Trettitre TreSound 1 evaluation: a modern mountain of mediocre sound
MSRP $699.00
“If solely its sound matched its appears to be like, the TreSound 1 could be well worth the funding.”
Execs
- Eye-catching, distinctive design
- Highly effective bass
Cons
- No Wi-Fi or app assist
- Underpowered midrange
- No EQ management
- Audible distortion on deep bass tracks
The TreSound 1 Bluetooth speaker appears to be like like a mountain, in keeping with its producer, Trettitre, an up-and-coming audio producer primarily based in China. I assume it sort of does, although I might additionally settle for “tipi,” “Christmas tree,” and “nuclear warhead” as descriptors — all of them appear equally legitimate.
What isn’t up for debate is the TreSound 1’s worth — a mountainous $699.
At that degree of funding, the TreSound 1 finds itself competing with some severe expertise, just like the $699 Denon Residence 350 wi-fi speaker, the $799 Sony SRS-RA5000, and the $799 Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin.
I had excessive hopes that the TreSound 1 would take me to sonic peaks I had but to expertise. However in the long run, the terrain proved too steep to climb.
Design
You may’t fault Trettitre for making an attempt. Triangular or pyramidal shapes are inherently beguiling, which is among the causes I used to be so eager to attempt the TreSound 1. At slightly below 17 inches tall and with an 11.8-inch diameter base, it’s a placing object, whether or not you get it in black, inexperienced, crimson, or white, like our evaluation mannequin.
It’s superbly made, with a shiny end that appears elegant and opulent. The steel acoustic grille wraps across the higher portion of the cone, and nearly seamlessly integrates into the physique, together with the matching energy/quantity knob on the level.
If you flip it on, with a twist of stated knob, a white mild ring seems on the base, casting a mild glow all the best way across the speaker. A really mushy amber mild within the pinnacle lets you realize when the speaker has paired efficiently (pulsing for pairing mode, strong for paired). There’s additionally a 3.5mm analog line-in jack within the again when you don’t wish to use Bluetooth.
Sadly, this speaker is all magnificence and no brains.
And regardless of not being an excellent match for our residence decor, which makes use of loads of materials, woods, and earth tones, it in some way managed to look good in a wide range of places. Sadly, all of it goes, ahem, downhill from there.
All appears to be like, no smarts
Usually, you may anticipate a $699 wi-fi speaker to have a number of bells and whistles. Possibly a Wi-Fi connection so you’ll be able to stream music instantly from companies like Apple Music or Spotify, or add the speaker to a multiroom setup. Maybe an app that allows you to modify issues like EQ, or range the colour of that LED mild ring. Or, you may simply need to have the ability to pair it with a second speaker for stereo sound.
Sadly, this speaker is all magnificence and no brains. It has none of these issues. There isn’t even a method to pause and play your music from the TreSound 1. On/off, quantity up/down. That’s it.
OK, you say, don’t get too treasured about all the tech stuff, some audio system are simply meant to sound good — to hell with all of the extras. True, true.
However, no.
In concept, the speaker ought to sound actually good. It helps aptX HD for as much as 24-bit/48kHz sound. Nestled within the base is a 5.25-inch 30-watt down-firing subwoofer. Behind the grille sits a pair of two.25-inch full-range drivers and a pair of silk-domed tweeters. There even are 60 watts of sophistication D amplification powering the rig.
But in a weird case of what you see is what you get, the TreSound 1’s sound signature is formed identical to the speaker itself. There’s a really spectacular bass response — deep and resonant — however the highs which might be emitted from the highest of the cone are so achingly vivid that they completely overwhelm the midrange.
And with no EQ controls of any type, you’re caught with it. Altering the amount does little to assist. In case your chosen streaming app has a built-in equalizer and/or EQ presets, it’s attainable to do some tweaking. However discovering a mix of changes that solely tame that wild high finish, with out affecting the remainder of the frequencies, could be tough if not inconceivable.
The splendidly highly effective subwoofer has been woefully mismanaged.
The overly aggressive highs generally really work. Listening to the whistling hook and energetic refrain of OneRepublic’s I Ain’t Apprehensive is pleasurable, as is Bbno$’s Edamame. However tracks which might be extra advanced can undergo, leaving you feeling like one thing’s positively lacking.
What’s much more unlucky is that the splendidly highly effective subwoofer has been woefully mismanaged. Fireplace up an ultradeep bass lower like Billie Eilish’s Dangerous Man, and distortion units in from the very first notes, even at 60% quantity.
At first, I believed the distortion is perhaps occurring due to the best way the TreSound 1 manages quantity. Not like most Bluetooth audio system and headphones, which synchronize their amplification steps together with your smartphone (a step up or down in your cellphone’s quantity causes a rise or lower of the speaker’s quantity), the TreSound 1 makes use of its personal analog amplification (managed through the cone-shaped high quantity dial) over and above no matter Bluetooth quantity setting you select in your cellphone. However even after experimenting with a number of mixtures, I couldn’t stop the distortion from creeping again in at louder volumes.
Trettitre touts the TreSound 1’s 360-degree sound sample, and it’s true — when you place the speaker someplace central, you get usually constant audio (albeit with candy spots within the “entrance” and “rear”). However I’ve the identical qualms in regards to the TreSound 1 as I do with any 360 audio system that have to be related to energy always: who amongst us has a central location of their bed room, lounge, or kitchen, with a conveniently positioned energy outlet and a method to hold of us from tripping over the wire? There’s a motive why most 360 audio system have the flexibility to work on an inner battery, e.g. the Bose Transportable Sensible Speaker.
I actually needed to love the TreSound 1. Wi-fi audio system are likely to look pretty comparable, so the prospect of an eye catching design matched with actually nice sound piqued my curiosity. However regardless of its undeniably distinctive form and opulent construct high quality, there’s simply no method to rationalize the TreSound 1’s top-tier worth of just about $700 with its disappointing sound and nearly complete lack of wi-fi speaker options. That’s approach an excessive amount of cash to spend on a speaker that doesn’t sound improbable.
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