When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, there’s little point in going for something too small and flimsy. After all, the sound from something tiny isn’t going to be much better than the sound from your Android phone’s internal speaker(s). Far better to have something meaty and with good volume and bass. The Jawbone JAMBOX started this form factor off – something which you’re certainly not going to carry around with you when you travel, but which can be moved easily from room to room around the home. And the Inateck BTSP-10 Bluetooth speaker is effectively a variant on the idea, similarly ruggedised and with similar great stereo sound but at a significantly lower price.

Constructed in heavy duty plastic, rubberised all over and weighing 372g, this is a serious audio accessory and with sound quality to match. You can’t see the speakers through the front, but they pack a wallop that belies the meagre power specification (5W, despite what the online specs say, although you can’t always pin manufacturers down to whether they mean peak or RMS or whatever). But from the moment you hook up some music, you can feel the bass vibrating down through your fingers, if holding the accessory, or the desk otherwise.

The BTSP-10 is heavy, chunky and moderately expensive, but results and performance are top notch…

Underneath (not shown) is another grille, part of the ‘reflex’ system for air movement and part of the secret for really good bass in a speaker system. Four short legs and rubber feet protect the surface the speaker is on and also allow free movement for sound/air. (https://fujifilm-x.com/)

As with imaging, when it comes to audio physics usually wins. Have enough mass and enough space inside, and a portable speaker can still produce some impressive bass. In fact, you get both physics and modern tech here, since there’s full APT-X encoding support and a top end chipset. The battery’s 1500mAh, which is perhaps a little on the small side, but it’s still good for half a dozen hours of Bluetooth-streamed music and has a standard microUSB charging port*.

* Curiously, there are warnings in the manual about not using a very high current charger (over 1A), so you’re supposed to steer clear of using the charger for (say) a high end Android tablet in double duty – as it happens, I didn’t see this in time, charged from a high current charger and with no damage, but this caveat is still worth noting. Charging the internal battery fully takes around 4 hours maximum.

The (alternative) audio-in and charging ports…

I tested the BTSP-10 with my Galaxy S4 with no issues. Heck, I also tested it with iOS and Windows Phone smartphones, ditto. It pairs with no PIN needed and then auto-connects each time, provided the speaker’s ‘on’ and not in ‘standby’ mode. There’s a master on/off switch, but most of the time the speaker can be put into standby with a long press of the main power button on top (and brought out in the same way). This top control also doubles for pausing and resuming playback and for answering voice calls, i.e. turning the BTSP-10 into a giant speakerphone.

Also around the accessory are volume controls (separate to those on your playing device, so both have to be ‘up’ for maximum volume) and a 3.5mm audio in, for sources with no Bluetooth capability (or to save power) – a lead is supplied in the box.

The rubberised plastic and styling give confidence in terms of chucking this speaker around the home….

It’s hard not to be impressed by the Intateck BTSP-10 – the sound quality coming out of it is surprisingly rich and surprisingly loud (and the ‘stereo’ aspect does help fill out a room more impressively). Provided that your lifestyle permits carrying this around (or perhaps you want it for your kitchen, etc.?) then the current asking price of just under £90 in the Amazon UK store looks very reasonable indeed – it’ll certainly be the last Bluetooth speaker you buy because you won’t need anything better.

Update: there’s extra money off right now with £10 promotional discount in the Amazon UK checkout for this product, for Android Beat readers – use code VFI2MT7L, bringing this down to £69.99.