TikiTunes Bluetooth Speaker Review: Light Up Your Music

Who Is The TikiTunes Bluetooth Speaker For?

• The TikiTunes Bluetooth speaker is a great way to spice up an outdoor area with both lights and music
• Two TikiTunes speakers can connect to each other instantly, providing double the audio output
• The flame lighting effect can be turned on or off, even when music isn't playing

There are countless options available right now when it comes to Bluetooth speakers, so it takes a little extra to stand out from the pack. That's exactly what the TikiTunes Bluetooth speaker does thanks to the inclusion of LED-powered flame lighting effects. Pair those effects with decent audio quality, and the TikiTunes speaker is starting to look more and more appealing.

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Realistic Lighting

The major gimmick of the TikiTunes speaker is that it features realistic flame-style lighting effects. These flame effects can be turned on and off, even when music isn't playing. The lighting effect actually looks pretty realistic, and doesn't pulse to the beat of the music or anything cheesy like that. It really looks like there's a candle tucked into the speaker.

The lighting effect is also pretty bright. This makes the TikiTunes both a speaker and a fun light for a BBQ or other outdoor party. I wouldn't rely exclusively on a TikiTunes speaker as my main source of light, but it adds a fun touch to a table. When indoors, the TikiTunes speaker can serve as a cozy replacement for a candle or can give off campfire vibes.

The flame effects can be turned on or off separately from the music, so the speaker can be used without the "fire" and the lights can be used with no audio playback. The only downside to the light is that there are no brightness options.

Solid Sounds

Audio equipment typically comes in three groups, the low-end, cheap equipment, the mid-tier gadgets, and the high-end, expensive, audiophile-grade gear. The TikiTunes speaker falls into the price range of the low-end equipment, but can hang with the mid-tier equipment.

Priced at $40 each, the TikiTunes speaker is pretty solid. No, this isn't going to blow you away and certainly isn't going to add anything to music to greatly enhance the listening experience, but it shouldn't either. This isn't some audiophile-grade speaker where you can feel every note being played. It's a fun speaker made for relaxing and enjoying the light effects. For that use, the TikiTunes is fine enough.

Better With Two

Aside from the fun lighting effects, the TikiTunes speaker has one more unique feature: the ability to wirelessly pair with another TikiTunes speaker. With two speakers, music can be spaced out around a house or area.

The wireless pairing was surprisingly easy and instantaneous. After getting one speaker paired, all I did was turn on the second speaker. As soon as the second speaker was powered on, it instantly paired with the first speaker. It couldn't have been easier. When paired, the speakers more or less act as one, so changing the volume or pressing pause on one changes the other speaker in an identical way.

Plastic Beats

While the audio quality is decent enough with the TikiTunes, the build quality does leave a little something to be desired. The casing for the TikiTunes speaker is almost entirely plastic, meaning it feels a little cheap. It feels like one good squeeze could crush the speaker easily.

While the plastic casing isn't great, there are a few nice features to the overall build that should be mentioned. The control buttons on the top of the speaker have a satisfying click to them. Additionally, there is a hole in the bottom of the speaker to make it easy to mount the speaker on a pole or something similar.

More Control, Please

Two of the biggest issues I had with the TikiTunes speaker is that it doesn't give enough control or provide enough information. The buttons on the top of the TikiTunes speaker allow users to turn the speaker on and off, turn the lighting effects on and off, play or pause a track, and skip either forward or backward through tracks.

The buttons also allow the user to change the volume of the music, but volume control is a little odd. The TikiTunes requires users to press and hold on the + or - buttons to adjust the volume. Letting go of the button too quickly will skip the song, but holding onto the button for too long could make the speaker either too quiet or too loud. It seems like it would be better suited for the track skipping controls to be the ones activated when the buttons are held down.

Also, in regards to control over the speakers, there aren't any additional controls when a second speaker is paired. Both speakers pump out the same audio at all times. This means you can't use two TikiTunes speakers for a makeshift stereo experience. It also means both speakers will play music back at the same volume, so if you have speakers in two different locations, they both have to be playing at the same volume.

Additionally, many Bluetooth devices like headphones provide a rough battery life estimate once paired. Unfortunately, the TikiTunes speaker does not, meaning there's no great way to see if the speaker needs to be charged soon. The TikiTunes can be used while charging, so if it does die when in use, it can be plugged back in to keep the music playing.

Final Thoughts

For $40, the TikiTunes Bluetooth speaker is a perfectly fine option for listening to music. The speakers aren't going to blow anyone away, though the quality is good enough to appreciate. However, the TikiTunes lighting effects are unique and super fun, and the automatic pairing with a second speaker could not be an easier process. If you're looking for a Bluetooth speaker and favor aesthetics and ease of use over performance, this is a great option.