HP Roar Travel Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Grey/Yellow)
by people ...
Product Specifications
Audio by HP gives you rich, authentic sound on the go. Just connect your favorite device through Bluetooth, and rock on.^This battery lasts for up to 20 hours of seamless streaming, so you’re never cut off from your music. The built-in power pack keeps your mobile devices charged effortlessly.^The unique cable management system keeps cables stored inside the device, so no matter what you’re charging, you’ll never get tripped up by stray wires.
Product Description
The all-new HP Roar Travel is ready to take on tour. It’s a premium Bluetooth speaker with a battery that will let you stream music for up to 20 hours. It’ll even charge your mobile device, and has a unique cable management system that stores cables within the device. Hit the road in style.
Product Reviews
some good ideas, but misses on sound quality (especially at this price)
Some good ideas, but the sound quality is disappointing for the price. What follows is a summary of pros and cons, followed by a longer, more detailed comparison against three similar products: the Bose Soundlink Color, SoundBot SB571, and Outdoor Tech Buckshot Pro.Summary:* Built-in cable storage on one end of the device is certainly handy.* Overall lightweight and very compact, making it easy to pack and carry for travel.* Easy setup and connection, Bluetooth worked well with iPhone 6 and other iOS devices.* Overall sound quality is very disappointing for the price. If you’re looking primarily for a good-quality speaker, look elsewhere.* The built-in charging cable is very short (6 inches). Without a USB extension cable, it’s pretty much impossible to use the device while it’s plugged in, unless it’s literally right next to a power outlet, or you’re charging from the USB port on your laptop.* Just a word of warning: it doesn’t come with a charger, just the built-in USB charging cable. A separate charger will be required for wall outlet charging. I don’t consider this a serious flaw, since many devices are sold like this now, but it is something to be aware of.*** Detailed Review and Comparison with Bose Soundlink Color, SoundBot SB571, Outdoor Tech Buckshot Pro ***Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the sound quality. There’s very little bass, and mid-tones are thin. Vocals are clear and crisp, highs are good to okay. The overall volume is also disappointing for the size.I compared sound quality directly against three other portable speaker devices: the SoundBot SB571 (http://amzn.com/B00MITLPX2), the Bose SoundLink Color (http://amzn.com/B00N32ICIO), and the Outdoor Tech Buckshot Pro (http://amzn.com/B00UMP7TDY).In terms of price, the HP Roar is closest to the Bose. (At the time of this writing, the HP Roar lists for around $100 on Amazon, and the Bose is about $30 more.) But that’s where any similarity ends. The sound quality of the Bose is in another universe. If all you’re looking for is a portable Bluetooth speaker, the Bose is the clear winner over the HP, hands-down. Keep in mind, the Bose doesn’t offer the speakerphone or portable charging functions of the HP Roar, so if those are important to you, read on.In terms of sound quality, the HP is closest to the SoundBot SB571, which costs about 1⁄5 as much (around $20 on Amazon at the time of this writing). Even at this much lower price point, the SoundBot absolutely dominated in terms of bass, and was significantly better in the areas of maximum volume and overall sound quality. The SoundBot also offers the speakerphone functions of the HP Roar, so no advantage there.Which leaves only one reason you might choose the HP Roar over the SoundBot (or Bose, for that matter): the option to use the device as a battery backup to charge a mobile phone (or other mobile device). In this regard, the HP Roar is most like the last of the three products I compared it to directly, the Outdoor Tech Buckshot Pro. Both offer a speaker, speakerphone function, and mobile charging option.In my comparisons, the Buckshot Pro was the only device the HP Roar beat out in terms of sound quality. The HP Roar has clearly superior sound. So if sound quality is important to you, and you need a speaker that can double as a backup battery/charging device for your mobile phone on the go, the HP Roar might be the better choice.To be fair, though, the Buckshot Pro does have one additional function the HP Roar doesn’t offer, namely a flashlight/lamp with four different settings. It’s a surprisingly handy feature, and pretty cool to have. The Buckshot is also shock-, dust- and water-resistant.Bottom line, I’d have a hard time recommending the HP Roar to friends, unless their needs were squarely centered on a lightweight, packable, portable Bluetooth speaker with okay sound and the ability to top up their mobile phone charge on the go.
Standard HP Roar speaker
This is a standard HP Bluetooth speaker, which means that is an okay but not an outstanding speaker. It seems to me that the HP line of Bluetooth speakers are primarily designed for non-audiophiles who just need a speaker. If you compare the reviews for the same HP speakers on the Amazon website and the HP website you will understand what I mean. The average rating on the HP website is usually a full star higher than the ratings on Amazon for the same speaker. This HP Roar Travel model is no exception. It is a nice product but not exceptional other than its battery life, which is claimed to be 20 hours but my usage has not exceeded 15 hours before recharging was necessary. The built in charging cable is short but still a nice touch. The lack of a charger is disappointing given the retail price of the product. I would recommend the Denon Envaya Mini over this HP product, provided you can get the Mini for 100 dollars. Unfortunately, the Mini sells for around 150 dollars stateside but you may be able to get it directly from a European vendor for around 100 dollars. Some specs for the HP Roar Travel are: Wattage - 2.7W RMS - 15W peak per channel (X2); Frequency response - 80 Hz to 16 Hz; and Sound Pressure - 95 dB SPL. Bluetooth connectivity worked fine for me on two Apple products, iPhone and iPad, with no issues.
HELLO BY ADELE
I received the HP Travel Wireless Speaker from Vine.I desperately need a speaker for my tablet and laptop. When I opened the HP speaker I found I had to charge it up first. I looked over the instructions and played with the speaker for a bit. I had to use the Audio port because my laptop doesn’t have Bluetooth. I tested the speaker with the New Adele CD “Hello.” The reason being, I have another speaker that makes a terrible noise when Adele hits the high notes: I had to keep the speaker turned down. I Hated that. With the HP Travel Speaker the audio is so CLEAR, I can play it normal or loud and actually hear the words. I love it. The HP Speaker works via Bluetooth with my ipad mini, which is great because I can barely hear the tablet speakers.I’m happy with the HP Travel Wireless Speaker and I’m not saying that because of Vine. It’s really a clear speaker. The music travels through the house, and when I’m outside I can hear the music across the yard, I think the HP Roar is picnic and party ready.***NOTE: IF YOU WANT THE MUSIC REALLY LOUD TURN THE VOLUME UP ON BOTH SPEAKER &THE TABLET/PHONE/LAPTOP YOU ARE USING… . The music is louder but not distorted.When you turn it on a voice says HELLO. When you turn it off it says GOODBYE. And when the battery is low the voice says BATTERY IS LOW.
At this price point, there are better speakers
I wanted to find a blue tooth speaker for my granddaughter to take to college with her. The HP Roar is very lightweight and portable. The rubber casing is very handy to prevent it from wobbling doing use and also makes it very steady to use on the dashboard of her car.There is a built in cable storage at one end that makes packing it quick and easy. Speaking of that cable, it is super short, just 6” so it’s virtually impossible to use when you have it plugged in.I was somewhat surprised to find that it didn’t come with a charger. Really not that big a deal since our house is crawling with them, but be forewarned.It connected easily to her iPhone 6 and we’ve had no problems with it.However, the sound leaves something to be desired. It isn’t very loud at all. We have three other blue tooth speakers and everyone of them has better bass and overall volume than this one. Two of them are lower in cost as well.At a lower price point, this is an acceptable speaker. But at $100, there are better options
Thin Sound
When I opened the package of the HP Roar Travel Wireless Speaker I was really impressed by the thoughtful design and feel of the speaker - including the in device cable storage.
Portability is the plus, sound it rather meh
There are two things that recommend this speaker:1) It is highly portable2) it is wireless/bluetooth capableOf the two things, the portability is the best…
Higher price doesn’t always mean high quality
Pros:* Rubbery body keeps it from sliding around* Built in kickstand that slides flat against the body when not in use* Attached charging cable can be tucked…
Strange thing, though with utility
Its a strange little thing. At its best, it’s a battery for your phone, with a speaker tacked on. The speaker isn’t great quality, but gets loud enough for say a picnic or just…
Clear but not “loud”
This product seems inventive on several levels. I like the cord system. It’s just one less thing to have to track.
I can give this three stars…not quite four. Portable and easy to use, but the sound quality is nothing to write home about
Okay, I give this HP Roar Travel a whopping three stars. Why? Well, the directions are pretty non-existent.
Middle of the road
This is by no means a terrible product but it’s somewhat lackluster. What you get with the HP Roar is a curiously designed wireless Bluetooth speaker that maybe should have come…
Can’t turn up the volume enough for my taste
comments powered by DisqusI really wanted to like this speaker because I could sit it on top of my dashboard and it would not slide around due to the rubbery outside texture but the volume is very low,…
