***Disclaimer: This is a review aimed at discussing the overall quality of the device. There will be no instructions on how to operate the device. Instructions are included, and are easy to follow.***
Build Quality/Design
The A225 Bluetooth speaker seems to be built of good quality materials. Robust soft to the touch plastic is used throughout the design. Burlap cloth covers much of the surface area, which serves the purpose of protecting the speakers, providing a non slip texture for handling, and a handsome design element. There is a rubber flap that protects the charging & aux ports.
The bottom of the unit features the Power/Bluetooth Pairing/Call Answer button, and a soft rubber ring to minimize vibration, slipping, and sliding.
The top of the unit features a touch screen interface that is used for the purpose of skipping tracks, as well as an indicator for power/charging. For skipping tracks, I found the interface to be quite responsive after getting used to the sliding motion needed to perform the operation.
Around the touchscreen there is a dial that is used to adjust volume. The volume dial is functional in both Bluetooth & Aux mode! I would have liked the volume adjustments to be more sensitive. It takes quite a bit of turning to adjust volume.
Lastly, the diameter of the unit is about the size of a regular soda can, which means that this unit will fit nicely in a car cup holder. Perfect for older and vintage vehicles equipped with stereos with no Bluetooth or Aux, or just convenient storage when driving any vehicle equipped with a cup holder.
Furniture equipped with cup holders might also provide convenient placement for the speaker.
In terms of the build/design there are a few issues I'd like to address
1) The usage of burlap cloth, even though it's a nice looking build and design element, I foresee issues with long term durability & cleanliness. Cloth can tend to fray with usage/handling, etc. over time. It will retain environmental smells, hand oils, etc. Any type of spills on the cloth that could occur may be difficult to clean.
2) The Power/Pairing/Call Answer button is inconveniently located on the bottom of the unit. I would have preferred this button to be located on the top of the unit.
Audio Quality
The A225 produces a good amount of volume for the size. One should have no problem filling an average sized room with sound. The sound of the unit is on par with similar sized/priced Bluetooth speakers. There is a bit of distortion at the highest volumes.
The sound overall is very midrange focused, and a bit harsh. I didn't find the sound overall to be too pleasing, but it was acceptable when you keep in mind the sound of similarly designed and priced Bluetooth speakers.
The Burlap cloth I feel wasn't the best choice in terms of acoustics, as I feel it drowns out detail in the sound overall.
Highs are rolled off quite a bit, bass comes across a bit muted, but bass is present in mid bass regions. If you pick up the A225 while it is playing music, you can certainly feel that there is quite a punch coming from the speakers, but that punch isn't translated into the sound very well or very much.
The box of the unit advertises that there is a bass port for "superior bass sound," but it's difficult to tell if there is any kind of porting due to the burlap cloth covering most of the unit. There are no visible ports. The burlap cloth could be impeding any porting that's going on.
Overall, I would have preferred a more "V shaped" response in the sound. More bass. More clarity but also more warmth in the midrange. More highs for a more open and clear sound overall.
Archeer is advertising the A225 with a claim of surround or 360 degree emanating sound. I do find that the speaker does a good job of filling an average room with sound, but this claim isn't altogether accurate.
There is basically regular left and right speakers in the unit and they are positioned to project audio out sideways. It does do the job of filling a space with audio a bit better than front firing speakers, but the sound doesn't emanate from all around the speaker. The front and back of the speaker have a noticeable zone where audio is more quiet, flat sounding, and the imaging just seems off.
The sound of the unit is better enjoyed from a bit of a distance due to this. Having this unit right in front of you on a desk or table might have you hearing and feeling some spacial oddness with the sound. It takes some getting used to.
A major issue with the audio that needs to be fixed
When in Bluetooth mode, if there is silence or very low passages, the audio cuts out, and cuts back in abruptly when sound starts or is elevated again cutting off the first little bit of audio that comes back in. I'm guessing this may be the result of an ill implemented power saving feature.
This is most noticeable when switching tracks, or after the silent spaces between songs right when a song ends and the next one begins. The beginning of the forthcoming audio will be cut off. It happens every time, so having a smooth album listening experience is impossible if there is silence anywhere in the album.
If one listens to something like audio books this might become quite irritating as when the voice talent takes a natural pause in speech, audio cuts, and the beginning of the next word is slightly cut off and audio is abruptly back on. It's a jarring experience.
This issue may happen with other content such as movies and youtube vids. Basically anything with silence or barely audible passages.
This issue also happens when on calls. Since I'm mentioning this in the general audio section of the review, I will not be mentioning it in the Bluetooth section, but it's something to keep in mind.
Archeer really needs to fix this issue. It's a major oversight from my perspective.
With that being said, if you primarily listen to pop music or other sources of audio without many or any silent passages, or are not really bothered by a bit of abrupt audio, it might not be that big of a deal to you if you are satisfied with the general quality and the price you spent on the unit.
This issue is not applicable in Aux mode.
Bluetooth
Overall, I found Bluetooth quality to be very good. The range is as good as most other quality Bluetooth devices. I experienced no random audio drop outs when in the proper range. Pairing went smooth and fast. Automatic reconnecting with the last paired device worked quickly and flawlessly. Switching music tracks with the touch interface worked fairly well and smoothly.
When using the speaker in Bluetooth mode to hear the audio in video content, I found the sync of audio and images to be quite good.
Bluetooth calls were suitable in terms of hearing the speech on the other end. Audio could have been a bit clearer, but I had no trouble understanding what was being said.
Mic quality is average. The general consensus on being able to hear my voice was that I was clear enough, but even if I spoke very close to the A225 it still sounded like I was a distance away. Less than ideal speaking situations may be a challenge.
***I do not own an NFC capable device so was unable to test that functionality***
Battery Life
I found the advertised battery life of 6 hours playback to be probably fairly accurate. I did not accurately time my usage between charges, but it was certainly around that time frame.
I do think that compared with current Bluetooth speakers that battery life is a bit on the short side. I would have liked the A225 to have at least a few more hours of battery life. Twice the amount of play time would have been ideal.
Conclusion
The A225 is a nicely designed and fairly well performing speaker in it's price range. It certainly isn't perfect by any means. There are definite flaws. However, I see this as being a good purchase if a good deal is available, if one is willing to overlook some of the flaws, or is needing a cheap speaker for certain situations.
