GEAR4 BlackBox

The basics

The GEAR4 BlackBox is a Bluetooth stereo speaker system. It can be used as speaker for Bluetooth enabled phones, laptops, mp3 players and the iPod. The GEAR4 has a simple and sleek design that features 24W speaker output, blutetooth transfer technology, hidden LED displays, touch screen control panels and upgradeable firmware.

The good

The beautifully simple wireless voodoo of Bluetooth never fails to astound us. Combine that with the unbelievable good looks of the iPod and we're sure something sinister's afoot here. The BlackBox from GEAR4 has the ability to pair up with any device with A2DP stereo Bluetooth, enabling you to stream tracks sans cables. “But the iPod doesn't have Bluetooth”, we hear you cry. Well, we hooked ours up to GEAR4's own BluStream TX dongle (around £40) and it worked a treat...

The bad

...Or at least it would have if Bluetooth worked - our connection kept dropping whenever we got more than six metres away. Also the sound quality wasn't up to much. It's got more bass than a fish farm, and it's more woolly than a sheep-sheering convention. Don't even get us started making analogies on the lack of crispness and clarity in the highs and mids.

The bottom line

It's a shame, because this is a little stunner. But if David Beckham's taught us anything, it's that just because it's good-looking doesn't mean it sounds great.