Miidio UFO – Mobile music can sound good!
There’s a lot to be said about the quality of music from mobile phones; and let’s be honest, the majority of it is pretty bad. The speakers are useless; the equalizers are generally programmed to sound as bad as possible, and in all, not many people like them.
I however, may have found a solution. It’s called the UFO, and it’s made by Miidio. As the name suggests, it looks like a UFO, but no where in size comparison. It’s smaller than the palm of my very small hand. Although, the weight of it is a lot more than you would expect; but then again, I’m always worried when speaker devices are extremely light.
It’s extremely cool, and for a music lover, I’m quite impressed. Okay, not exactly surround sound, and it doesn’t like some music, but I’ll save that for later. It’s perfect for small rooms, kitchens, and depending on who’s, a bedroom.
The design does make its look modern, but it isn’t ambiguous. It sits, does it thing (remarkably well for such a small device), and doesn’t make itself over-powering to the design of your room. However, I’ve found that for a device that’s meant to look cool, and Miidio have tried with this, it doesn’t stand out enough.
In my bedroom (which is a bit of mess), it didn’t really make its mark, and it blended in with rubbish that surrounds it. And for seventy pounds, I don’t think it should blend in with my clutter; I want it to be seen, and I want it to have an aura about it. Sadly it doesn’t.
The sound quality for the music lover is also not that riveting either. I agree that it’s brilliant for what it is, and I’ve heard far worse out of 2.0 stereo speakers, but it isn’t up to scratch. The bass is for the most part non-existent, and the treble is far too tinny. The middle sounds don’t have much power behind them, and the volume only distorts everything you hear.
I would also warn against listening to any Classical, dance, bassy, or heavy metal. It’s perfect for regular pop and general listening, as long as you’re not caught up about the up-most sound quality.
As for the placement of the device, let’s just hope you’re not one that doesn’t like to be told what to do. The UFO requires a good surface to work on, whether you like it or not. Unlike normal speakers, the UFO works off a vibrating base, which turns the surface it’s placed on as the speaker. I’ve tried it on a few, and I have to say, I don’t like the limitations. I’m currently listening to it on my computer desk, which is a tad cluttered, and it sounds terrible. On my kitchen floor, pretty amazing; on my drawers in my room, relatively okay. Carpet, solid wood, or even semi-hollow wood is a no go. I’ve found it works best on glass, but then again, not everyone has a glass surface to utilise for music listening in the room of their choice.
Due to the fact the UFO requires a platform to work, it isn’t portable; therefore totally useless for campers, festival goers, and I couldn’t test it for a sleepover either.
You can use with Miidio with a mains-supply plug, or through battery power. In all it requires eight “AA†batteries, but it also comes with a battery holder pack too.
I have a slight issue with the power cable, as it has released itself relatively easily, and it’s annoying.
Overall, despite some of its downfalls, I do like the UFO. It has a lot of possible potential, and I can see it being ideal for someone who maybe isn’t as picky as I about their quality of music. If you have it in the right place, it will work wonders too; and I believe its ideal for Kitchens, and probably a nice bathroom too. Sadly, it doesn’t combat the problem of mobile speakers out and about; but for your mobile, or MP3 device around the home, or say, a Hotel room, it’s brilliant. – 6/10
Check out Twisted Carbon to buy or read more. And my Flickr for some more pictures I’ve taken.
