Audio

Microlab H30 BT & H50 BT Review

Tony Le Bourne
February 20, 2014 12 Min Read
3 0

Are you still skeptical about wireless speakers? Microlab could have the answer with a line of speakers that feature Bluetooth and NFC.


Product on review: Microlab H30 BT & H50 BT
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Microlab
Street Price: £59.99 & £89.99 GBP

Here at Vortez, we have consistently been impressed by Microlab products and the value they offer, so much so that each of our outings to date have all received our Amazing Value Award. FC 50, SOLO7C, FC360. Today, we get to look at the H30 BT and H50 BT bookshelf speakers that offer up, as the name suggests, Bluetooth and NFC (Near Field Communication) that uses A2DP stereo streaming, judging by the competitive pricing they do not appear to be breaking form.

The two variants stand at a fair price difference apart, with the more discrete H30 BT being of a size that is versatile enough to find itself in practically any situation, while the H50 BT moves into a more serious size that may require positional planning. Let’s move on and put them to the test.



Overview by Microlab
About Microlab H30BT

Microlab H30BT is incorporated the latest Bluetooth wireless technology. It is a kind of beautiful design and simple-use bookshelf speaker that suits your desktop. It combines the Bluetooth 4.0 technology, NFC fast pairing function and the professional speaker drivers together, aims to produce the natural and comfortable sound and simplified home entertainment by NFC technology you will own the extraordinary audio sound performance.

About H50BT

Microlab H50BT series speakers showcase proprietary materials to deliver high-end performance and stunning build quality at a surprisingly affordable price. H50BT is superb build and fashionable finish quality to a genuinely high-end standard of performance as book shelf speaker. Connect H50BT with your iPhone, iPod, PC or notebook straightly, you can control your music easily.

Specifications & Features

2.0 H30 BT
Amplifier
Total power: 24 Watt RMS
Power distribution: 12 Watt x 2 RMS
Harmonic distortion: <0.5 % (1W 1KHz)
Frequence response: 50Hz – 20KHz
Signal/Noise ratio: >75 dB
Seperation: >45 dB

Speakers
Tweeter drive type 0.75”
Tweeter impedance 6 Ohm
Woofer drive type 3.5″
Woofer impedance 4 ohm

Interfaces
Input
2RCA coonection
Bluetooth wireless technology V4.0 and A2DP
NFC contactless connection

Output
RCA to left speaker

Dimensions
135(W) x 225 (H) x 220(D) mm

Accessories
Speaker interconnection cable 1pc
3.5mm stereo to 2 RCA cable 1pc
User manual 1pc


Elegant and precise cabinet construction technology

H30BT is made from the hi-quality wooden materials. The milk white color is good taste to fit your home home decoration. The silver arch tray is capable of reducing the sound resonance. The hi-efficiency speaker fins is built-in the back with a large size to ensures the speaker with awe-inspiring sound and exhilarating effects. It is ideal for digital devices such as TV, CD/DVD, notebook, PC etc to enjoy your music.

Bass reflex port design of both speakers cabinets provide deeper bass effects. The classic bookshelf stereo speaker arrangement creates dynamic sound movements for realistic effects.

Wireless music technology

H30BT features the newest Bluetooth 4.0 technology, A2DP and NFC pairing system, which aims to simplify your music control experience. Now you can enjoy your music more easily with any of your Bluetooth media devices and quick pairing to H30BT through the NFC fast pairing system.

NFC

This function allows any NFC enabled device to connect to the speaker system easily with only one press.

1. To use NFC, just tap the Smartphone or NFC enabled device on the NFC logo at the top of the right speaker.
2. This will connect the system to this device and disconnect any previous connected device.

Premium sound performance

H30BT applied the analog amplifier designing concept that help to reproduce the sound to the hi-fi level. The special designed woofer carries the bass reflex port, that provides the rich and smooth bass performance and the precise crafted tweeter produces clean and natural treble. H30BT can provide up to 24 watt sound output that is enough for enjoying your favorite movies and soundtracks in your personal listening environments, such as study rooms, bedroom and small-medium living space.

2.0 H50 BT
Amplifier
Total power: 40 Watt RMS
Power distribution: 20 Watt x 2 RMS
Harmonic distortion: <0.3 % (1W 1KHz)
Frequence response: 40Hz – 20KHz
Signal/Noise ratio: >75 dB
Seperation: >45 dB

Speakers
Tweeter drive type 0.75”
Tweeter impedance 6 Ohm
Woofer drive type 5″
Woofer impedance 4 ohm

Interfaces
Input
2RCA connection
Bluetooth wireless technology V4.0 and A2DP
NFC contactless connection

Output
Terminal binding post

Dimensions
155(W) x 293 (H) x 216(D) mm

Accessories
Speaker interconnection cable 1pc
3.5mm stereo to 2 RCA cable 1pc
User manual 1pc


– Bluetooth stereo audio using A2DP for wireless music streaming
– Quality bookshelf stereo system with depth and full range audio performances
– Powerful wooden stereo speakers
– Top panel with playback controls and master volume dial
– Bass reflex design for efficient subwoofer performances
– Binding post connections between speakers for minimum noise

Packaging & Accessories



Together, the H30 BT and H50 packaging

The packaging is simple, elegant and pleasing with the products clearly on display. On one side you can find multilingal specifications and on the opposite, a simple diagram of suggested uses, such as TV, PC/Notebook or your mobile smartphone/tablet.


Accessories for the H30 BT



Accessories for the H50 BT


The accessories are near identical between the H30 BT and the H50 BT with exception of the different interconnect cables, the H50 has binding terminals and is supplied with a Hi-Fi quality cable that is 1.8m long.

Closer Look: H30 BT


The Microlab H30 BT

This sample is in white and has a removable, protective fabric grill. The aesthetics are very attractive with just the Microlab badge breaking the continuity at the base. The speakers are coated in a faux leather texture which gives a distinct and more homely feel over a more ‘clinical’ one.


Face off

Removing the front panels we see the 0.75″ and 3.5″ drivers that power the H30 BT and it is good to see that these speakers are good looking under the skin too!


3.5″ driver



Rear side of the speakers

At the back we see a relatively large bass port and a cooling array for the built in amplifier, this heatsink may play with anyones space calculations if they are working in a tight area, but it is relatively low profile so shouldn’t be a huge issue for most. On the right side speaker you can find the power switch in the bottom left and the left speaker output (in black) in the bottom right. The red and white RCA is for stereo input.


Master controls

There are 3 dials, one for master volume, treble and bass.


The base

The feet of the speakers are made from a strong plastic and add an attractive curve to the otherwise straight edged box, the very underside is lined with soft rubber feet to prevent sliding and reduce and resonance.

Closer Look: H50 BT



The Microlab H50 BT

These larger sized bookshelf speakers have a fairly unique presence, with the large, reflective conical surrrounding of the tweeter and the round protective mesh over the woofer is balanced by the curve of the reflective feet. As with the H30 the surface is textured and the overall impression is sleek and modern.


Bass reflex

The Bass port on the H50 BT is pretty substantial, helping that large 5″ woofer the freedom it needs for pushing that air. We also find the binding terminals at the back, a nice professional touch.


Right side I/O

The left speaker output is handled by the binding terminal while the red and white stereo RCA ports take the line in. The power switch is found in the same position as the H30 BT.


Triple dial

The H50 BT features similar controls to the H30 BT with a master volume, treble and bass dial. It is worth noting that both the H30 and H50 have a power LED located above the dials, that is red/orange when powered on and will turn blue when paired with a wireless device.


Feet first

Again we see large rubberised feet to reduce resonance while giving good grip on smooth surfaces.

Performance Testing


Setup, Design & Observations
The H30 BT is quick and easy to set up using the provided accessories, the H50 BT taking a little longer because you have to strip the ends of the Hi-Fi cable of its plastic to expose the metal for the binding posts. The RCA to 3.5mm jack cables are long enough for most desktops or units to connect with your desired media device. The bluetooth connection is open and easy to pair with (even easier via NFC) and the naming of the device shouldn’t cause too much confusion, I.E. H30 BT/ H50 BT. The interconnect cable is just about long enough to straddle either side of your monitor at a relatively large desk but you may need a longer one should you wish to use these with something like a 50″ TV, however, in that situation, one may want to reconsider a more suitable audio solution.

The build quality feels very strong and each unit has a fair bit of weight to it (around 2Kg each for the H30 BT and around 3.5Kg each for the H50 BT ). The finish looks and feels great, though, with enough deliberation, the coating could be knocked/torn at the edges, however Microlab appear to have used a strong waxy resin adhesive to prevent this so there should be some protection from such a thing happening.

The dials feel strong and rotate smoothly, the treble and bass dials have a tactile notch at the half way mark, so when you rotate the dial you feel it ‘click’ into the half way point, allowing you to feel where the dials are positioned.



Multi-Media
H30 BT
I kicked things off by using the 3.5mm jack with my aging Samsung Galaxy S2, listening through my playlist at random, I realised starting an audio test with music that uses noise and crackle as part of the actual track is not a good move, panic over, I listened through various tracks by Crystal Castles, Finntroll, Yeasayer and the volume was impressive, not more so than the sound quality. The crystal clear bass and mids accompanied by glassy treble with little to no distortion. The volume competently filled my room of 3.5 x 3.5m, not quite party level, but impressive from these relatively compact speakers. Listening through the same playlist but this time connected wirelessly, the loudness and sound quality was not noticeably different to connecting via jack.

Testing the H30 BT with the PC showed off a slight different characteristic, which to no fault of the speakers, should be considered. When used via a discrete PC sound card, in this case the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR, the speakers sounded a little more refined and professional, however, the signal was effectively ‘double-amped’, meaning that the loudness, hit a similar level to the max volume from the phone, when set at 50%. As the sound volume was increased beyond 50-60% (On the PC volume while speaker master volume at 100%) all that was being introduced was muddy distortion with greater loudness. This of course, is not healthy for your speakers, so, in this situation you would need to carefully consider how best to use the speakers. This should not be much of an issue for those using an integrated solution or notebook. Running at a healthy volume, I listened to various artists, watched through various videos, played a host of regular games and couldn’t fault the audio quality, picking up nuances and background details clearly.

H50 BT
Running the H50 BT through the same tests as the H30 BT, it was clear that these are definitely in the next ballpark up from the H30 BT. The sound was ‘bigger’, more defined, the bass was deeper and smoother, while retaining that clarity in the middle and high tones. Each sound being played from whichever source, music, game or movie, felt ‘separated’ and distinct. The volume was impressive, certainly louder than the H30 BT, easily filling the room. The same problem was found when used with my PC sound card, again, this is a setup issue not an issue with the speakers themselves. Used correctly, these speakers will give you some impressive stereo sound regardless of your desired use.

Conclusion


Wireless streaming has come a long way over the past few years and soon it will be considered a standard. It appears that Microlab understand this and all through testing we required constant reminding that these speaker systems include wireless stereo streaming technology because of the fantastic pricing. The H30 BT priced around £70, places it near various wireless portable speakers. If you want a wireless speaker system at home for various reasons, the H30 BT can offer that significantly better audio quality than you get get from a portable solution. Moving from versatility and more into the realms of awesome, the H50 BT gives you the same advantages with a much larger, more cinematic feel for ‘just’ £100.





If you have seen Microlab products but have been unsure, rest assured, many are waking up to the value and quality their products provide and the H30 BT and H50 BT reflect that again. The downsides are minor, but considering the category, they are oversights at best because they are variables that depend on desired use. Such as, some may want longer cables, but the cables provided should be fine for most. Some may want a remote control, though, in most scenarios such as use with TV, mobile, tablet or PC, there will be what is effectively remote control anyway. Other features people could start listing are, integrated DAC, more power, etc, but all these things will come at a cost. Overall, the build quality is good, the sound quality is good and the value is excellent, so we proudly award both the H30 BT and H50 BT our Vortez Gold and Amazing Value awards.

The Microlab H30 BT & H50 BT are excellent examples of modern, versatile speaker systems that look as good as they sound. Considering the inclusion of NFC and Bluetooth streaming, they offer exceptional performance and value.

Pros.
+ Excellent crystal clear audio w/ deep bass
+ Bluetooth and NFC with A2DP
+ Excellent price

Cons.
– None




Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Microlab for providing today’s review sample.

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Tony Le Bourne