TDK Q35 Qi Wireless Charging Speaker cuts the cord

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Original article

TDK Q35 Wireless Charging Speaker – design and build

The Q35 undoubtedly has presence – it’s a chunky black block featuring TDK’s signature gold accents. A bold-as-brass analogue dial controls volume and other settings – as seen on the bigger Soundcube – while two buttons control Bluetooth pairing and treble/bass settings. It all feels reassuringly solid – and it’s IPX3 certified splashproof, so it’ll sit happily in your kitchen.

 

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Tucked around the back – discreetly hidden under a rubber flap – is a USB port for charging and an aux in socket. But if you’re planning to use them, what are you doing looking at a wireless charging speaker in the first place?

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TDK Q35 Wireless Charging Speaker – audio

The TDK Q35 packs in four full-range left/right speakers along with a ported subwoofer to bring the bass. While that omnidirectional speaker setup means it’s never going to be an audiophile’s dream, it does pump out clear sound with plenty of oomph.

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TDK’s claims that its engineers aimed for fidelity rather than massaging the audio for more bass – you can adjust the settings to your taste with bass and treble controls.

 

TDK Q35 Wireless Charging Speaker – Wireless wonder?

The TDK Q35’s big selling point, of course, is its wireless tech. It uses Bluetooth 2.1 to sync up with your smartphone – TDK has no plans to introduce an AirPlay speaker, but it has thrown a bone to Apple fans in the form of the latest AAC codec. That means if you’ve ripped your music in AAC format, it’ll compress it for Bluetooth streaming by stripping out inaudible high and low frequencies for better sound quality.

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The Q35 is also set up for wireless charging using the Qi standard. TDK claims that its battery will fully charge an iPhone and give you a couple of hours of music into the bargain.

 

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However, the wireless charging was a bit flaky in our short time with the speaker – a Nokia Lumia 920 responded intermittently when popped on top of the cube, while a Google Nexus 4 didn’t play ball at all. That may, according to TDK’s reps, have been because the Q35 was out of juice – we’ll be investigating this issue in more detail in our full review.

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TDK Q35 Wireless Charging Speaker – pricing and availability

If you want to cut the cord, you’ll have to wait a bit – the TDK Q35 will hit stores in January.


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