Owning a UE Megaboom 3 means that Chris and I rarely reach for any other portable speaker when on the go. Sure, it’s a bit cumbersome and is far from the latest and greatest, but we can’t deny that it sounds really good for what we use it for. So when Kevin approached us to review the TOZO PE1, we had our reservations. Surely, with such a small form factor and equally small price tag, it couldn’t be all that impressive? Let’s just say we were pleasantly surprised.
First Impressions
Packaging is nothing fancy here; nothing else in the box besides the PE1 itself, a rather short USB A to C cable and a quick start guide. You’ve got a few different colour options, being black, blue and red.
Right from the get go, the PE1 is tiny, coming in at only 178g. It’s no bigger than the size of my palm, though the carabiner-style clip does protrude out from the body quite a bit. The front is a mesh fabric, with the rest being 50% recycled plastic with a rubber ring around the base and physical buttons. Despite this, the PE1 feels very sturdy and high quality, so we’ve got zero worries about the longevity of this speaker. USB-C makes an appearance too, but no wireless charging for the 1,200mAh battery.
Setup
The PE1 is as plug and play as it gets for a Bluetooth speaker. You’ve got your standard media and volume controls which work well. There’s also a dedicated pairing button and LED indicator, so no need for a cryptic quadruple tap here and there hoping you got the sequence correct; thanks TOZO! Better yet, there’s a companion app to update the PE1 and EQ it if you’re not a fan of the out-of-box sound signature, but it’s by no means mandatory.
Sound
Chris and I have spent the better half of a month with the PE1 by now, and we’ve put it through its paces; around and out of the house, in the car and so on. We also have A/B’ed with our Megaboom and the value proposition here is truly outstanding.
Right off the bat, Chris and I love how the PE1 sounds bigger than it actually is. Tozo claims the 43.5mm dynamic drivers are capable of delivering a ‘concert-like’ listening experience and honestly, you can get surprisingly far with just this speaker.
The PE1 sounds pretty darn good; a balanced sound signature and presentation that will be suitable for most environments and songs. The bass is exactly what I want from a portable speaker; thick, booming and impactful that really give the PE1 a full-body sound. It’s definitely not as bloated as our Megaboom, so it won’t fill up a room as easily but it’s still a very fun experience. Listening to tracks with a heavy kick-drum or prominent bass line at a high volume will literally shake the PE1, a testament as to how loud the speaker can get!
The top end of the PE1 is a bit less exciting, but is still a pleasant experience; clean and not sibilant by any means, even at higher volumes. It does lack the ‘airiness’ or treble extension that some tracks require but will be more than enough for party or casual settings. The mids are a bit recessed if anything, so vocals do take a back seat in the mix–keep this in mind if you’re planning to use this in large crowded areas. Also remember that the PE1 sounds best with it facing you; the top end rolls off and loses its edge if it’s not. It doesn’t stand up by itself either–you’re going to want to prop it up against something for the best experience.
Features
Despite its low price tag, the PE1 does offer quite the feature list. A big one is its IPX8 certification; this means it’ll continue kicking even in complete underwater submersion up to 1 metre for half an hour (not that it’ll sound very good at the bottom of a pool). You won’t need to baby this thing around whether that’s on a rainy day, in the shower or by the beach.
Confusingly, the Amazon listing for the PE1 claims a 32 hour battery life, whilst TOZO’s website only claims 20; either way, this rivals and even beats many other portable speakers with similar or bigger footprints (and price tags). Keep in mind you’ll want to keep this thing charged up the best you can–we’ll explain why a bit below.
You will also find a microphone on the PE1 itself, meaning voice assistant activation and taking phone calls through the speaker if need be. Not a feature we found ourselves using all that much, but a nice touch should you need to use it. Same story for the stereo pairing mode, a feature that allows you to hook up two of these for a stereo experience which would be handy for those needing to fill up a big room with sound. There’s also no ‘intercom’ feature that you’ll find on certain other speakers but not a dealbreaker.
The PE1’s Bluetooth 5.4 connection remained steady and without hiccups throughout our testing which was good to see; it pairs and disconnects almost instantly too, so minimum headaches in this department. You can also connect this to two separate devices for a multi-point connection of sorts, great for parties or carpooling. Though keep in mind it won’t pause the first device’s music if you start playing on a second!
Gripes
Something that we alluded to earlier is that the sound quality degrades when the PE1 is on low battery; you’ll know when this happens, because the sound turns compressed and ‘crunchy’. This isn’t an issue we’ve seen before on other Bluetooth speakers, so we thought we’d broken the unit the first time it happened.
Just a few other minor points;
- Chris would rather the carabiner be removable if you didn’t need it; it does stick out enough that the PE1 isn’t exactly pocketable, but really it shouldn’t be an issue for the majority of users out there.
- The PE1 won’t stand up by itself; a tiny built-in kickstand or a flatter side profile would have been nice, as you’ll want the PE1 facing you directly in order to give the best listening experience.
Conclusion
The TOZO PE1 stands out in a crowded space of Bluetooth speakers with its carabiner and very affordable price. Fortunately, and to our surprise, it does this without making any real sacrifices; we love its sound, the build is solid and it has a bunch of handy features that have actually been implemented well. This speaker will definitely continue to see its use in our household and when out and about; TOZO proves you don’t need a big name brand to make a quality product, and we’re all for it.
The TOZO PE1 retails for $49.99, however it is frequently on sale for just $36 from TOZO’s official website and Amazon.
We would like to thank TOZO for providing the unit for review.
