When Loewe released a portable Bluetooth speaker it was the final market validation the standard needed. The Speaker 2GO is typical of the brand. From the outset it is determined to make an impression – at 240mm wide and 1.3kg it is by far the biggest and heaviest speaker on test here. In fact I'd say its dimensions are pushing what most would like to carry around.
Needless to say Loewe counters this with premium build materials and the Speaker 2GO is wonderfully put together. Its looks are somewhat love/hate, though, and I'm not a big fan of its boxy design and mirrored top/sides.
Less contentious is the Speaker 2GO’s audio performance. Loewe has nailed the low-frequency response often lacking in portable designs and it is notably warm and crowd-pleasing on AWOLNATION’s anthemic Sail. It isn’t all smooth sailing though – detail in higher frequencies isn’t as impressive and this is apparent in the guitar plucking on Gotye’s Someone I used to Know. There also isn’t as much sound dispersion as I’d like for a speaker claiming a considerable 40W, courtesy of two 10W tweeters and a 20W woofer. This is a shame as its support for apt-X means the Loewe has the wireless chops to provide better.
Loewe gets back in my good books via this speaker’s practicality. There’s NFC for device-pairing, hands-free calling with a superb echo-cancelling mic, an auxiliary out and a USB port for charging devices connected to it. The 2,500mAh battery will fully charge most smartphones and I found it lived up to its eight-hour claims on moderate to high volume.
Price predictably is a negative. £200 may be affordable for a Loewe product, but it is more expensive than both the Bose and Harmon/Kardon models tested here.