Huawei has called on the French Devialet to tie up its new compact Bluetooth speaker. The small Huawei Sound Joy benefits from Devialet SAM digital technology and is positioned as a direct competitor to market benchmarks such as the JBL Flip 6 and Sony SRS-XB23. Can she do better? Surprise…
The Huawei Sound Joy speaker // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
Spring is not here yet, but Huawei is already thinking about accompanying outdoor music lovers on their nature outings. Easy to slip into a backpack with its small size (20 x 6 cm), not too heavy with 680 g, the Huawei Sound Joy has two speakers calibrated by Devialet, associated with two passive radiators to thunder louder in the serious. It doesn’t seem to miss anything, neither waterproofing, which is very practical for a nomadic speaker, nor autonomy with an 8800 mAh battery or the possibility of making voice calls.
Huawei Sound Joy spec sheet
| Huawei SoundJoy | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 202 x 73 x 73mm |
| Weight | 680g |
| Battery | 8800mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 (AAC and SBC), NFC |
| Frequency response | 50 – 20,000Hz |
| Speakers | 1 speaker 50 x 75 mm (20 W), 1 tweeter 19 mm (10 W), 2 passive radiators |
This test was carried out with a speaker lent by Huawei.
Design of the Huawei Sound Joy
In terms of looks, Huawei seems to have taken inspiration from its competitors, in particular Sony for the XB-23 speaker and JBL for the small Flip. The enclosure is thus in the form of a narrow cylinder covered with a solid Kvadrat-style fabric. Like the Sony SRS-XB23, the Huawei Sound Joy can be positioned vertically and also has a perforated base, to allow the distribution of bass sounds from the passive speaker. The front of the speaker is materialized by the manufacturer’s logo, as well as the location of the contact area of the NFC chip.
The rear panel houses the various backlit control buttons of the speaker: power on and off, activation of the microphone and the voice assistant of the paired smartphone, play/pause, Bluetooth activation/deactivation and pairing with another speaker. Huawei. This is also where the USB-C port for charging the integrated battery is located.
The back of the Huawei Sound Joy speaker // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
The volume control buttons are housed on the side of the speaker. In addition, the Huawei Sound Joy speaker is equipped with a tie-down point and a lanyard for easy carrying or hanging. Finally, the passive loudspeakers are stamped with the Devialet logo and one of them is embellished with circular LED lighting which lights up variably.
Use and application of the Huawei Sound Joy
The Huawei Sound Joy Bluetooth speaker is practical to use. Its ergonomics are successful and certain aspects are objectively pleasant. Huge non-slip rubber volume control knobs make volume adjustment super easy and vertical or horizontal positioning makes speaker setup a breeze.
It’s only the control buttons on the back of the speaker that are a bit difficult to press, but that’s only a concern when powering on and off. The main downside is, to my taste, the emission of start-up and shutdown sounds, which cannot be deactivated. In addition, with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, the volume cannot be set to zero: the Huawei Sound Joy is positioned on its lowest volume level. We bet that an update of the firmware of the enclosure will correct this little hassle.
The LED ring of the Huawei Sound Joy changes color randomly // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
The Huawei Sound Joy being IP67 certified, you can take it with you absolutely anywhere, without fear of it getting wet. Be careful, however, on the beach and especially on the sand, because the USB-C port is not protected.
Finally, the backlit ring changes color with music, indicates volume status when changed, and turns green during voice calls.
Bluetooth connection and AI Life control app
Throughout my tests, the Bluetooth connection was perfectly stable with various smartphones and computers, and up to about 10 meters, even through a wooden floor. On the other hand, the speaker does not reconnect automatically and it must therefore be associated manually each time it is used.
The Sound Joy speaker’s Huawei AI Life control app is available for Android and iOS. It allows you to adjust a few speaker parameters, such as whether or not the LED ring is on, programming automatic switch-off and sound equalization. By default, the loudspeaker is set to Hi-Fi mode and two other equalization profiles (Voice and Devialet) are offered. Additionally, the volume of low frequencies can be adjusted over a range of plus or minus 6 dB.
Huawei Sound Joy audio
The Huawei Sound Joy speaker is a 2-way, 4-driver model. Two are passive (not powered by the integrated amplifier) and vibrate according to the membrane movements of the main loudspeaker. This principle of acoustic load makes it possible to entrust the reproduction of low frequencies to passive loudspeakers (radiators) in order, on the one hand, to go lower in frequency despite the small size of the enclosure, but also to relieve the loudspeaker. main speaker by preventing it from reproducing frequencies that are too low — which would increase the excursion of its diaphragm and reduce its precision in the midrange and treble. In fact, its behavior is generally improved.
The speakers of the Huawei Sound Joy speaker and, under the black foam pieces, its three microphones // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
This loudspeaker is a rectangular model with a membrane in treated paper measuring approximately 6 cm by 4 cm. It reproduces the audio spectrum from the high-low register to the high-midrange. The second speaker is a coated fabric dome tweeter approximately 2 cm in diameter, which only reproduces very high frequencies. To put it simply, the acoustic solution chosen by Huawei makes it possible to obtain a very wide frequency response, despite a restricted size.
Devialet’s contribution: marketing?
To develop the Sound Joy speaker, Huawei called on the French amplifier and speaker manufacturer Devialet. The Huawei Sound Joy thus benefits from Devialet SAM (Speaker Active Matching) technology. In practice, Devialet measured the various loudspeaker parameters (response curve, reaction time, phase rotation, etc.) and programmed the processor of the integrated amplifier to compensate for the faults noted upstream. SAM technology is also fitted to Devialet’s high-end amplifiers, for which it is possible to update the firmware to add new speaker profiles. Does it really work with the Huawei Sound Joy? Yes, very clearly, and that doesn’t translate into a nice overall consistency, as long as you don’t exceed 50% of the volume.
Test setup
I tested the Huawei Sound Joy speaker with different Bluetooth sources (AAC codec): iPhone 13 Pro Max, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, Macbook Air or even a video projector, from Apple Music and Netflix. Note that the speaker is only compatible with AAC and SBC Bluetooth audio codecs.
Signature sound
What is striking when listening to the Huawei Sound Joy Bluetooth speaker is its smooth reproduction. The high bass is generous, the midrange slightly set back, the treble forward and silky. The tonal balance is therefore physiological and flattering, especially since Huawei has implemented a loudness type equalization, which reinforces the low frequencies at low listening volume. It’s very pleasant and makes the Sound Joy a very nice speaker to create a cozy sound atmosphere. In this game it is more attractive than the JBL Flip 6 or Sony SRS-XB23.
The openings in the base of the speaker are used to diffuse the sound of the passive loudspeaker // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
At high volume (> 50%), the bass is automatically set back, certainly not to exceed the capabilities of the amplifier or the main loudspeaker. We then lose the initial balance, but this can be partially compensated by pushing the bass (up to + 6 dB) from the control app. At very high volume, the speaker disunites and projects the sound.
- Bass: punch but limited extension, suitable outdoors provided you play the equalizer.
- Medium: slightly set back but precise
- Treble: silky and fluid, it greatly contributes to making the speaker melodious and intelligible at mid-range, especially outdoors
Note that the Devialet equalization profile, when activated in the app, significantly modifies the signature, by attenuating the high frequencies and reinforcing the midrange. It is a completely different enclosure which is then discovered, to my taste much less attractive.
Dynamic behavior
As explained above, Devialet’s contribution is obvious in terms of timing. The listener has no trouble following the different instruments. Ditto for the voices well stamped and always intelligible – at least at a reasonable volume. Under these conditions, Huawei does better than JBL with the small Flips or Sony with the XB-2x. At very high volume, however, it does no better and loses its qualities (tonal balance, timing). The Huawei Sound Joy is therefore not intended to sound a party on the beach.
Very convincing outdoors
A fan of van life and nomadic speakers that I frequently take on trips, I was able to test the Huawei Sound Joy for a long time elsewhere than in an office, bedroom or living room. In the cramped environment of the van, the loudspeaker imposes a solid and lively sound. If you take care to position the speaker elsewhere than on the ground, you will enjoy a remarkably balanced sound that is teeming with detail. Everything goes cream, percussion, strings (bass, acoustic guitar), voices. In this game, it does better than the JBL Flip 6 and Sony SRS-XB23.
The Huawei Sound Joy delivers clear sound outdoors // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid
Outside, placed on a rock and listened to from 5 meters away, the Sound Joy is doing quite well: certainly the bass is clearly set back, but by reinforcing it by equalization, we find a suitable tonal balance. Independently of the bass, the top of the spectrum retains a surprising articulation, obviously linked to the well-tuned tweeter. To be convinced of this, you just have to hide the latter with your hand to find that the sound loses precision. In short, mission accomplished for the Huawei Sound Joy outdoors as well.
Huawei Sound Joy microphone
The Sound Joy has three microphones for voice calls, with ambient noise cancellation. Depending on the positioning of the speaker (vertical or horizontal), the role of each microphone is adjusted, in order to always capture the voice of the user. Thus, the telephone conversations passed through the speaker are pleasant: we are very well heard and we also hear the interlocutor well. Well seen.
Battery life of the Huawei Sound Joy
Huawei announces that the Huawei Sound Joy speaker battery is compatible with Power Delivery fast charging. With a capacity of 8800 mAh, however, it requires almost 3 hours to recharge in my experience. Strangely, the speaker turns on while charging, requiring it to be turned off manually. Again, an update of his firmware would be welcome.
As for autonomy, Huawei announces 26 hours of use at 50% volume. However, I measured a little over 18 hours at 20% of the maximum power, which is a volume suitable for very comfortable listening from 1 meter away. It seems that the figures announced by Huawei are a bit optimistic. In absolute terms, this autonomy remains very good.
Huawei Sound Joy price and release date
The Huawei Sound Joy Bluetooth speaker comes in green or black colors and is available for €149.