Sometimes it makes sense to take a break from our serious audio reviews to try something simple and fun. After CES this year, we were sent a curious product — the Xoopar X8 “Grand Xoopar Boy.” Available in silver or black, the X8 is a Bluetooth speaker in vaguely humanoid form.
Two opposable arms and a featureless face support a large metal afro that hides three speakers — two front-facing drivers and a single rear-facing woofer. On the rear are three buttons (volume/track, power/pairing), a micro USB charging port, and an auxiliary input.
Pairing and operation are indicated by a small triangular LED where the Xoopar Boy’s nose would be. The speaker stands about eight inches tall and weighs just over two pounds. A charging cable and analog audio cable are included in the box. The Grand Xoopar Boy’s hands will accommodate up to two pens or other circular objects of up to 10 millimetres in diameter at any time.
The Grand Xoopar Boy is advertised as having 360-degree sound, but that wasn’t exactly our experience. It sounds markedly different depending on where you’re standing — in front, you’re mostly hearing the tweeters and, in back, you’re mostly hearing the woofer. Its controls work as advertised, but aren’t linked in any way to iOS. Its apparently substantial battery lasts about the advertised eight hours at low/medium volume, and its integrated microphone makes the Grand Xoopar a pretty cool way to take a conference call.
