Havit E5 IPX7- Bluetooth Sports Speaker and More

Just before Christmas break a bunch of folks sent me new toys to play with. Now that I’m back from Vacation and the rest of the team is  busy at CES 2019 I thought I’d better catch up with my homework.  The nice folks at Havit sent over a pair of Havit E5 Bluetooth Sports Speakers with IPX7 waterproofing, True wireless stereo(TWS), Micro SD card, Aux input and the ability to charge your smartphone with their powerful battery while still listening to music. Let’s take a closer look in the listening room: 

Out of the Box

Havit puts the E5 in a nice large display box which includes the Havit E5 Bluetooth Sports Speaker, a USB charging cable, and the necessary 3.5mm to USB micro Aux input cable. There is also a clearly written and easy to follow instruction manual which for once is truly necessary: The E5 speakers have so much potential there’s a real need to read to take advantage of all that they are capable. The E5 speaker is IPX7 Waterproof and comes in either black with a black band, or black with a red band. The Havit E5 Speakers have the ability to connect with any bluetooth source, they can be used with a micro sD card, or with the included Micro USB/3.5mm cable connect to non bluetooth devices like televisions or Mp3 players. The folks at Havit also included a 4000 mAh battery which gives incredible play time as well allows one to charge one’s smartphone while listening to music. Each E5 speaker is rated at 5 watts output and they do get loud. If you make the leap to buy two of the Havit E5 Sports speakers, they can connect for TWS operation. Like many Bluetooth speakers they act very different with iOS devices like iPads, than Android devices. Let’s look deeper:

I Got A Havit

The great team at Havit actually sent two E5 Sports Speakers so I was able to examine each and every aspect and potential of the Havit E5 Sports Speaker including their TWS functions. Like every device I get out of the box, the first thing I did was charge the devices: Because the speakers are also intended as power blocks, the power indication LEDs are actually set up as a power meter. 4 dots is fully charged and while charging the “next level” of charging LED will blink as it builds up power in the 4000 mAh battery. Havit claims a 4.5 hour charging time and that seems to be right on the money. The speakers supposedly will play for 30 hours at medium volume and I found that to be pretty accurate as well. Note: if you use your Havit E5 Sports Speakers to charge your phone, it lessens the play time significantly. When connected to an IoS device such as an iPhone or iPad, you can access Siri easily. Like all bluetooth speakers I’ve examined over the last year, they also operate as a fully functional speaker phone. The Havit E5 Sports Speakers are noticeably heavy at just under a pound from the large battery as well as the magnets used to hold the two halves of the unit together. Yes, two halves: The Havit E5 pulls apart to allow you to attach easily to a bicycle frame, or handlebars. I attached carabiners to the straps so I could attach them to my backpack. These Straps are also the connection between the battery and the speaker. They seem to be well constructed with heavy rubber coatings, the IPX7 waterproof speaker cloth, and strong wide straps. The battery side of the device has a waterproof cover under the USB charging Port, the USB Output power port, and the Micro SD card slot. I noticed it was difficult to insert or remove the micro sD card from the unit without using a small tool to completely insert and seat the card, or vice versa. It’s just a small slot in a deep, narrow access panel. The micro USB power input has the dual purpose of being the Auxiliary input and you will need to use the included micro USB/3.5 mm cable to do that. The volume control functions when Aux is connected, track +/- does not, and the waterproof/dust cover is open when the cable is attached. That leaves the device vulnerable to water or spills so take all due caution when charging the Havit E5, or using it to charge another device, or when Aux is connected.

Sound and Vision

The Havit E5 Bluetooth Sports Speakers operate in different ways depending what type device you have connected with bluetooth: With an Android device, the speaker volume operates independently from the device volume and with an iOS device the Volume control is matched by the onboard volume of the device. Turn up volume on the iOS device and the volume of the device increases. With an Android connected I suggest turning the volume up to the max, then using the output device to control volume.  The controls are simple: from top to bottom the Havit E5 has a + button, and oval-shaped button, and a – button. That’s it. The Oval button does the most with a 3 way switch set. There’s an oval-shaped center button which seems to basically allow you to see battery levels when you push it. And an outer oval ring which at the top is ^, and bottom is power. Both the Mode and power buttons operate independently although it looks like one button. The buttons operate in this manner: Plus(+) is volume or next track. Short pushes for volume, long pushes for next track. Minus(-) is lower volume or previous track. The ^ part of the Oval button is play/pause or TWS. The Power part of the Oval button controls Power on/off, mode, and can switch between bluetooth, Aux, or micro sD card inputs. The Aux input is only available once the proprietary cable is attached through the micro USB port. The only tricky part was connecting the TWS function but once that’s done, it’s done permanently. Like many TWS speakers I’ve tested in the last year the Havit E5 Sports Speaker defaults once you’ve connected the TWS the first time. It’s also important like many other TWS speakers to connect the “first one first” to your BT device as you did the first time or they won’t connect. It’s weird. It also seems to be how these things tend to work.

How’s it work? 

Let’s start with sound: I put these Bluetooth speakers through my usual rounds in the listening room. Rock, Country, Pop, Classical, Jazz, R and B, House, and much, much, more. The Havit E5 Sports Speakers sound great for a single speaker in a square housing. There is of course a bass resonating chamber to bring up the low-end and it’s smooth. In TWS mode the speakers have clear stereo separation and a very capable full range sound. They can get loud when you want loud yet still produce clear and crispy tones and a noticeable bass response when playing at lower volumes. When you are listening to music and a phone call interrupts, you can reject the call, or answer it using the play/pause button(^). If in TWS mode, the “first” speaker will act as the speaker phone unit with the other unit muted. It was obvious to others when I was using the Havit E5 as a speakerphone but on my end, their voices sounded great. Like many of these devices the speakerphone option is not always the best sound. When playing micro sD cards it seems impossible to use TWS function with the cards because of the way the mode button operates. Two clicks to the power button switches modes, it also switches Bluetooth on and off. So this was my experience: Connected to bluetooth and TWS mode, double-click disconnects BT, second double-click starts the micro sD card playing in ONE DEVICE. The Next track previous track functions operate with the Micro sD card mode. I’m still trying to figure out how the device indexes the tracks but it seems to be alphabetical with single tracks and in order from first to last in folders. The Havit E5 Speakers seem to operate the exact same way in Aux Mode. One speaker plays, and TWS is disconnected. I find that to be the second biggest disappointment with the E5 Sports Speakers. The speakers were fine in the shower or covered in water. The IPX7 rating seems 100% on the money. Let’s talk about the problems.

What Went Wrong

I am a huge fan of the theory of True Wireless Stereo. I am an even bigger fan when it operates easily, and properly. I am a big fan of Bluetooth Technology. I am an even bigger fan when it operates easily and properly. These two areas are where the Havit E5 Sports Speaker fails to reach the potential such a device offers. First: As noted above, the TWS functions perfectly and great when using Bluetooth connection to a device. Unfortunately, when in micro sD mode, or Aux mode, the TWS functions are completely inoperable when following the instructions specifically. That truly reduces the purpose of True Wireless Stereo products. If it can only operate as a TWS pair in Bluetooth mode, that should be mentioned in the manual, and as far as I can tell: it’s not. Second: When in Bluetooth Mode and TWS, the BT range is extremely limited. One Havit E5 speaker could easily reach the prescribed ~30 ft just like the majority of BT devices. However, when your Havit E5s are in Bluetooth mode and TWS the range drops to around 10 ft if the speakers have an equal distance of separation from the output BT device. Other TWS speaker systems I’ve tested have the ability to piggy back the signal: you can put one speaker 20 ft away and then another 20 ft with the second speaker to extend the range. These cannot sit any further than 10 ft from my iPad, iPhone, or my Android smartphone without skipping occasionally and moving further away the signal becomes absolutely useless. The Havit E5 Instruction Manual suggest the speakers can be 5 meters apart but that was impossible to believe after days of testing in and out of the lab. Even when keeping the pair close to each other the range seems limited to less than 20 ft. I found it very frustrating because these speakers sound so good, but don’t have the range as specified by the manufacturer, especially when I was moving within the environment and the skipping between speakers seemed to increase.

Sad to Say

I hate to start out the year on a negative review. However as our readers depend upon our honesty, and forthright observations when looking at our reviews, I cannot stress how disappointed I was with the overall quality of the Havit E5 Bluetooth Sports Speakers. They sound great, look great, and have a lot of potential with all the features. Sadly I think the problem is that Havit was trying to do too much with one unit without looking at the big picture. 7 out of 10 for the TWS functions and Bluetooth range in an expensive pair of speakers. Note that in my opinion the Havit E5 deserves a 9 out of ten as a standalone unit based on the price and features, unfortunately the TWS problems detract from their utility and value as a pair.

*Average price is based on the time this article was published

Specifications:

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