Kitsound X3i review

No matter how much you love your mobile, the speaker on it is invariably going to be rubbish. Come on, even you ardent Hero and iPhone fans will have to admit that.

The Kitsound X3i is the antidote to that particular problem, offering a lithium-powered rechargeable speaker that offers 7 hours of playback between charges.

You charge the X3i by simply plugging it into a powered USB port, so while there’s no charger included, a standard USB connector is built into the retractable wire that’s used to connect the X3i speaker box to your source. There’s also an in-line remote along this cable.

Two one-inch speakers provide the sound, houses in a fairly petite, light housing. There’s a handy blue indicator light that tells you when the power’s flowing too, and an old-school switch at the back to turn the X3i on and off.

Now that we’ve got all the boring bits out of the way, how does the Kitsound X3i actually sound?

Well, pretty damn good actually. There’s not as much bass on offer as in the Kitsound X5 – and hardly any low-end at all compared with larger speaker systems – but for its price and size, the Kitsound is a sure fire winner.

Even after cranking up the volume to the max, both on the source and the X3i’s in-line control, there was hardly any distortion. Treble and mid-range quality was remarkably good too.

Unlike rivals such as the Veho 360 Spring Speaker, the Kitsound X3i didn’t break up at high volumes or become too shrill or sibilant. We were more worried about offending the neighbours than our senses – the Kitsound goes surprisingly loud if pushed.

While it’s no substitute for a ‘real’ speaker system or hi-fi, the Kitsound would do the job for an impromptu gathering or day in the park. The sound isn’t high fidelity as such, but it is far more listenable than we’re used to from dinky speaker sets like this.

Considering its sound capabilities and travel-friendly rechargeable battery, we only wish the Kitsound X3i was a little bit more rugged.

The build quality of the unit is perfectly fine, but for a peripheral that should be perfect for just chucking in a bag until needed the speaker cones are way too accessible. There are no grilles over these cones so a hearty prod from a stray object could mean game over for the X3i.

This does somewhat limit the Kitsound X3i’s uses, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a mini speaker set that sounds absolutely great for the money. We’re just waiting for that X3i rugged edition to turn up…