Simple Audio Go Review

As technology evolves and devices like smartphones and tablets gain a bigger role on our daily lives so does the need for companies to give users of such devices credible and quality solutions that will improve their audio and/or visual experiences without compromising or ruining the most important factor, portability.
For occasions like trips to the beach, outdoor/indoor parties and the like, Simple Audio presents to you the Go, this elegant, light-weight and very compact stereo speaker tries to cut a few ties with the past and completely removes the necessity of any sort of cable connections or management thanks to the fact that the Go has fully integrated Bluetooth 3 support and a lengthy battery life (between 5-7 hours).

The Simple Audio Go comes neatly packed inside a well designed box that is also very sturdy, while the speaker is relatively light and should not present a problem even when shipped from far away it's nice to see that Simple Audio did not try to cut any corners here and brought us their A-game.
The box design is somewhat minimalist with a few messages and pictures from Simple Audio sprinkled here and there. Printed underneath the package you will find some information about Simple Audio and what exactly comes bundled with the Go.
Tucked inside the box you will find a few important and even mandatory accessories included such as a USB charging cable and a quick start guide that really comes in handy when trying to decipher what the various LED colors mean. Aside from the aforementioned basic accessories Simple Audio also included a few extras such as a line-in audio cable (3,5mm to 3,5mm) and a AC power adapter in case you want to use the Go as a desk speaker. That's not all though, you will also find a small black carrying pouch with the Simple Audio logo on it, this is something very useful and should always be included in this sort of mobile oriented devices in order to prevent scratches during transportation.

Like I mentioned before the box that encloses the Go is very minimalist, this visual style is continued on the actual speaker with only a discreet Simple Audio logo on the front grille contrasting with the all-black body. Now this is of course a matter of opinion but I personally enjoy this sort of design, the Go can be used anywhere and by anyone and it will probably still look good.
Taking a closer look at the stereo speaker you will find a few other interesting features, on the bottom a couple of rubber feet prevent the Go from "going" anywhere, on the back the always important on/off switch sits side by side with the line-in and USB connections and finally at the top you will find three buttons, two for regulating the speaker volume and the other one allows you to pair the Go with your Bluetooth devices and answer your calls with the Go integrated microphone.

When it comes to audio quality/fidelity the Go performs surprisingly well, particularly when using it on a solid surface the "bass pressure driver" that sits at the bottom of the speaker really shows its true power, what's even better is that it does so without drowning out the mids in the process, a rare achievement especially on portable audio solutions. Even when pushing the speaker to higher volumes (it gets loud enough to be used in a large room) distortion was minimal to non-existent.
I've used and tested the Go mostly with music (various types), some random movies and even some casual gaming. While I would not recommend the Go for serious gamers it did the job decently particularly in casual games. If you're someone like me that likes to watch movies on your laptop while away on vacation the Go is a nice solution, personally my laptop speakers are pretty lousy so the stereo speaker from Simple Audio serves as a nice replacement.

Final Thoughts
While the Go is definitely not the cheapest product on the market right now ($99-£79), it certainly outperforms all the similarly priced portable audio solutions that I had the chance to try out so far, at least none of them sounded as balanced as the Go. The fact that it comes extremely well packaged with even a few extras to boot just make this product from Simple Audio an even better deal.
If you're currently in the market looking to buy a high quality speaker for your mobile devices then the Go might be worth your time (and money).

The Good
+Minimalist design
+Sound quality
+Battery life
+Included microphone
+Build quality
+Portable

The Bad
-Nothing

Thanks to Simple Audio for providing the review sample