The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus is a much larger unit than the functionally-similar iClever IC-BTS02 speaker that I reviewed recently. It is still a portable device that will fit in most bags however. I was pleasantly surprised to find a soft black carry pouch inside the box which makes it easy to take the speaker with you without risking damage to it.
The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker
The speaker uses Bluetooth 4.0. Pairing with it is as effortless as any modern Bluetooth connection. Simply select it from the list of available devices in the Bluetooth settings of your phone, tablet or other music player and the connection will handle all the legwork.
The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker
The Inateck’s design is geared towards rugged durability. The front of the device contains the red speaker grille, adorned with black stylized stripes. Unlike the iClever that I reviewed, Inateck’s unit has two speakers positioned a good distance apart so you get a more convincing stereo effect.
Finished in a soft-feeling plastic material, the speaker feels strong and yet lightweight. The angular design means that it has some very sharp corners though — you wouldn’t want to be holding it for too long.
The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker
The top panel houses a multi-purpose button used for playing and pausing music and handling Bluetooth connections. The right side contains the power switch, charging port and 3.5mm audio in port if you don’t want to play music wirelessly. An indicator light on the front shows the current Bluetooth connection status.
Like the iClever, the Inateck can handle calls with a builtin mic. Should a call come in while your phone is connected to the speaker, you will be able to accept it by pressing the main button on the top.
The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker
The sound quality of the speaker is very good. I tested it in a quiet place at home as well as a noisy outside environment. The Inateck’s volume consistently held up well and the device remained audible at all times.
The speakers are rated at 3W each, creating a total sound output of 6W. This is more than enough volume to fill any room with sound and the speaker was easily heard at all times even when outside.
Generally, sound quality is very good. I did notice that it began to lost some fidelity when pushed to maximum volume though.
Additionally, although the speaker produces very strong treble tones, the bass is often lacking. This is the exact opposite issue to what I found with the iClever. With that speaker, the bass can drown out the treble. With the Inateck, sometimes there isn’t enough bass to accompany the treble.
This wasn’t always an issue but it was definitely there. I also used the BTSP-10 Plus while watching a film on my Lumia 1520. Dialogue sounded clear and accurate and the soundtrack itself also sounded clean and punchy. However, when it came to deeper tones, the Inateck sadly again failed to reproduce the bass as fully as I would have liked.
The Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth speaker
A Bluetooth speaker of this form factor is more normally used for casual listening to popular tracks though. For this purpose, the Inateck really found its sweet spot. The lack of bass wasn’t so noticeable here and I was pleased to find very strong reproduction of the mid-range across several different genres of music including modern tracks in the charts, country and blues hits and even soundtrack.
Battery life is also very good. The manual quotes the 2000mAh unit as lasting 5-8 hours after a 3.5 hour charge and this is around what I experienced. The actual battery life will vary depending on several factors including the Bluetooth connection strength and connected device type.
I am pleased with the Inateck BTSP-10 Plus. It is a larger and louder unit than the iClever I reviewed a couple of weeks ago with sound quality to match. Although I would have liked some more bass at times, the BTSP-10 Plus performed respectably in all of my test conditions.
The iClever’s tiny size makes it perfect for anybody who wants to listen to music through wireless speakers while only on the go. The Inateck’s larger size and generally superior sound quality would be the better match for those who will use the unit around the house for more serious listening too though. It currently costs £49.99 on Amazon in the UK, down from £99.99, or $49.99 down from $169.99 in the US.
