Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Review: Looks Good, Sounds Better

What do you want from a sound system? An abundance of annoying wires or a wireless system that makes life easy? The Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Sound Platform — that’s right, this isn’t a speaker dock but a sound platform — is a wireless system that gives you a sound output to use on a variety of devices.

The SFQ-01 is compatible with smartphones, computers, tablets and other mobile devices. Connection comes via Bluetooth, an auxiliary port at the back of the device that allows a 3.5mm jack to be connected, and an iPhone/iPod connector dock provides all the options for playing your favourite tracks or radio stations, as well as charging your device at the same time.

Let’s be honest, it looks pretty damn cool. A slick design and a minimal amount of buttons help to keep it cool and easy to use. You can even pick up a limited edition Red and Black version, which looks like it’s fallen straight from heaven itself.

The UQ3 Spatial Sound Enhancement is “developed … to create a psychoacoustic effect by controlling sound wave interaction that enhances the perceived stereo separation.” That’s a nice bit of techno talk, but what that means in real terms is that the sound is pretty impressive. Whether you’re belting out a serious party tune or a chilled-out acoustic track, the speakers deliver the sound effortlessly, and it just gets even better when you switch on UQ3.

At first, we were disappointed to see Bluetooth instead of a Wi-Fi-based wireless connection, but in hindsight, it’s a pretty smart move. It actually makes wireless connections available to a far wider audience, including devices that have Bluetooth but not wireless connectivity. Granted, most people who have heard of the ‘internet’ will be running a smartphone that could control a small country, but the technology this speaker uses is around today and will be for many years to come, so you won’t have to replace the speaker anytime soon, and it just increases its shelf-life.

The Bluetooth range is sufficient; we found you could easily keep your phone in your pocket and walk around your place without losing connection. Our one gripe would be the Soundfreaq-developed iPhone app; it’s free, so no problems there, but it really doesn’t add any value to the Soundfreaq SFQ-01. You don’t need the app to control the speaker, as you can just use your normal iPhone /iPod controls. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel, as Apple has made a fairly decent iPod control system over the last eight years or so, so why change it now? It does allow you to turn the system off if you’re too lazy to stand up and push the off button, so I guess not all is lost.

Soundfreaq SFQ-01: The Average Joes verdict

The system has been in the house for a few weeks now, and after using the Soundfreaq sound platform, I am really impressed with it. The system oozes class in its appearance, and the sound quality is impressive for the price. What I want from a speaker set is good sound quality, something that looks good, and an easy-to-use system that can play back all my music, whether that’s from my phone, laptop, or anything else. This sound platform ticks all those boxes. And playing games like Angry Birds with the UQ3 enhanced acoustics on definitely adds a different dimension.

Model tested: Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Sound Platform
Price: £150
Average Joes rating: ★★★★☆