Here at What Gadget, we have reviewed loads of wireless Bluetooth speakers and the designs of most are fairly similar in part. So when we were approached to review the Gravastar Venus Bluetooth speaker the design is so unique I wanted to check these speakers out right away mainly due to being a Sci-Fi fan. Check this video out to see what we mean!
Who is Gravastar?
The brand Gravastar has only been around since 2018 and was founded by designer Yong and his team who are clearly all Sci-Fi fans as everything they produce keeps that theme. They believe they are creating audio engineering art and our first impressions of the Venus speaker look’s the part. You can see that time has been taken into the design to make it a completely unique product on the market.
In 2019 they brought out the Mars Bluetooth speaker launched with crowdfunding via Indiegogo since then they have released the Mars Pro which is the more premium-priced speaker and the Venus which is what we are reviewing which is a bit more budget-friendly speaker but still with that Sci-Fi theme.
Gravastar Mars Pro Bluetooth Speaker
The most recent addition to the Gravastar range is the Sirius and Sirius Pro true wireless earbuds and the Ferra iPhone 13 case range which we will be reviewing soon so watch this space!
First Impressions
The Gravastar Venus is the more budget-friendly option at £77.95 and comes in 4 colour options:
- Shadow Black
- Aurora Green
- Dawn White
- Flame Red
This Bluetooth speaker seriously stands out from the crowd and has quickly become my new favourite speaker it looks great and sounds great to match. This speaker offers a powerful sound that I feel is good for indoor use and perhaps in the garden if it’s safe on a table but I would not advise taking this speaker to the beach.
Unboxing
The Venus speaker comes with a very basic offering when it’s unboxed but it’s that packaging that gets you excited about what’s inside it has a real sci-fi design that makes it looks like the speaker from a different world.
Once opened you get the speaker, USB-C charging cable and instruction manual which is quite a simple offering but what else could they offer.
Design
The Venus speaker has a striking style that is made from premium zinc alloy housing with 3 small legs that are finished with rubberized feet to keep the speaker in the position you place it. The Venus weighs in at 450g meaning it’s not the lightest speaker around but makes a handy paperweight when working from the garden. The speaker is in a circular design making it look like alien aircraft.
The controls of the venus are operated by 4 buttons- the top two buttons are for volume control and they are raised using what I believe to be a plastic material. You have a minus sign on the left and a equals sign on the right to indicate the controls. Increasing or decreasing the volume is very easy to do as the buttons are easy to press and very responsive.
The other 2 buttons are more of a normal button design and come with an X and O respectively. The X button is for the Bluetooth pairing and the O button is for the power button. What makes this speaker very cool is when you power up the unit it greets you with a mechanical robot engaging sound effect followed by the coolest voice in a British accent that says ” Ready to pair Bluetooth connected”. It is little details like this that make the speaker really stand out.
The speaker is then finished off with an RGB light that is around the rim of the 44mm full-range subwoofer driver. If you press both volume buttons together you can change the RGB colour and they have the following options: Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Pink & Light Blue.
To complete the overall design the speaker has a metal handle on the top of the speaker allowing you to connect it to a carabiner meaning you could use the speaker on the go. If I had to find one floor with the design it will be in regards to the controls you do not have track control this has to be done via your smartphone.
Battery Life
The venus speaker provides you with 10 hours of playback due to the 1500mAh battery which might explain the weight of the speaker. I have been testing this speaker regularly for the last week while working from home and found the battery life to be accurate. In terms of charging you can go from zero to one hundred per cent in just over 2 hours. Once charged you get a very cool voice from inside the speaker tells you it’s fully charged.
The Manufacture has also thought about charging providing you with a right-angled USB-C cable meaning you charge and keep the speaker standing upright. If you want to use a USB-C cable you might already have plugged in it works fine but you will have to lay the speaker on its side.
If you wanted to make this speaker, even more, cooler than it already is Gravastar sells a charging stand that adds to the sci-fi style of the speaker. The charging base will cost you an additional $34.95 only available on the Gravastar website.
Sound Quality
The Venus speaker is connected via Bluetooth 5.0 and it provides a 10-meter range you can even add a second venus speaker for a more immersive experience. The speaker has a built-in 1.75inch 10w full-range speaker. That has a 44mm driver with an integrated subwoofer for a sound that will blow your socks off. This speaker offers a loud sound without affecting the overall soundstage that much. You can have the volume up to 80% without any distortion take the volume to 100% and the sound starts to distort at the same time your eardrums start to bleed.
Keep the speaker at around 40-50% volume and you will enjoy a bass-heavy sound without affecting the music that might not need much bass. The movable diaphragm at the rear of the speaker allows for a powerful sound regardless of the type of music or the surroundings.
I have been listening to a wide range of music and the Venus speaker did well for all but anything with a strong bass allows this speaker to shine. The mids are accurate and highs are crisp and consistent and clear regardless of the volume. It’s the volume that is the surprise this little speaker can pump out some serious sound. We had a family BBQ recently and even with a garden full of people this speaker could still be heard without any issues.
This speaker also worked well when I listened to a podcast with the vocals coming out very clear allowing me to fully enjoy my podcast. You can also use the speaker when watching a film on your phone and as it’s a portable directional speaker it performs well, however, some details do get a little lost at higher volume levels but this really does not impact the overall sound quality. I used this speaker when watching the original top gun ahead of going to the cinema to see the new release. The sound provided is 10 times better than what your smartphone can offer.
Verdict
The Gravastar Venus speaker retails for $71.95 which is affordable for such a fun design paired with excellent sound quality if you’re a fan of strong bass and a loud sounding speaker. Battery life at 10 hours should be fine if you are out for the day and if you only use this indoors get the additional charging base as this will just make the whole setup that much cooler.
This speaker looks good wherever you place it in the home but I have decided this stays in my office. I also love the fact the speaker is available in a range of colours and the RGB light also allows you to change the colour. Some users might find the fact the RGB light does not allow you to switch it off but that a very small negative and if am honest the RGB light did not bother me one bit.
Overall this speaker comes with decent battery life and excellent audio quality and the sounds when you power up or power down the speaker makes it feel even more like it should be in a sci-fi filmset. The build is well made and will really stand out compared to other Bluetooth speakers you have in the house.
The speaker is not perfect there is room for improvement for example it does not allow for track control something it could have done by pressing the volume buttons for a few seconds. If you can look past this small negative you have an excellent option for your next Bluetooth speaker and the cool voice that tells you your phone is connected is an added bonus to what is a well-designed speaker. The perfect gift for the Sci-Fi or Star Wars fan in your family.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Sound Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value For Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
You can also buy directly from the Gravastar website where they have a deal available buy any Venus speaker and get a charging base for free. Available at: https://www.gravastar.com/collections/venus
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