What’s the story?
A bit like Sonos letting the Wi-Fi
shackles off with the Roam, the
P5 represents Audio Pro’s first
foray into properly portable
Bluetooth territory.
The Swedish firm has a fine
record for multiroom speakers,
but this truly diminutive boomer
has no interest in playing with
its sonic chums and is going
it alone instead, supported by
a 1in tweeter, a 3.2in woofer
and a 35W amp.
It’s wind/rain-resistant, not
fully waterproof, but there is a
handy wrist strap to stop it falling
in the soup – and to free up your
hands for more important things,
like holding a continental lager or
texting your mate at the bar.
The 18hr battery life is on a par
with the more expensive B&O A1on p65, but at half the size it is
also half as powerful. In design
terms it’s as inoffensive as the
aforementioned Roam – and
comes in a choice of black, black
or black.Is it any good?
Listen to the Audio Pro next to
one of B&O’s 360° devices (or
the Bose on p64) and you’ll hear
the difference immediately. The
P5 is a forward and authoritative
speaker, throwing the full weight
of its performance towards the
listener in front.
While it might not have the
airy separation and insight of its
sound-spreading competition,
this is still a bigger, wider
soundstage than its slender
frame would have you guess
it to be capable of. Vocals arepushed front and centre, without
ever feeling detached from the
rest of the track; and there’s
a real sense of cohesion to its
performance, with all elements
of a track sounding equally
strong and confident.
The decent bassy punch it
serves up ensures a solid sound
across the board, although right
at top volume it does start to
get a bit shouty. It’s at its best
around two thirds to max, when
dynamics and energy really kick
into action to help this speaker
get the party started.Price £140 / stuff.tv/P5Key specs O 35W, 1in tweeter,
3.2in woofer O Bluetooth 5.0,
USB-C, 3.5mm O Up to 18 hrs
O IPX4 O 220x97x53mm, 720gMillican Smith
The Roll Pack 25L
With fabrics made from
100% recycled polyester,
Millican’s multi-talented
tote is made to go the
distance. Light, tough and
waterproof to boot, the
Smith’s rolltop closure
keeps gadgets dry in all
weather. External stash
pockets are perfect for
bulky bits, while sleeves
inside – plus a subtle
laptop slot – ensure your
stuff is easily sorted.
£140 /
homeofmillican.com
Audio Pro P5
NOW POP IT IN THISSTUFF SAYS A simple ultra-portable speaker that’s surprisingly meaty ++++,
Cut me some FLAC
It’s easy to stereo-pair
two P5s and its audio
file support is
impressive: WMA,
AAC, FLAC and Apple
Lossless are all
catered for.Little black drain
While the P5 is good
for up to 18hrs of
playback, if you crank
it up to full blast that
gets zapped down to
just 4hrs – so have a
power-pack handy.BEST FOR
SHEER
SIMPLICITY