It seems like these days, you can find bluetooth speakers in every store, and at every price range. Finding a speaker at an affordable price, that also offers solid sound is a much larger challenge. The Taco Dual, from iDeaUSA, is not just a single speaker, but a pair of speakers with both solid sound and a sweet price.
Overview:
The Taco Dual ($65.99 from iDeaUSA on Amazon) are a pair of bluetooth speakers that offer up stereo (left/right) sound, for a richer listening experience. Not only do the speakers offer a great sound, but they also have a unique design that stands out in a sea of rectangular boxes.
With a rounded triangle shape, the Taco Dual sits flat on your desk or table, and aims the pair of 45mm speakers up. This helps to create an acoustic amplification of bass tones, creating a pleasant, full-range sound. Pairing a single Taco to your phone offers more than enough sound for a dorm, office, or even living room. Much like your favorite Mexican restaurant, two Tacos are better than one, and using the “Buddy Stereo System” to pair the speakers in L/R mode offers both stereo imaging and louder, clearer audio at mid-to-high volumes.
Pairing the Taco Dual speakers to each other is a little confusing at first, since the instructions are quite clearly translated into English. When it comes time to actually pair the speakers, simply power on the 2 speakers simultaneously, then press the “power” button for about 1 second. You should hear a short beep, followed by a spoken audio cue “Connected Left Channel” and “Connected Right Channel.” From here, on the 1 of the speakers, click the “power” button once more, and choose the “Taco Dual” on your phone’s (or other device’s) bluetooth menu, or if you have an NFC enabled Android phone, the speakers also support NFC pairing, but oddly enough, they can’t NFC pair to one another. 🙁
While pairing with your phone is a one-time process, each time the Taco Dual are powered on, they must be reconnected to each other, which can get a bit frustrating. Alternatively, you can use a single Taco with your phone or computer, meaning you can outfit 2 rooms with bluetooth speakers for a great price.
The Tacos aren’t just Bluetooth speakers, though. Equipped with an Aux jack, you can use a single Taco as a wired speaker for any non-bluetooth device, or in situations where Bluetooth is less practical. Each Taco also has a microUSB port next to the Aux jack for charging it’s battery, which can easily last for 12 or more hours on a single charge.
Another added feature of the Taco Dual that may interest Android and Windows Phone users with new-ish handsets is the inclusion of NFC in each Taco. This makes pairing your device to the speaker as easy a tap and go. Why the Tacos can’t pair to one another with NFC is beyond me, since that would make entering stereo mode super easy, but clicking the pair button for a second isn’t exactly hard, either.
Verdict: [rating: 4]
While I’m usually pretty tough on Bluetooth Speakers, the Taco Dual Speakers are surprisingly great. Aside from some difficulty figuring out pairing the spearkers initially, using them has been easy, and the sound they offer for $66 is shockingly impressive. The design of the Taco is pretty awesome, and having a name like Taco is hard to ignore, too.
Pros:
- Good sound quality
- Stereo audio
- Great price
- Cool design
Cons:
- Not a premium feel
- Pairing can be confusing
Whether you’re looking for an affordable speaker for your apartment, something wireless for your dorm, or you want a couple speakers to pump some life into your living room, the Taco Dual from iDeaUSA are a fantastic option at a great price.
