REVIEW

Quintijn Bulterman | 03 September 2020

SUMMARY For the young generation, music has to pop. With that in mind, the Belkin Soundform Elite hits the nail on the head. We just miss the opportunity to add a little more nuance to the â ???? boomâ ????.

PLUS POINTS Design Wireless Charger Devialet Sound MINUSES Price No adjustment possible for the level of the â ???? boomâ ????

At Belkin you think of chargers, charging cables, adapters and n covers for tablets. And yet we have a smart speaker from the brand here. The thought behind it is not even surprising. With a real audio brand, Devialet, Belkin has brought in a ton of knowledge. Is that crazy? No, absolutely not – we see such a partnership between two manufacturers more often. But how does the result sound?

Belkin has been around since 1983 and has grown with the production of computer cables. Based in the technology hub of Los Angeles, Belkin continues its mission. Although a few brands have been added since that time and they have not only made computer cables for a long time. The Linksys and WeMo brands also belong to the Belkin International banner. The latter focuses on smart home technologies, with a platform for lighting and electronic and household equipment. And then a smart speaker suddenly starts to sound a bit more logical. Certainly when we say that the cooperation partner is Devialet, in the world of hi-fi certainly no stranger .

A 3-in-1 product Anyone who thinks this is just another smart speaker, like many others on the market, will come home from a rude awakening. It is a wireless (hi-fi) speaker, a voice assistant and a wireless charger. These are three products, combined in one housing with a suggested retail price of 299 euro.

Charging and the voice assistant are a nice addition to the whole, a great relief. Talk to it and the Soundform will talk back. But the sound quality is of course what we are most curious about. There are two things that stand out about that sound. A technique called Speaker Active Matching (SAM®) technology, no doubt known to Devialet enthusiasts, and the so-called Push-Push configuration. Two woofers are used to counteract vibrations and produce a deep bass.

The SAM technique must ensure a crystal clear sound, ‘just as the artist intended’ you know. When we take hold of the speaker, we feel that it is by no means a light unit. That is promising. The design is very neat. There is a speaker fabric around the speaker and at the top we see a sloping plateau to charge a telephone. We also see a few touch controls at the top. We see a control for Bluetooth, volume, play / pause and microphone. The connection for the power cord is a neat part of the design. This is how we like to see it.

Music Pleaseâ ?? ¦ Connecting and installing the speaker is easy via the Google Home app. Once installed, streaming to the Belkin Soundform Elite is a breeze. Stream via Spotify or just give a voice command to turn on Q Music, that’s all it is.

We set up the Belkin Soundform Elite in the kitchen. Exactly the place where we normally charge the iPhone or iPad. When we hear a first random song on the radio, we are surprised by the sheer amount of bass produced; really seriously low. We can immediately conclude that one of the promised techniques works.

We then decide to stream some music via Spotify. Four LED lights are incorporated under the fabric at the front. These can indicate the status of the device, but now indicate the sound volume when we turn it up or down. If we put on something completely contemporary, ‘Banana â ???? Conkarah feat Shaggy ‘, then the kitchen is immediately transformed into a party zone. There is so much BOOM in that little thing! (). With that, the Belkin Soundform Elite shows that there is a clear preference for music, which is confirmed when we listen to more pop and electronic music.

Just ask if the Google Assistant wants the latest episode of The Boom Room (SlamFM) play. For the techno and house music lovers, this is what should be listened to. And here the Belkin indeed shows that the speaker is completely delighted. A little rock also pumps away nicely. ‘Greta from Fleet â ???? Highway Tune ‘sounds good, but there is a limitation. The volume should not exceed 70 Ã 80 percent. If you come up here, it can get a bit sloppy. The layer, on the other hand, remains neatly in line. We must also admit that the volume up to 80 percent is more than adequate for the kitchen or even a small living room. And if we compare that with Sonos, for example, a Sonos One certainly does not reach this level of low. It would be nice to be able to switch the layer technique on or off with a software button. Suppose you need something more calm and quiet, then all that BOOM is not necessary.

For the audience Belkin wants to reach and the opportunities you get for 299 Euros, it is fine though.

Final Verdict The Belkin Soundform Elite is a fun wireless smart speaker with a built-in wireless charger. We can clearly hear that Devialet has contributed to this. The bass is impressive and very suitable for pop, rock or electronic music. There is really BOOM in it. This will also appeal to a specific target group. Belkin therefore focuses on the younger generation who want to stream music easily and simply. With that thought, we can imagine that a Belkin Soundform Elite is playing in the living room or in a bedroom. This target group just wants the music to be nice and full and pumping, and that is exactly what is happening here. An audio product that matches what a target group wants to hear; Â if you can find yourself in that image, then the Belkin Soundform Elite is definitely worth checking out.

Conclusion For the young generation, music has to pop. Thanks to Devialet that is all right. This target group does not want large pillars in a living room, but does want the accessible simplicity of streaming music and the nice extra to charge your phone. With that in mind, the Belkin Soundform Elite hits the nail on the head. Or it asks the Google assist to do it. We just miss the opportunity to add a little more nuance to the â ???? boomâ ????.

Belkin Soundform Elite

â ?? ¬ 299 | www.belkin.comÂ

Rating: 4/5