I’m not sure how much you listen to music, but in my house we are always jamming to something. The difference has been the overall setup on how to play music. Depending on how old you are, you may remember the Cassette, or even the 8 Track. When I really started to get into music, it was at the boom of the MP3 Napster days, I was rocking a Sony Mini Disc player with over 13 hours of music on each disc. I considered myself to be the pinnacle of modern technology. Plenty of wires and converters to play my Mini Disc Player on the AUX of my Stereo, which not only contained 2 Cassette players but also had a 3 disc CD Player. Everything changed with the advent of the iPod. Fast forward many years, and there is this thing called Airplay. Wireless music? Get off my lawn.
While streaming via Bluetooth and Airplay is quite–I’ll use the term “magical”, there is just one issue. That’s actually finding a device that supports them, at least one that you can afford. I made it my mission to locate the best of the best in Wireless systems, ones that could handle the streaming better known as AirPlay. That’s of course when I came across a device by the name Wren V5 offering a dreamy looking device with solid sound and Airplay. So how does the Wren V5 perform? Is it ready to handle my iTunes Library?
Design
Let’s face it, most speakers are pretty visible and while you can always make do with stuff of that function, the design is an intregal part of any purchase. When looking at the available Airplay speakers, the design of the Wren V5 is what immediately jumped out at me. It resembles both a past and present look to the device itself. The outer exterior is made of wood, while the speaker components are a silver gray. The speaker mesh covering the front also has a nice sparkle to it. It’s a very minimalist design that really compliments the speakers’ overall aesthetics . The buttons are also well placed, as the functions are easily recognized without having to give it much thought. It’s as if they blend within the design, except when you need them. The speaker itself has a nice weight class to it, as it feels really expensive. The remote that comes with the device is the only part of the design I wasn’t impressed with. The speaker has a very Apple quality while the remote seems a bit cheap.
Features
As with most of the Airplay speakers, they are generally tricked out to offer more than one style of playback. The Wren V5 offers 3 different playback functions: Airplay, Aux in, or even USB in with your iPhone / iPod. Setup is pretty straight forward, with both Aux and USB in simple plug in your device and turn on the Wren V5. As for Airplay, you first have to link the Wren V5 with your local Wifi. Once that’s done, it’s ready for primetime. The Wren V5 comes packaged with an IR Remote to add extra control, though you can control its volume through the iTunes Airplay system. The system utilizes a DC Outlet for its power.
Sound Quality
This is the most important piece to any sound system review. I’ve done some extensive research into speakers, as I always look for a full sound which can be difficult to find. Wren V5 certainly does deliver when it comes to sound quality. At its default volume, the speaker has a very rich full sound. The Bass is there, but there is still Treble. It reminded me of the first time hearing a Bose sound demo. What I was most impressed with is how the sound quality never changed. From its lowest volume to the highest, it maintained a very rich full sound. I was actually able to just open my back window with the Wren V5 on for some music while my wife and I gardened.
Overall 8.5
The overall package with Wren V5 is fantastic. Not only does the speaker look pretty, but it delivers in terms of sound quality and functionality. Though my only concern has been the price tag as $399 seems a little pricey. That being said, it’s not the most expensive of Airplay capable speakers. What I think Wren V5 does is makes up for price with the quality of the device. Wren V5 comes with a 3 year warranty which means that the company knows it’s going to last. I would recommend this device to anyone that is looking for Apple quality in their speakers.