Damson Oyster Bluetooth Speaker - Black

Bought this for $85 and it's been a wonderful addition to my collection. Sounds great and boasts nice, loud sound with plenty of bass. However, its only worth it if the price you're paying is below $100. While producing great sound, the speaker is in my opinion only, not very pleasing to the eyes or pleasing to hold. Its in the shape of an American football (must specify because this is a European product. Another big letdown, probably the biggest letdown is how dumb the speaker is. It cannot remember more than one past connected device so you have to enter into into pair mode every time you turn it on and want to connect to another device. 2nd is when you plug it in, there is no charge indicator, unless you have the speaker on, theres no way to tell if the speaker is charging, and I don't even know if it can charge in the off position. There are no audio-indicators to indicate volume Max, or different modes. Speaker can distinguish between 3.5mm or bluetooth, you have to press a button, you can't upgrade firmware, and the charge cord is proprietary, not USB3.0 based. I understand that normal micro USB chargers charge at 5 volts, .5amps to 2.1 amps just fine, but some tablets charge at 16v 2 amps through USB3.0 based cable and I don't see why Oyster's 18v charger has to output with a specific end as opposed to a more universal and easily available method of charging. What I did like was the included box and pouch, and the charger input is swappable between many wall outlet styles of many regions. The included 2.5 foot 3.5mm cable is insulting to the speaker. I liked the removable magnetic grills, but to be honest I personally won't ever feel compared to tinker with that sort of thing. I feel like I got a great product for $80 which is the only thing keeping me from buyer's remorse. I would not recommend buying it for $150 Before Damson Oyster, I've been using two Ultimate Ears Mini Booms and I love their versatility, user friendly operations, sound, double up feature, dedicated app, more options, size, simplicity, and upgradeable firmware from the home site. If you're going for sound quality and performance per the dollar, then definitely consider buying used Oysters for under $100. Their lack of popularity in the states/amazon means you can pick one up for under $90 currently at the moment. Just be warned the only downside is the UI, if that term is even appropriate here, is dumb, annoying, and will take some time getting used to.

Nope. Not a pearl. Great sound is what you get here. I discovered Damson Audio almost by accident. My niece works in an independent bookstore, and told me they had a new and different speaker in the shop. As an old school audio guy, I was skeptical that anything could really be "new" - let alone "different" from what was out there. I was pleasantly surprised when she showed me the damson Cisor BT-5. This is a small solid cylinder of aluminum, that when placed on practically ANY surface - creates amazing audio playback. I bought one on the spot, and have had untold hours listening to tunes (but even more fun - showing friends how cool it is to turn "things" into speakers) Flash forward to a few weeks ago. I saw that Amazon now has the oyster speaker by Damson. I was looking for something that was portable so I could use it in my large, open classroom for music playback during school - but could easily pick up and stash in my office at the end of the day. Having been impressed by my previous purchase, I ordered an oyster in black and white. Thanks to Amazon Prime, I had it in 2 days flat, and was charging it up! A smallish adapter with multiple plugs/prongs is included, an aux cable, along with a microfiber pouch/bag that holds the oyster in one pocket - and charger/cables in the other. The oyster has an adapter input and aux input on the back bottom. The design reminds me of something out of Star Wars. The black and white version has a cool stormtrooper vibe to it. Glossy white, silver end grilles and black fabric grille cloth. Very sharp looking indeed! There are 4 drivers in the unit. 2 side firing tweeters and 2 rear firing drivers. It's smaller than it seems in the pictures, and reminds me of a larger version of the toy football you had as a kid. I charged it overnight, then fired it up at school the next day. Sound is very good - and VERY loud. You will be amazed at the level of audio this thing can put out. I filled a very large open studio at a volume that was certainly easy to hear anywhere in the room. And it had plenty more oomph if required. We tried it with a macbook pro playing via bluetooth (iTunes) and found that it paired quick, and lasted the whole six and a half hour school day on one charge, with power still available. Since the high end comes out on the sides, it creates a very open sound. Unlike a boom box type speaker system, where all speakers are facing forward, the oyster instead creates a more omnidirectional sound field. In short, it can be put anywhere in a room and sound great, since it doesn't have a "right way" to be positioned. I found it sounded best with a little boost in the high end via the iTunes EQ. But we were mainly playing the Spotify service. I used the AUX in with my iPod touch, and it sounded great as well. I haven't tried using it for a phone call yet - but it DOES have a microphone so it can be used as a hands free calling speaker. All in all, I am quite pleased with the combination of design, sound and battery life. Unlike the Cisor, you won't be tempted to stick it on things to see how they sound - but you will fill an area quite easily, with great sound. I am looking forward to seeing what Damson comes up with next!

I really wanted to like this speaker...but at it's price point, it just didn't live up to the reviews. It is a nice piece of hardware, but with some limitations that I couldn't handle at it's price point. First let me say that this unit is very well packaged. It's VERY impressive when you open it, you actually feel like you're opening something much more expensive. Damson took a page out of Apple's book when it came to the packaging. Unfortunately, from there, it went downhill. First the sound...it was good..just not $150 good. I have friends that have cheaper speakers such as the JBL Charge ($119 at most places), that sound just as clear. Bass was present, but a but distorted. It actually struggled on with Rock/Alternative much more than it did Dance music. I even set my phone EQ to flat to ensure that there was no unintentional signal boosting. This speaker actually sounds cleaner from the sides. I don't know if this is due to the 3D audio processing Damson tries to emulate, but I should be able to front face the speaker and have clean sound, not maneuver it for the best sound. Ironically, after getting the speaker I found a youtube demo which they hooked it to a TV and used and enclosed room to bounce the sound...in wide open areas, like my home...it doesn't work as well. I also tried using this for calls and was constantly told that my voice was muted or far away, even if I leaned in close to the speaker. I wanted to use this in my home office for conference calls, but the lack of mic quality prevents that. I'll stick with my traditional BT headset. The most annoying thing is how the Bluetooth operates...The Oyster CANNOT switch between devices on the fly. For example if I'm connected to the speaker with my phone, I have to shut my Bluetooth off on the phone (or forget the device) in order for my wife to connect her phone to the Oyster. This is a big annoyance especially since we have different music libraries and like to switch back and forth. I thought I was totally mistaken, until I confirmed it on the Damson USA site. So bottom line, for the price, I think I can do better. Be sure to fully research the speaker before buying. I bought into the glowing reviews and didn't do my usual research..and now I have to make a trip to send it back.

I think this thing puts out great sound for the money. 2 of my neighbors have the Bose that's $299 (the bigger one), and while this isn't a Bose, for what I paid (around $85) I would take this versus the Bose any day and twice on Sunday. I recently used it at an outdoor BBQ and thought the sound was good...carried at least 25' from the speaker. Distortion was prevalent when the volume was jacked up, but otherwise very good and worth the money - in my opinion.

It's a great soeaker. The sound is awesome when hooked to my GFs iPhone...but I can't connect my Android (motoX) for some reason. Therefore just three stars. PS; customer service folks not much help on this, although they we're good on everything else. I bought 6 of these for last Christmas as gifts for all our 20-something kids and got myself one later because they all loved theirs.

Move on.

My son is a student at a college in the Chicago land area and has a real eclectic taste in music ranging from rock, hard rock, jazz and even classical. In the next couple of weeks he's heading to Europe for three weeks on a school sponsored junket. Knowing how much he loves music and using his mobile electronics devices, I started looking for a really good Bluetooth speaker that he could take with on his trip. Since he's trying to travel light, part of my dilemma was finding a high quality speaker in a smaller package that would provide the sound I knew he would want. And the speaker needed to have the ability to be easily charged while he traveled. After doing a lot of research online, I came upon the Damson Oyster. I'm typically a person that stays with brand names and am quite knowledgeable about audio products, so at first I wasn't sure I wanted to buy a brand I had not yet heard of. However, my research indicated that Damson had already had a lot of success in the UK, and all of their products had received positive endorsements from media and customers alike. As mentioned, I wanted a speaker with good quality sound so the fact it had four speakers (two on the front and side) caught my attention. Plus I saw that it also came with an International power adapter taking care of the charging issue during travel. Sold! Well, we just got the Oyster in our hands and it more than met my expectations. First of all the Oyster easily paired to my iPhone in seconds, so I found a rockin' song to test how it would handle a music that I often crank up in the car. The Oyster delivered and the spatial sound filled my office to the point others came in to see the "big system" I must have just set up. Imagine their surprise when they saw all of this music coming out of a product a bit smaller than a football. While the Oyster was playing, I was surprised to hear my iPhone ringing through the speaker. I somehow had missed it also has a speakerphone, which I can see that my son will use while he's studying in his apartment. Bottom line: the Damson Oyster was a great selection and I would recommend this product to others.

Had high hopes for this portable speaker but it was a HUGE let down. I was looking for a speaker with good loud sound to replace my JBL charge. I read the reviews and thought the Damson Oyster might be perfect since it has 4 speakers and is really big compared to other portable speakers. Unfortunatelly I was wrong the sound is pathetic it can barley fill up a small room. And like another customer I think it was used.. my speaker was scratched up when I first unboxed it! The only upside is that this speaker is has really good bass form the 2 subwoofer speakers in the front. But the other 2 side speakers are weak and those are the most important since thats where the sound comes out from! Its a shame really, with its size and 4 speakers it was only able to fill up a small room. I was expecting a lot more quality for its price. So if you want this speaker for a small room like a guest room, its perfect! No one else in the house will hear it. But if you want a speaker for outdoors or living room you're better off buying something else than this overpriced junk!

I've had this speaker for a few weeks now and must say how impressed i am with it. I tried the "challenge" on the front of the box - Pair, Play, 30 seconds - and definitely beat it by a few seconds. I've used it extensively around the house and garden playing music from several devices over Bluetooth and the sound quality is amazing. The bass is deep but at the same time the softer notes and spoken lyrics come through very clear. The range is impressive and there have been a few songs where background/ ambient sounds in the song came through more than before so that they were noticed for the first time over headphones and other speakers. I have also used the speaker, via an optical converter cable, to connect to my Sky+ HD box and PS3 to try it as a soundbar alternative. This worked better than i thought and the Oyster held its own against a dedicated sound bar costing more than twice the price. If the sound is kept at an acceptable listening volume there was no difference between it and the soundbar for quality. Even at higher volumes for films/ gaming there was no difference and the depth of the sound was impressive and was able to immerse you fully in the film /game. The only place that the Oyster "struggled" in this scenario was at full volume on an action film with loud explosions. The sound was still impressive although there was a slight distortion which the dedicated sound bar did not have. The only thing which did catch me out for the Oyster was not knowing what volume level it was on with no indicator although this is not a fault which i would drops stars for. Hopefully this is something Damson will consider. Overall i would highly recommend this speaker for listening to music, gaming and general TV/ movie watching

Después de comparar Bose, JBL y Sony, Debo decir que Damson Oyster tiene un sonido espectacular. Los graves son intensos y el resto de frecuencias están muy bien equilibradas, quizás algo corto las frecuencias muy altas. Son 4 altavoces (2 x 2", 2 x 1.5") de medios y agudos que permiten distribuir el sonido por toda la habitación y un Passive radiator trasero para los grabes. En total 16W. No tiene un volumen excesivamente fuerte, pero si suficiente para un salón 20m2, no lo probé en la calle. Y eso si en ningún nivel de intensidad distorsionó. El acabado es muy cuidado, así como el embalaje que más que una caja es un estuche.

Got this today via a daily deal. It was approximately half Amazon's usual price. For what I paid for it I'm happy BUT I would have returned it had I paid full price for it. The sound is reasonable using my iphone which is the main purpose I bought it for. My main gripe is that I have to select the EQ very carefully to make it sound decent. Choose the wrong one and it sounds like something you'd buy from a market stall! Good size. Needs placing carefully in a room for the best effect. Came almost fully charged. Posh box. Fast set up. Like the title - its OK. If you get the chance to buy it half price then I'd go for it. If not don't bother. For what the manufacturers are charging you could probably get a small Bose. UPDATE After using it for a few weeks here's a few more points. 1) The Bluetooth breaks up frequently even when the iphone is right next to the device. I listen to audiobooks a lot and if I use Bluetooth I miss content and it destroys the flow of the story. So despite having purchased it because it has Bluetooth I always use the cable. 2)The size is good but I always feel like I'm about to drop it. Maybe that's because I am a woman and have smaller hands. But I have to be careful especially when attaching the cable (which I always have to do - see point 1.) 3) The amount of bass is intrusive at times. I don't dislike it enough to return it but I wouldn't buy it again if I had the ability to time travel.

Suena muy, muy bien y venia en una caja muy bien protegido y terminado. Comparando con otras marcas en relación calidad precio es de lo mejor.

TL;DR: If you're after sound quality, get the Oyster, it's pretty portable and is great for group listening, if you need something purse friendly, don't mind spending twice as much and losing sound quality get something like a Jambox mini. So I was jealous of my mum with her Jambox and went on search to get my own, after looking at the prices and reading reviews of various similar products, this product came out on top. I believe when this product came out it was priced at around £150, competing with Bose SoundLink Mini, since then the price has dropped and it's now available for ~£50 new here on Amazon, making it less than half the price of the Jambox mini by Jawbone (the one my mum owns). Each speaker has excels where the other falls short. Sound quality: The Oyster has 4 active speakers and one passive bass radiator, two drivers on the front (mids and lows) and one speaker on either end (highs) and the bass radiator on the back. Whereas the Jambox has two active drivers and a passive bass radiator, both active drivers on the front, radiator on the back. In terms of sound quality the Oyster obviously wins this, in every way, for every type of music I tested, pop, rock, electronic and classical. Given the difference in size and number of speakers, this probably wouldn't surprise, but given that it's half the price, this is pretty great. Form: For portability the Jambox wins this round hands down measuring only 150mm long by 39mm wide by 57mm tall and weighing 343 grams. The Oyster measures 233mm long by 120mm wide by 95mm tall and weighing 795 grams (size measurements made from the largest diameter on the curved sides). You might be able to get away with fitting the Jambox in your pockets, if you have somewhat baggy trousers on, the Oyster can sit in your backpack comfortably, I had a little test using it through my rucksack and the sound quality suffered slightly, but you could still use it on the go if you wanted. Other notes: The Oyster has a minor quirk where, when first switched on, the device lacks some of its bass, this can be fixed easily by adjusting the volume up or down one notch, it's not a particular volume that causes the issue, but that it's only recently switched on. This is a pretty minor issue, as you'll need to be next to it to switch it on, so just pressing a volume button isn't difficult at all. The Oyster also has great sound from every angle, whereas the Jambox is fairly front directional. I haven't used the Jambox enough to comment on its battery life, but the Oyster can handle 1 or 2 hours a day for a week before needing a recharge, so battery life isn't really a concern here. The Jambox uses the more convenient micro USB charging method, where the Oyster has an 18V charger, which comes with different plugs/prongs for different countries. I'd rather have a micro USB connector here, but the Oyster has a beefier battery and it'd probably take an age to charge with a 5W USB connection. If you have any questions about the product feel free to ask leave them in the comments.