KitSound Diggit 55
Output: 12W
Frequency: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Weight: 570g
Wireless options: Bluetooth 5.0, dual speaker pairing
Battery life: Up to 15 hours
Buy now £39, Amazon.co.uk
DesignWe love the look of the Diggit 55 in general, but there’s one design element that’s almost worth the price alone: the bonus removable stake. An inspired idea, the stake elevates the speaker far enough above the ground that the base remains dirt and worm-free, but also helps the sound to spread further across the space.
The elevation also serves to make the Diggit 55 look like a much more premium speaker, especially with the faux wood finish and LED rings at the top and bottom adding to the evening vibe: they also let you know when the battery is low, along with the speaker’s charging and pairing statuses.
The fabric mesh covering looks the part and contributes to the speaker’s IP66 rating – enough to protect against sand and dust (beach party, anyone?) and for the speaker to survive the odd summer shower – just don’t chuck it into a pool, and you’ll be fine.
The speaker in general feels sturdy and rugged, able to cope with being thrown into your bag along with a supermarket bottle of something cheap and cheerful for an afternoon sitting two metres away from your friends in the park.
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Bluetooth pairing is easy, and reacts quickly to input, but there are also micro USB and aux inputs hidden beneath a protective rubber cover. The buttons on the top are huge and easy to use, including one that switches the speaker between outdoor and indoor EQ modes. If you decide to buy two speakers for a fuller stereo effect, linking them is as easy as tapping them together, which is neat, straightforward and adds some more fun to proceedings.
SoundThe Diggit 55 isn’t a main home speaker. It doesn’t pretend to be that: this is a speaker for gatherings and ambience. The sound quality is, however, impressive for its price, especially if you decide to buy a twin pack for extra sound and stereo benefits. Sound is clear and consistent, with no distortion at loud volumes. There’s no tinny element here, or underwater effect, which can be a risk at this price. The bass does its job pretty well, although there’s space for that to be improved in future Diggit iterations.
The speaker has two EQ modes, geared towards either indoor or outdoor listening. Outdoor mode pushes the volume up a notch and creates a fuller sound, but can lose some of its crispr elements. The indoor mode keeps the sound a little more refined, and is very capable in most rooms.
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The speaker offers a near-enough consistent 360-degree effect, with only slight drop offs in the points between the double dual opposing drivers inside, but that’s almost imperceptible to anyone using it for its actual purpose, and not forensically testing the thing. The overall audio quality is high, and perfectly suited for a get-up-and-go speaker of this type.