long press on its Bluetooth connect button. Instructions for the whole setup process are neatly written on the underside in just a few steps — no extensive manual required.
Despite the lack of features, the ease of use and setup is a big win for the Transparent speaker, as there's no need to register your device (although you can) and no need to give over your details—you can just buy it, connect and start listening.
Battery life is said to last 10 hours, and at seven hours of mixed usage my pre-release unit is still going strong, with the battery light scale telling me I have two of its four LEDs to go. It's a little ambiguous, and I miss the percentage you might see on a connected app, but it's enough to let you know when it's running low. Charging via the USB-C port seems relatively fast, but I'm told it'll be faster still in the release version.
One small, but arguably important area that the speaker does fall down, is in its durability. Its IPX2 rating isn't enough for me to feel super confident using it outside, as a sudden downpour would leave me diving to cover it.
I also really wish Transparent had included some rubber grommets on the included carry handle. My review unit arrived with some glaring scratches on the black aluminum from where it had been previously fitted, and despite due care, the unpadded handle caused further scratches when I reattached it.
If I had spent $350 on this, I'd be mad. Not to mention if I'd bought two to take advantage of stereo mode, which some other publications have said does unlock a new level of auditory enjoyment. That's a little rich for my blood, but then spending $200 on a Megaboom felt decadent to me, so perhaps I'm not quite the target audience for this type of speaker.
If you are, though, then there's a lot to like about it. It promises a gorgeous, flame-like light show that quietly flickers away to your music, and it absolutely delivers on that front. It promises great sound, and though it doesn't match some of the best speakers at this price point, if you're the kind of person who would pay for a speaker simply because it looks this good, it probably sounds good enough.
Transparent also makes the promise that thanks to the Light Speaker's modular construction, it will be entirely upgradeable and repairable in the future. If the glass breaks, wireless technology improves (or indeed, you scratch the casing when installing the handle) it should all be replaceable and upgradeable. Purchased Transparent Lights will all ship with a repair manual and a detailed list of specifications and components, enabling the more technically minded users to repair and upgrade the speaker themselves.
Within the warranty period, repairs can be completed by Transparent free of charge, and outside of it, it promises it isn't "looking to make a profit," so may well replace broken components at cost. It will maintain localized repair centers in the U.S. and Europe.
The Transparent Light Speaker is a beautiful accessory to augment your home, but it is a costly one. If you like good sound, but don't have an audiophile's ears and want a truly eye-catching device to exist within your heavily curated selection of furniture, gadgets, and digital devices, there's little better. Just be aware of what you're paying for. Shipping starts this December, and you can pre-order one now.
