Macworld - USA (2020-02)

104 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2020

PLAYLIST REVIEW: URBANEARS RÅLIS

from the album Sound Magic, Vol. 1 by Afro

Celt Sound System, the Rålis sounded rich,

deep, and smooth on the synth-heavy

track. The bass was a bit boomy, but not

tremendously, and the rest of the sound

was clean and clear.

I had the same impression listening to

Huayucaltia playing “Un Espejo” from

Amazonas. This South American band

features pan flutes, guitars, bass, and

percussion, which sounded rich and full

with slightly bloated bass. The pan flutes,

guitars, and percussion were clearly

rendered.

For a bass-heavy track, I listened to

The main controls on the top (left to right): skip back,

play/pause, skip forward, volume down, volume up.

takes only two hours.
The primary input is Bluetooth 5.0
with support for the A2DP and
AVRCP profiles; it does not support
advanced codecs such as aptX or
AAC. It can wirelessly connect to
two different Bluetooth sources,
allowing them to share DJ duties.
The only other input is a 3.5mm
analog-audio jack that lets you
connect non-Bluetooth source
devices.
In addition, a USB port lets you
charge your portable audio
source, which is mighty handy. I
wish you could also play audio
files from a USB device, which
would require a built-in media
player. I guess you can’t have
everything.
Most of the controls are found on the
top of the unit. The flush-mounted physical
buttons include play/pause, skip forward,
skip back, volume up, and volume down.
The power and Bluetooth pairing buttons
are found on the side, along with a tiny
LED indicator.

PERFORMANCE
With a rear-firing mid/tweeter and a port
on the back of the cabinet, it’s best not to
place the Rålis up against a wall. I placed it
on a table far from any walls.
Starting with “Dark Moon, High Tide”