Libratone ZIPP Speaker Review

Do you stream most of your music, instead of buying CDs? Are you tired of having to choose between an immovable Hi-Fi speaker and a Bluetooth speaker which, though portable, has less than average sound quality?

The Libratone ZIPP Speaker might be the answer to your needs.

Created by a company that is devoted to improving the music-listening experience of today’s modern streamers, the Libratone ZIPP has impressive sound quality for a lightweight, portable speaker.

Its 360-degree Full-Room acoustics and speaker pairing functions make for a flexible, customizable and immersive musical occasion.

The speaker is also Wi-Fi connectable and Bluetooth enabled, capable of operating with devices like Amazon Alexa, Spotify Connect, and AirPlay, though some users report having a difficult time getting the speakers to maintain connection to the Wi-Fi or to their devices.

Still not sure whether the Libratone ZIPP Speaker is the best Wi-Fi speaker for you? Here we lay out all the details, both positive and negative, so that you can make the best decision for yourself.

Libratone ZIPP Speaker: The Details

Specs

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.8 x 10.3 inches.
• Product Weight: 3 lbs.
• Product Type: Wireless Speaker.
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa? Yes – this product is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectible, and also supports Spotify Connect, iOS AirPlay, and Android DLNA.

How Does it Work

The Libratone ZIPP Speaker is designed for maximum portability without sacrificing the quality of your sound. Its attached strap and lightweight structure allow it to be easily picked up and placed anywhere you want.

The ZIPP is also wireless and battery-operated, able to go ten hours or more without a recharge. Its 360-degree sound allows it to play music in any direction and from any location, near or far from a wall, and to continue playing even while being carried around by someone.

This smart speaker is both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, meaning that you can stream any music or video from any website or app through it. No more having to sign up for expensive apps or having to have special devices.

ZIPP speakers can also interact with each other; up to six ZIPP speakers can be connected over Wi-Fi to create a more immersive sound experience in one room or in multiple rooms.

Either use your phone to stream your favourite audio and video apps, or set your phone aside to stream Spotify Connect and Internet Radio directly from the Libratone ZIPP speaker.

Each speaker also has an adjustable equalizer, allowing users to focus different speakers on different musical ranges to create a more dynamic listening experience that fits each user’s unique taste.

ZIPP is not only functional, but also fashionable. Its simple, modern design can be adjusted via the replaceable coloured covers – with options in Cloudy Grey, Deep Lagoon, Graphite Grey, and Victory Red – to keep up with users’ changing preferences.

Libratone: The Brand

Founded in Demark in 2009 by three German entrepeneurs, Libratone is on an mission to “liberate sound” by improving the home music listening experience in the current era of music streaming.

Over the years, Libratone has gained a variety of awards for their Danish acoustic engineering and Scandinavian aesthetics and design.

Devoted to flexibility, portability, sound quality, and helping people have “great moments with great music,” Libratone has made sales in 31 countries and has over 200 employees around the world.

Libratone ZIPP Speaker Review

The Positives

Larger Than Most Bluetooth Speakers, But Not Too Large

Let’s face it; we want a small device that we can easily throw in our bag when visiting friends for a laptop movie-night, but one large enough to make those beautiful acoustics sound beautiful – not like whiny clangs.

With its 4.8 x 4.8 x 10.3 inch dimensions, the Libratone ZIPP is larger than the average Bluetooth speaker, allowing users to handle it easier and manually change its settings.

This also takes the need of squinting or guessing if you’ve pressed the correct button out of the equation.

Nevertheless, this speaker remains small enough, weighing in at only 3.3 pounds. This is definitely a lifesaving in-between option when you’re shopping for speakers.

Here’s a video showing what the Libratone ZIPP Speaker looks like out of the box and what’s included in the box.

Impressive Sound Quality for Its Size

Though this smart speaker is smaller than the typical stereo, its sound more than makes up for its size.

Users delight in the ZIPP’s volume, glad to have a speaker that can fill a room or yard with sound without bothering the neighbours with overbearing vibrations.

The speakers also operate well at all parts of the musical range, from the deepest bass to the crispest highs.

Long-Lasting Rechargeable Battery

Unlike most speakers, the ZIPP can play for up to ten hours without needing a recharge, removing the need to ‘code-red, code-red, emergency scramble’ when the  music cuts out in the middle of a party and you need to locate a charging cord.

This high powered battery renders it a literally wireless device for an entire day of listening to music with friends.

Customizable Music Experience

Many of the Libratone ZIPP’s features come together to create potentially limitless options for your music listening experience.

The name of this game is ‘customizable,’ allowing you to tailor your music-listening or movie-watching to your unique or changing tastes.

From the lightweight, movable design, to the 360-degree Full-Room acoustics sending sound waves in all directions, to features that allow individual speakers to focus on different parts of the musical range (or on left and right stereo channels) – users have the freedom to define their own musical moment.

These smart speakers can also store preset radio stations, a feature not many speakers have.

On top of all that, each speaker comes with a coloured jacket that can be unzipped and replaced with a different colour, allowing the Libratone ZIPP speaker to not only be customized with the best sound for any occasion, but also the best outward appearance for any occasion.

Warranty

What’s a good device without backing from the company?

Thankfully, Libratone stands behind its ZIPP Speaker with a one year limited warranty.

This means that in the case of any manufacturing faults within one year of purchase, Libratone will take the bill to repair, replace or refund your speaker with no hassle.

Just be sure that you handle your speaker with care so you’re not the one at fault for a busted product.

Easy to Use

For those of us who aren’t exactly tech savvy, adding a device like this to your home might sound like more of a burden than anything.

The Libratone ZIPP Speaker is super easy to handle so you won’t have to bug your friends or family to help you get the music flowing.

Setting up the speaker takes just a few minutes and adding apps to the device is just as simple. Once you connect to the app, its just three steps before you’re all good to go.

The speaker also comes with touch controls to make things even easier.

Portability

We love the portability of this speaker. Some speakers that claim to be portable just end up being too heavy or too much of a burden to carry around so it usually just ends up staying put on the counter.

The Libratone ZIPP is actually lightweight enough to tuck into your tote, purse or backpack so having quality sound anywhere is an easy task. It’s also perfect for slipping into your carry-on on longer trips.

Since its so easy to set up, you can easily connect it to other outlets in a matter of minutes. This reduces a lot of the limits that other wireless speakers might bring.

The Negatives

Problems Connecting to Either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

For some users, the Libratone ZIPP fails to deliver its promise to stream anything.

While we didn’t encounter it personally, several other buyers report being unable to use the Bluetooth connectivity feature, while others claim it loses the Wi-Fi more often than other devices connected to the same network.

When it loses or regains the connection, the speaker emits a lout beeping sound, sometimes in the middle of the night.

Talk about a bad wake-up call.

Lags Between Speakers and With Video

Of course, nothing is cooler than syncing up multiple speakers for a truly surround-sound experience, all without investing in traditional devices.

However, you could be in for a disappointing surprise with this option.

Occasionally when we used multiple ZIPP speakers at once, they sometimes failed to properly sync together, creating a lag or stuttering effect in the music.

Other users report that when trying to use speakers to play the audio from a video, there is a noticeable lag between the video playtime and the audio coming out of the speakers.

So if you’re using this device solo, you’ll be fine – but be prepared for some troubleshooting when upgrading.

Slow Customer Service

While its relieving to have a warranty, you can’t exactly use it if you can’t get in touch with the company.

Since the company is based in Denmark, some have reported that contacting the company or waiting on them to reply to messages can take a bit of extra time.

That being said, when you do make contact with Libratone’s customer service they are extremely helpful and friendly and are able to resolve any issues or problems.

Overall Verdict

We would recommend the Libratone ZIPP Speaker to anyone who primarily streams their music and is looking for a lightweight, portable speaker with high quality sound.

However, we would caution users with poor Wi-Fi connections, or who are easily frustrated when devices disconnect from the Wi-Fi, to find another speaker to fit their needs. For those users, a speaker connected to a non-internet-using music player might be best.

Where to Buy the Libratone ZIPP Speaker

Finding a European product outside of Europe can be a little tricky, especially in another continent.

While the Libratone ZIPP Speaker was distributed to some selected retail stores, they are now limited and a little trickier to find in local retail stores.

The search gets a little easier online as the ZIPP Speaker can be purchased from the Libratone website, as well as on Amazon.

Thats it for our sound review on the Libratone ZIPP Speaker. Tempted to give it a try?