Loudspeakers

Loewe has always been an unashamedly ‘luxury’ brand, but it’s getting down with the kids with its new portable speaker, which is officially entitled the ‘We. HEAR pro’ and is promoted by French football star Kylian Mbappé. The HEAR pro – as we shall henceforth refer to it – is a no-nonsense boombox, designed to provide a powerful sound for the great outdoors. It’s a little more expensive than similar boomboxes we’ve seen recently, but Loewe’s classy design and well-balanced sound – and the big logo with Mbappé’s initials – should help it stand out from the crowd.

Available in Denim Blue, Neon Yellow and plain old Black, the cylindrical HEAR pro is relatively compact for a speaker that provides a beefy 100W output. You can stand it upright, although Loewe recommends laying it flat, as the two bass radiators are positioned on either end. There’s a shoulder-strap included so that you can just grab it and go. It’s sturdily designed, with an IPX6 rating for water-resistance that can protect it from strong sprays of water (but not total immersion underwater).

The front panel houses two 70mm mid/bass drivers and two 25mm tweeters, which provide a frequency response of 50Hz-20kHz, along with the passive radiators at the sides. The base of the speaker houses a USB-C port for charging, with Loewe claiming a respectable 24 hours of battery life at medium volume.

There’s a 3.5mm connector available to provide a wired input, while wireless audio uses Bluetooth 5.3, with support for SBC and AAC codecs. There’s no support for aptX, but you have the option of using Bluetooth to pair it with up to 14 other HEAR pro speakers at once.

Sound quality
I find that just 40 percent of maximum volume is more than adequate when listening indoors, while 60 percent will probably start to annoy the neighbours. It’s a well-balanced sound, though, kicking off with the deep, sinister electronic bass that introduces Prime Evil by The Orb. The HEAR pro also picks out the contrasting staccato percussion that pulls at the edges of the sound.

Kylie Minogue’s Your Disco Needs You is a more old-fashioned affair, all swirling disco strings and pounding drums, but the Loewe knows when to step back and let the sound fill the room. The opening burst of horns and strings ring out bright and clear, and there’s a good balance between the bass drum and the crisp, ticking snare that drives the song forward. The strings are a real throwback to Eighties high-energy, but they’re clear and sharp. Kylie’s actually upstaged by the chanting male chorus on this track, which sounds like The Village People in full flight, and the piercing falsetto really stands out, avoiding harshness and distortion even as I ramp the speaker up to the max.

When it’s time to calm down a little, I turn to Frozen by Madonna and the HEAR pro obliges by providing a more open, ambient soundstage. Again, it handles the strings very well, this time with a more relaxed, fluid sound that creates an attractive sense of space. The chugging guitars bring pace and rhythm, but it’s the sudden whip-crack sound of the percussion that adds drama as it prepares the way for Madonna’s silky smooth vocal as she purrs: “give yourself to me”.

Conclusion
Loewe’s Bluetooth offering might not be the loudest outdoor speaker we’ve heard recently, and some people might prefer rivals capable of providing even more powerful bass for party time. However, the We. HEAR pro gets all the basics right for a portable speaker, with a clear, well-balanced sound and good battery life, while still being light and compact enough to fit into a backpack when you’re ready to hit the road. CJ    

DETAILS
Product: Loewe We. HEAR pro
Type: Portable Bluetooth speaker

FEATURES
● 2x 25mm tweeters
● 2x 70mm mid/bass drivers
● 2x passive radiators
● 3.5mm line-in