Billed as the speaker that looks and sounds perfect in every room, ‘Clint Audio’s latest offering to the wireless speaker market is the Freya 2.
Freya 2 is part of the ‘Asgard’ range of wireless speakers. Named after the home of Nordic gods and goddesses, the speaker’s design and usability are based on the godly characteristics of toughness, endurance and power:
“Freya is a petite and propitious goddess admired for her love, beauty and especially her appreciation of music”
The Danish company’s mission is to go back to basics with design and functionality and this is certainly reflected in the robust, simple and elegant look of the Freya 2.
The front grille that wraps effortlessly around the cylindrical shape is striking and the colouring of the unit is entirely contemporary. The front grille reminds you of the exhaust on a big American truck. With this almost industrial design and varying colours, you get the feeling that these speakers are both masculine and feminine.
You get the colour options of Misty Green, Dusty Rose, Olive Green, Marsala Red and Powdery Blue. Menstylefashion were also supplied with the special edition, Midnight Black with copper.
How Does It Work?
The operation buttons are located on the top. Although there is no specific power button, once initially charged you simply hold down the play/pause button for power. Nice and simple. It’s the same with the initial connection to your device. Just hold down both volume buttons for a few seconds and you’re there.
As the speaker is searching, the front line of indicator lights shoots horizontally up from the base of the unit until a connection is made and it then lights in a solid formation. Kind of reminded me of ’ Kit’, the car from my 2nd favourite 80’s TV series, ‘Knight Rider’; Voicing the words, ‘Hello Michael’ to the full leather-clad Michael Hoffman, aka ‘The Hoff’. Really cool.
Once turned on a kindly yet firm sounding female audio message tells you that its either searching for a device or that the device is now connected. The connection from your phone or device is a true plug and play. You turn the Freya 2 on let your device find it and you’re effortlessly connected. Or if you’re really technophobic, Clint audio has helpfully built in an audio jack and provided the necessary jack lead.
I share my four-story townhouse with my family of four women all of whom have varied music tastes. In my house, we have a couple of blue tooth speakers and our main living area has a blue tooth connection device connected to our amp and wired in speakers.
On a Sunday we try to enforce a no TV rule and listen to our local radio station playing rare disco funk to ease us into a lazy Sunday afternoon. On one of these Sundays, I replaced my stereo speakers with two of the Freya 2 to get a true feeling of sound in a classic home environment.
The Sound
I started with Alberosie’s live version of ’International Drama’. The track goes from classical opera to Reggae in the course of a four-minute track. The punchy base intermingled with the clarity and tone required for classical music and the Reggae deep and clear with bass more than evident and with no distortion. The sound is balanced and has a real depth, given the size of the device.
Singularly, the Freya 2 is clear and punchy and the bass evident. Perfect clarity and velocity for a rowdy or quiet dinner party, depending on how much volume you need. It really was punching above its weight.
Pairing the Freya 2 is an altogether different sound. Set at the same position as my usual home speakers and at high volume the sound is balanced and clear. You can feel the bass in your ears rather than your body. Kind of like walking into a night club before it kicks off.
When walking around the house and in or out of range, the Freya 2 flawlessly connects or disconnects as required or reports with the audio voice that you need to reconnect your device. Our recent party guests found it easy to connect, which is ideal for when you have that annoying person who always wants to DJ….
In a busy home, these speakers really work. When used as a single unit in a teenagers or parents bedroom, even at a low to medium volume the sound fills the room yet is unobtrusive to the rest of the house. When paired together in a room you have fully functioning house party speakers.
The Freya 2’s are perfectly sized, are light and can be easily handled due to the matt paint finish. Put in a tote bag for a speaker on a beach or for a party at home the Freya 2 make the difference to any environment, both for sound quality and look.
The Freya 2 are certainly an eye-catching choice for the more discerning audiophile and at a retail price of around £150.00, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth.
Specification
- Wireless Bluetooth speaker with built-in battery (2600mAh) for up to eight hours depending on usage
- Weight 1kg. Dimensions: Height 210 mm x diameter 100mm
- 7 Watt amplifier with DSP for optimum sound performance
- Wireless technology supported: Bluetooth (TrueWireless)
- USB port can handle up to 5v 2.4A output power
- Eco save function – FREYA will go to auto standby if not used for 20 minutes
