I tried the expensive but eccentric Bearbrick Bluetooth speaker, and I didn’t hate it
There are two things you need to know before we delve deeper into one of the weirdest wireless speakers we’ve ever come across (the Bearbrick is so unique and outrageously priced that it’ll probably never be among the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve ever seen ). I tested it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the most interesting we’ve come across).
The first is that Medicom Toy (purveyors of collectible action figures, vinyl dolls and whatnot) has achieved something very close to ubiquity with its Bearbrick model. There isn’t a design museum worthy of the name that doesn’t have one or two examples, and there are literally thousands of variants of the ‘400%’ model available on the company’s website. Fancy a Bearbrick like Tweety-Pie? Or as Andy Warhol? Or one from Daft Punk? Go straight ahead.
The other is that I’ve been reviewing audio equipment for over twenty years now, and in that time I’ve never really wavered from the view that a product should perform to a standard that justifies the asking price if I’m not going to put the boot in stiches. I’ve lost track of the number of times a manufacturer (or its representatives) has tried to tell me that because a product is gold-plated, or limited edition, or endorsed by a musician, the “quality per pound” rules shouldn’t apply. should be applicable. Of course I am always very polite, but I don’t find it that difficult to ignore this nonsense.
Rinaro doesn’t make toys
While I always do my very best not to prejudge equipment, I can’t pretend I didn’t have reservations about the Bearbrick Audio 400 before it arrived. An unsmart Bluetooth speaker? A dumb (i.e. not Wi-Fi) Bluetooth speaker with movable arms and legs? Cost $500 / £595 / AU$760? I know all too well that writing a negative review is generally easier (and more fun) than writing a positive review, but really… this was like shooting fish in a barrel.
But on the other hand, the press release mentioned the input of Rinaro Isodynamics from Ukraine. I’m familiar with Rinaro Isodynamics, a brand that is extremely highly regarded in audiophile circles thanks to its recognized excellence in high-end things like planar magnetic drivers.
I recently had first-hand experience of his expertise, when I reviewed a pair of $3,000 / £2,750 / AU$4,560 Meze Audio headphones with Rinaro Isodynamics components (like the Meze Audio Liric) – and as listening experiences go, is this was miraculous. Rinaro’s involvement with the Audio 400 made me wonder if it would ultimately become more than a joke and an irrelevance…
Childish or the cutest thing imaginable?
When the Bearbrick Audio 400 itself arrived, I was able to properly consider the product. On the plus side there’s a four-driver array (two 20mm polypropylene tweeters, one in each ear, and two 40mm carbon paper cone mid/bass drivers, angled outwards from the back of the bear’s skull), designed to deliver omnidirectional sound and powered by 20 watts of Class D amplification, it looks good on paper.
Bluetooth 5.0 with codec compatibility limited to SBC and AAC, on the other hand, does not. Six hours of battery life is pretty okay, I think. And I was conflicted about the control options: is turning the bear’s left paw to adjust the volume and his right paw to skip forward or backward through my playlist just childish? Or is it the cutest thing you can imagine?
After the (replaceable) battery had been charged – via the USB-C connection in the bear’s left heel – and a wireless connection to a Samsung S23 Ultra smartphone had been established, it was time for some critical listening. Standing upright and with the arms at the sides, the Audio 400 measures a neat 280 x 132 x 70mm (HxWxD) – in other words the perfect size for standing on my desk and looking over my laptop while I watch that endless listening playlist with test tunes that I have been putting together for years.
A spacious, tonally balanced listening experience
Like I said, I’ve been doing this kind of work for a long time now – but I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I’ve come across a product that I’m willing to cut off even the tiniest whiff of. slack when it comes to performance per pound.
And despite having some real positives when it comes to audio presentation – it’s quite spacious, tonally balanced, reasonably punchy and quite eloquent, especially in the midrange – the Bearbrick Audio 400 isn’t without its problems. For example, the idea that sound is omnidirectional is fanciful. It’s basically flat when it comes to dynamics. Yes, it’s an energetic and fairly well-controlled listen – but if you turn the volume all the way down, it becomes noticeably bass-forward.
And for a level-headed and down-to-earth person like me, the biggest problem is of course the price. $500 / £595 / AU$760 is a lot for a dumb Bluetooth speaker, and it’s even more to pay for a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t offer class-leading sound. Honestly, you can spend $300 / £349 / AU$520 on a DALI Katch G2 and get more complete audio performance. Does the DALI look like a bear? No that’s not true. Does it offer better value for money than the Audio 400? You bet your boots will.
The Bang & Olufsen phenomenon
In this case, there is more to it than whether or not a particular product offers value for money. For years I privately called this “the Bang & Olufsen phenomenon.” In my experience, Bang & Olufsen customers are well aware that they are paying more for design, and could achieve similar performance with a non-B&O alternative for a lot less money if they were willing to forgo of the ‘design’ element – but they are not. Bang & Olufsen customers know they’re paying too much when it comes to pure performance, and they don’t care.
The Bearbrick Audio 400 is a similar proposition. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Selfridges is the only bricks and mortar retailer in the UK to stock it. In the US you can find it on the MOMA site for a small additional charge. It’s a product that will be sold to a very specific customer base that doesn’t care whether or not they can get comparable sound quality from a less dramatic-looking speaker that costs a lot less money. They want the bear with the speakers in his ears.
I wanted to hate the Bearbrick Audio 400. I wanted it to be a cynical marketing exercise, and a ploy to deceive the gullible. But it isn’t – at least not completely. I quite like it. Not enough to consider spending $500 / £595 / AU$760 on it, of course, but I’m certainly not about to put the boot in.