REVIEW: TEUFEL ONE S: There is a battle going on that spans all the kitchens and living rooms. Without mercy, the smallest places in these spaces are conquered. The Empire of Sonos from the West has managed to acquire so much land in recent years. But Bluesound from the High North does not stop there. In the midst of all those great battles, there is also a Germanic Kingdom, which wins the hearts of the Low Landers for itself. Behold a black banner, in which the red letters Teufel, flapping mightily in the wind, make a statement …
The large gate of the castle descends to form a bridge over the enormous moat. A figure appears from the shadow. The Teufel One S arrives on a small pony. Because that’s what we’re talking about here. The small and compact smart speaker One S, from Teufel . The war for that place in the kitchen, living room or bedroom has been going on for some time. With the arrival of smart Google or Alexa speakers, it is more intense than ever. Smart speakers that partner with an audio brand, such as the Belkin smart speaker. The question remains at all times: “What do you get for your money?”. Because it is very simple: you can only spend it once.
Much for little
The Dutch like a good deal. Sit in the front row for a dime. Teufel has understood that well, there is something for every budget. The operation is with touch buttons on the top. There are three preset channels for radio stations, because it works very simply. For both young and old. Play and pause, volume, skip to the next track or previous, you can access it directly. On the sides, there are passive membranes, which support the driver with a layer at the front. That provides a rich sound. That driver at the front provides mid and high frequencies. At the back we find a 3.5 mm aux connection, Bluetooth pairing button, the setup and reset button, USB connection, ethernet port and power connection. In addition to Bluetooth, WiFi is also available. That gives a lot of connection options. The One S is not equipped with a speech module. We think that is a victory. If you still want to turn it into a talking speaker, you can easily connect an Alexa dot or Google mini to it, but we don’t have to.
Due to its compact square format, the Teufel One S is easy to place in the kitchen, where you will probably find the compact German in many cases. That’s where the speaker tested. With a height of just under 17 cm, width of 18 cm and a depth of almost 9 cm, you can really place the speaker somewhere. Add another Teufel One S and you can turn it into a stereo set. With the 3.5mm connection, it is also possible to connect a record player.
That is not the only thing that makes the Teufel One S interesting. The support of Raumfeld provides a lot of added value to this small speaker. With the app to which almost all Teufel multiroom products are connected, it is possible to stream music from your library, such as computer, NAS or other hard drive full of music. You don’t get that support with the app with a smart speaker. If you ever buy a Teufel speaker, it will also appear in the app. That is real multiroom support, for the price tag of 199 euros not bad at all. Certainly not when we look at the competitors.
A full kitchen
After a day or two, the Teufel One S has already become a regular part of the kitchen. The fixed radio stations are listed under the shortcuts. In the morning at breakfast or during coffee, the radio is on. In the course of the afternoon there will be a switch to playlists on Spotify. During cooking and eating there is music playing from the server. What is special, the playback formats are not difficult at all for the Teufel One S; AAC. ASF, FLAC, MP3, OGG and WAV. In terms of streaming services, there is also a wide choice.
We are amazed at how much noise there is in the Teufel One S.
While a steak is frying in the pan, Adele climbs out of the speaker. Quite artful from that small size. Yet her voice manages to fill the kitchen reasonably well. It sounds full. That’s not what you expect with this format. Having said that, there is a limitation on the format in relation to the sound. Especially when the volume is turned up a bit. Is that bad? For an amount of 200 euros?
During dinner Frank Sinatra is quietly playing in the background. That sounds exactly as you expect. Just good. There is no overly low bass pumping. The vocals are not shrill either. It’s all just fine! Ol ‘Blue Eyes sounds smooth and compelling. Just right for eating.
Stereo, Why Not?
For the test, we packed another Teufel One S. By heading them in the app, it is easy to make a stereo set. We put the set in the living room. This space is a lot bigger, but we also play with 2 speakers. We now have a streaming stereo set playing here. Which also has support from a music library, has a USB connection, and the possibility to stream Bluetooth or play vinyl with a record player. For 400 euros. Well, that does appeal to the Dutch in us.
The sound has a relaxed character. It sounds rich and full enough without being over the top. No, it is not an audiophile stereo set and no, it will not give you goosebumps. But when we look at it from the price and what it does, we are very satisfied. It’s fine for a small living room, kitchen, or student room. It doesn’t matter if we listen to an episode of The Boom Room on soundcloud or The War On Drugs on Spotify, it really sounds great for the price. Sure, the format has its limitations and you will hear distortion at higher volumes. Also, the low will not be able to keep up well. But let’s be very honest, the Teufel One S is not aimed at that either. Then one step higher, the Teufel One M is a better choice. Or for a real party, the Boomster XL.
Final verdict
The fact that you get a lot for your money at Teufel, is also evident with the Teufel One S. It is a wonderfully small speaker that you can actually put anywhere. And the possibilities and options are very wide for the relatively small amount. Real “touch” buttons, with function on the top, make operation easy. For someone who does not yet have multiroom audio at home, this is a product to put on the list. Listen and compare it with other speakers. If you already own another multiroom audio product, the Teufel One S will not be on your list.
Conclusion
The Teufel One S is a small speaker that sounds great. As a user you are amply provided with connectivity options and options. You really get your money’s worth. With a sales price of just under 200 euros, we actually have nothing to criticize. It’s just a good speaker, what more could you want?
PLUS POINTS of TEUFEL ONE S
- Good value for money
- Extensive connectivity options
- Operation with touch buttons
- Multiroom ready
MINUSES of TEUFEL ONE S
- Not interesting for people who already have another multiroom brand
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