Native Union Monocle Review: Portable Audio Oddity

Native Union Monocle Review: Portable Audio Oddity

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Native Union Monocle Review

What do you get when you remove a speaker from a pair of headphones, throw in a portable battery and add the ability to transform into a portable speaker? You get the Native Union Monocle, a device as odd as the Victorian eyepiece that it’s named after. The Monocle presents a straightforward proposition – it’s a mono portable speaker that you can also use to make and answer calls, in private if you choose.

In the box is the speaker itself, a power cable for charging in the same style as the speaker cable, and a speaker loop. A manual, warranty card and Native Union’s Lookbook (product catalog) round out the contents.

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Native Union, the company behind this audio oddity, is known for making thoughtful, elegant if unorthodox designs – yes, this is the same company that’s responsible for the wonderfully retro Pop Phone. The design of the Monocle, if you get past how odd it is, is actually pretty cool. The design of the Monocle is pretty simple, yet elegant – the coral red speaker is surrounded by a faux leather, while the cable uses a braided nylon cable. If you’re not a fan of the color, there are three others to choose from: marine blue, mint and slate. There’s a button on the side of the speaker, that, along with the duplex microphone allows you to answer calls. The button can also be used to control your music – press once to play, twice to skip the current track, and thrice to go back to the previous one. The knurled rotating end of the speaker on the opposite side controls the volume of the speaker, and allows you to turn it into a personal earpiece (more on this later). Ports on the Monocle include a micro USB port for charging, and a 3.5mm audio jack that allows other Monocles to connect to each other, effectively daisy chaining them together.

The Monocle has two modes of operation: as a speaker and as a single headphone. You switch between the two using the knurled volume control – turn it all the way down, and the Monocle becomes a sort of single headphone that you listen to by holding it up to your ear, useful for making private phone calls that you don’t want broadcasted. Turn the volume up and it becomes a portable speaker.

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Carrying the Monocle around was a bit of a challenge, simply because there isn’t really a standard way of doing it, which probably adds to the appeal. You can drape it around your neck if you’re running for example, or just twist it around your bag and carry it around with you. You can even stuff it down your pants pocket if you wish, since it’s small enough to fit.

Sound quality is good enough, considering the size of the speaker drivers. There’s little bass as you’d expect from a speaker this size. We did notice a bit of bass distortion in bass heavy music, as well as a distinct lack of detail and clarity, but that’s just the price you pay when you use a portable speaker. As far as volume is concerned, the Monocle is able to fill a small room with sound, though the sound quality starts to suffer once you reach the top end of the volume curve.

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In the end, the Native Union Monocle is a unique speaker that’s on par with most hamburger type portable speakers in the market. It’s not going to blow you away with its sound quality, but to be honest that’s not what you’re paying for when you pick it up. The Native Union Monocle retails for Php 2,250.

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