We’ve been reviewing Yantouch’s products for years now, and the small Taiwan-based company is still focused on its distinct niche — speakers with light functions. Yantouch’s newest is EyE ($100), a Bluetooth wireless speaker that can pair with another EyE unit for stereo capabilities. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Yantouch speaker without some kind of light show, and Yantouch’s HueDJ app lets users control the lighting while listening — you can change the colors or have the lights sync up with your music. The company claims EyE can display up to 16 million colors. EyE’s music can be controlled as normal through iTunes or your streaming service, but the other functions of the speaker can be controlled through the app, or via the included remote control. Our EyE units also came with a velvet carrying pouch and micro-USB cable for recharging.
EyE comes in white or black versions.
EyE is a circular speaker, about 6” in diameter. A small stand on the rear of EyE not only props the speaker up — it also acts as the power switch. Setting up the speaker for play automatically turns it on, and Bluetooth connections were quick for us. The back of the speaker features a micro-USB cable for recharging and an audio port. It’s a unique, clever design, and we were pleasantly surprised by how two EyE units paired together, with no user intervention. A note on this end: after pairing two EyEs, your iOS Bluetooth will recognize the pairing as one system, and if you wish to use just one speaker, you’ll have to forget that device and re-pair with just one speaker.
The EyE’s sound is good, but not great, for its price range and size.
EyE has pretty good balance and does well in the midrange, but the 10W speaker doesn’t offer a ton of power, and bass is minimal. It’s a fine speaker for personal listening, or a solid option to be used in a small room, but we wouldn’t ask it to do much more than that. It has no noted weather or waterproof features and doesn’t position itself as any kind of party speaker — in fact, Yantouch calls EyE a “portable romantic lifestyle speaker.” Pairing two EyEs does indeed bring proper stereo sound and a bit more impact to the listening experience, but at $199 for a pair of speakers, the price is a bit much…unless you’re a huge fan of the other features.
Like the other Yantouch speakers, EyE places an emphasis on its light show. While it’s a bit of a novelty, some users may find it fun to use — we think younger listeners may especially appreciate the lighting aspects of EyE. It’s easy to change and sync colors to the music and your whims, and additional features include sunrise and sunset simulators, to use as a sleep aid and alarm, respectively. We wouldn’t buy a speaker specifically for these reasons, but the functionality is well-implemented, and will certainly prove attractive to some as a bonus, at the very least.
While EyE isn’t a sound powerhouse, it certainly does well enough in close quarters.
