Aukey is well known for producing a wide range of solid electronics at affordable prices. From USB-C adapters to action cameras, Bluetooth headphones to home speaker solutions.
Recently I’ve been using two of the company’s Bluetooth speakers: Eclipse and Bass Station. Eclipse is a straight forward portable Bluetooth speaker coming in at reasonable $50. Bass Station is a dual-function home speaker system and portable Bluetooth speaker in one coming in at $80 and we’ve also got a coupon code just for 9to5 readers making these even more affordable.
Materials & Build
Eclipse
Aukey’s Eclipse Bluetooth speaker comes in one color: black and gray. The majority of the speaker is covered with a clean and simple black woven fabric that gives it a subtle look that fits in most anywhere you’ll use it or place it. A rich gray (a few shades darker than Apple’s Space Gray) is used for the base and the side firing passive subwoofers.
In the box along with the Eclipse speaker is a micro-USB cable for charging, 3.5mm aux cable, and documentation.
Eclipse doesn’t feature water resistance and is more focused on being a solid, affordable speaker for dry environments (AUKEY’s SoundTank does, although it’s less powerful).
The play/pause, volume, power, and mode buttons are seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the speaker, while the micro-USB charging port, aux port, and single LED charging status indicator are on the rear.
Eclipse (and Bass Station) feature a 2-year warranty, which is mostly unheard of in comparison to similar products. Another useful feature found on Eclipse is a built-in microphone for phone calls and functionality like Siri.
Bass Station
This versatile speaker also comes in one color: gray and silver. Its exterior mostly consists of plastic which, doesn’t feel as solid or luxurious as high-end speakers that feature metal builds, but it still has a clean, modern look and good feel. Just like the Eclipse, Bass Station includes a micro-USB cable for charging, 3.5mm aux cable, and documentation.
The head unit/portable speaker features a volume rocker button on top, as well as physical buttons for changing modes and pairing. There is a BT/AUX input indicator and a charging status light on the front of the speaker. It has a fixed silicone handle for ease of switching between portable and docked modes.
Dimensions and Battery Life
Eclipse
Eclipse weighs in at just over 1.8 pounds (816 grams) with dimensions of 8.3 x 4.5 x 2.5-inches (211 x 164 x 64mm). It’s a little bulkier than something like Logitech’s UE Boom, but it’s still easy to take on the go.
Eclipse sports a robust 4,000mAh battery that pumps out over 12 hours of playtime. While 12 hours is a solid amount of playback, one downside of this speaker is the battery takes about 4 hours to charge from empty to full.
Bass Station
The full Bass Station tips the scales at just over 6 pounds with dimensions of 5.9 x 5.9 x 15.9-inches. The portable portion of the speaker on its own measures in at 5.9 x 5.9 x. 5.3-inches and has two 2,000 mAh batteries, giving it the same capacity as the Eclipse speaker, but it translates to less playback with about 8 hours of music when used wirelessly.
In Use
Eclipse
The Eclipse speaker has two 10W drivers and two passive radiators on each side and puts out a good amount of volume.
As for sound quality, the Sonos Play:1 has become my gold standard for compact speakers, so I usually look to that as my yardstick. Keep in mind, the Eclipse speaker comes in at 25% the cost of a Sonos Play:1, yet it delivered more than half as good of sound quality in my testing.
Eclipse does well with high and mid frequencies and like most portable, compact speakers, struggles a bit with the low end (but that all depends on what speakers or system you’re used to using).
Audio quality seemed to be the best in my testing with the Eclipse around 60% volume, as anything more created distortion. Eclipse uses Bluetooth 4.2 and also has an aux jack for using a variety of input sources.
Like some more expensive speakers, there isn’t an app available with an equalizer, or for customizing any of the speaker’s physical buttons. However, I don’t find this to be an issue.
Bass Station
The larger and more versatile of the two, Bass Station offers greater output and flexibility. The portable speaker portion of Bass Station features two 7.5W drivers with a passive radiator. When it sits on top of the Bass Station base the output gets a boost to its low-end with the 10W 4-inch subwoofer.
What I enjoy most about the design of the Bass Station is that it’s seamless to dock the portable speaker with the base. It uses pogo style pins to connect and bring richer audio while also charging the two 2,000mAh batteries. You can also power the portable speaker via the included micro-USB cable
As you’d expect, Bass Station puts out more sound and a bit better audio quality than the Eclipse, but not by a whole lot. I’m not sure if that makes the Eclipse seem more impressive or the Bass Station somewhat underwhelming. Again, I think I’m bit ruined by Sonos speakers as Bass Station is considerably larger than a Play:1, but doesn’t bring the same caliber audio, and I was hoping for a bit more power from the subwoofer.
However, when you look at price and versatility, Bass Station is a compelling offering. With Bluetooth and an AUX input, a home speaker system and portable speaker in one with good audio quality, $80 is a great value.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for good sound quality at really affordable prices, Aukey’s Eclipse and Bass Station are great options to keep your jams going at home and on the go.
Even better, Aukey is offering 20% off for 9to5 readers (from 8/7-8/13) bringing Eclipse down to $40 and Bass Station to $64, use coupon code AUKEY925 at checkout.
Buy Aukey’s Eclipse on Amazon
Buy Aukey’s Bass Station on Amazon
FTC: Electronicsforward is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links
Subscribe to the Electronicsforward YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!
