SuperTooth Disco 4 Review

Introduction

One of our longstanding favorite portable Bluetooth speakers has been the line from SuperTooth, its Disco series of speakers, seeing they combined fantastic audio quality with an affordable cost. Taking it to the next level with its latest offering, the fourth generation model in the line, the SuperTooth D4, mixes it up with an even more stylish design – while jumping on the bandwagon by offering NFC for easier connectivity. Will it live up to the beloved line? Let’s jump in and get started!

The package contains:

• Owners guide
• microUSB charging cable
• 3.5mm auxiliary cable

Design

The SuperTooth D4 continues the trend of having a stylish design, but in a more pleasant compact and lightweight package.

Through the years, we’ve seen SuperTooth’s speaker evolved from the generic looking thing we witnessed with the original Disco, to the more stylish appeal brought on by the Disco 2. Again, that evolutionary change is apparent with this fourth-generation speaker, which favors a more compact size – resulting in a package that’s easier for travel. Of course, it has some similarities to the vase-shaped design of the Disco 2, but the SuperTooth D4 stands sideways – as opposed to upright like the Disco 2.

Staring at the D4, it reminds us of the wider end of a megaphone, since its shape practically follows it. Constructed out of this tough matte plastic material, the D4 really shines thanks in part to the various paint jobs it’s offered in – meteor, stone, sand, juicy, and spectrum. Our particular unit is that “juicy” red version, which makes it extremely eye-catching. True to making it more travel friendly, there’s even a rubbery plastic handle at the top of the speaker.

On the main façade of the D4, a fabric mesh grill covers the surface – hiding the speaker inside, which features a Bass Reflux system. Around the back, its power button, LED light, microUSB port, and 3.5mm auxiliary jack all sit within the recessed area. Finally, a rubber stopper is situated on the underside of the D4 to prevent it from skipping or moving while playing a song. Our only complaint with this speaker, in contrast to its predecessors, is that it lacks built-in media controls for pause/play/forward/reverse.

So where’s the NFC chip in this speaker? Initially, we were confused because there’s no sticker or logo to indicate its placement on the speaker. In fact, it’s situated towards the back end of the rubber strap.

All told, SuperTooth does a great job in effectively shrinking the speaker’s size and weight with this updated design. Fashionable and stylish are two things that spring to mind when looking at the D4, adding some much needed pizzazz and spark to our home entertainment counter.

Performance

Don’t be fooled by its size! It packs quite a bite with its audio power.

Blessed with NFC functionality, it’s a swell lot easier setting up the SuperTooth D4 with our NFC devices. Like we said earlier, it’s tough figuring out the location of the chip, but once found, all that’s required is to gently place our device over the spot – where the connection is established. Of course, if you don’t have an NFC enabled device, the speaker is automatically placed into Bluetooth pairing mode when it’s turned on for the first time. Connecting it with an HTC One M8, we’re able to retain a connection to the speaker up to 30 feet, which is pretty good considering we’re using it predominantly indoors.
Even though the SuperTooth D4 isn’t meant to compete against those home entertainment audio systems, we’re thoroughly impressed by its quality.

Pounding out a total of 8 Watt RMS, the D4 doesn’t hold back its impeccable and commanding tones. Setting the volume to the middle setting, there’s a good balance between lows, mids, and highs – so that nothing is drowned out. Fortunately, the bass produced by the speaker isn’t overpowering, which lends to its consistently clear results.

Testing it to its limit by placing its volume at the highest, there aren’t any major compromises to the audio quality. Yet again, the bass level is sufficient to keep mids and highs from being drowned out. And best of all, there’s no evidence of strain, crackling, or unwanted audio distortion at the loudest volume setting. Clearly, it has enough of a robust punch to fill up a living room, but at the same time, it’s something perfect for a small desk space at work too.

Battery

Rated by the manufacturer to produce 1500 hours of standby time, or a more practical 12 hours of play time at the middle volume setting, we’re able to achieve approximately 10 hours with our specific usage. It’s doesn’t reach its intended target, but of course, we have to stress that it’ll vary depending on your usage. In fact, they have it rated for 2 to 3 hours with the volume setting at the maximum. In any case, we’re pretty content by the 10 hours it’s able to muster up – more so considering it’s meant to be carried around and used in multiple areas.

Conclusion

The SuperTooth D4 might not be the most features rich portable Bluetooth speaker on the market, but rest assured, it’s undeniably a package worth checking out. Better yet, this fourth-generation speaker has been reduced in price – whereas its predecessors were graced with $100 price tags. At half the cost, a mere $49, you get a stylish looking compact speaker that amazingly doesn’t skimp out on the audio quality. Throw in its built-in NFC for a hassle-free pairing process, the SuperTooth D4 id well-endowed and dishes up quite a deal of value for the money.