With sound a bit warmer, this Sony SRS-BTM8 Bluetooth and NFC speaker is almost perfect. The sound suffers from the small size of the device, which is however very well suited to travel.

The promise

This speaker independent (it can operate with batteries) Sony SRS-BTM8 is compact and compatible with Bluetooth / NFC. It can therefore take in the garden, on a patio or on vacation, and quickly connect (wireless) to a smartphone or a tablet. It is equipped with a microphone to also serve as handsfree.
Reality

The Sony SRS-BTM8 portable speaker features a design to say the least. Very flat, it looks like a small handbag with a handle to move easily. Especially easy it is lightweight (only 1kg). The main originality: the Sony SRS-BTM8 has an area of NFC to facilitate pairing with a Bluetooth enabled smartphone. So, after downloading an Android app – iOS (Apple system) does not support the NFC! – Just put your mobile on the top of the enclosure to handle the pairing. The last played audio file with Google Play is then automatically restarted.
20 hours of battery operation!

SRS-BTM8 is powered by an AC adapter or four AA batteries (housed in the enclosure door is easily accessible). Good point, measured excellent battery life, slightly higher than that announced by Sony: 20 h 17. Nothing to spoil, power consumption, once the speaker connected to the mains, is among the lowest. Control buttons in Sony SRS-BTM8 are easily accessible on the metal hoop. In addition, an auxiliary audio input is placed at the back of the speaker, always practical to connect a multimedia device not Bluetooth. But it is better to send to the chamber music stored on your smartphone or portable media player through the wireless communication technology.

A balanced, but a little cold

Sony SRS-BTM8 delivers a pretty good given its size. The overall balance between treble and bass is pretty good. Only regret the bass is somewhat recessed, which means more or less depending on the cut. This translates into music that sometimes lacks heat and momentum. Finally, when a smartphone is connected via Bluetooth to the speaker, you can take a call without taking it out of your pocket, pressing a button on the chamber and speaking into microphone. The quality is so good.

The verdict

In the end, Sony SRS-BTM8 ranks among the five best mini speakers till to this date and it deserve the tag of recommendation, moreover the price of this mini portable speak is around €100.