Skip to main content

Stealth audio is the HiddenRadio wireless speaker’s specialty

Check out our full review of the Hidden Radio bluetooth speaker. 

Last year we got our first glimpse of the HiddenRadio wireless speaker, now it looks as if we’ll finally be able to hear it. Once a Kickstarter project, the HiddenRadio is now produced and ready to covertly cover your home with your favorite tunes.

This little speaker sports some pretty slick design twists. Twist top of the HiddenRadio, and the device turns on. Keep twisting the cap and it gets louder, making this one of the more intuitive wireless speakers on the market today.

The HiddenRadio features a tacky rubber underside that is meant to help it stay in place. Then again, depending on the type of surface it is set on, it could just end up getting tipped over and go rolling out of view, possibly as a way to hide – that’s probably not what the designers had in mind, though.

What is actually “hidden” on the HiddenRadio speaker is its control layout, which includes a single three-way switch that lets you decide to stream music from Bluetooth, select the aux input or tune into FM radio. Two additional buttons provide the tuning.

As noted, there is no volume control. If you want more sound, you just open it up further. To quiet things down, close it up. As intuitive and nifty as this may seem, there is a purpose for real volume controls and we wonder if this approach might not be so conducive to good sound quality.

However, the designers promise that the HiddenRadio portable speaker can provide 360 degrees of  sound from its unique driver and conical design. Moreover, this compact USB-chargeable device is small enough to be carried around and can provide that “anywhere sound” for up to 15 hours – down from the estimated 30 hours the designers had hoped for back in the Kickstarter days.

You can get the HiddenRadio speaker  in metallic silver, graphite black or pure white for around $150.

Peter Suciu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Peter has spent much time plugging and unplugging various A/V equipment over the years as a reviewer, and he is always on the…
Pantheone’s Obsidian smart speaker puts Alexa in a sharp new body
Pantheone Obsidian in white being held by a woman.

Looking for a smart speaker that doesn't look like a smart speaker? Look no further than Pantheone Audio's Obsidian. The Australian company is no stranger to creating speakers that double as works of art. Its debut product, the $2,750 Pantheone I would look at home in a gallery, and the $1,399 Obsidian makes a similar statement, only on a smaller, portable scale.

For its smarts, the Obsidian (which comes in black or white) leans on Amazon Alexa, but it's also a well-featured wireless multiroom speaker that can connect via Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, or Bluetooth, plus it has a 3.5mm analog audio input for sources like turntables. In addition to an on/off switch, there are illuminated front touch controls for Alexa, playback, and volume.

Read more
The best Bluetooth speakers for under $100
Two UE Wonderboom 3 speakers held side-by-side.

The best Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes and are suited for various listening preferences, from on-the-go pool parties to stay-at-home listening sessions. Some are big and some are incredibly tiny, and the same can be said for their prices, but if you're here, you're in the market for a Bluetooth speaker under $100 that sounds good, but won't empty your wallet.

Luckily, there are tons of choices out there, so we've put together a list of some of the speakers we think are the best in this price range. When choosing, we looked at things like battery life, size, ruggedness, water and dust resistance (or waterproofing), sound quality, bass, volume, and other fun things like voice assistants or an ability to pair them with other speakers for bigger sound.

Read more
The best waterproof Bluetooth speakers for 2023: from JBL, Marshall, and more
The LBL Pulse 5 Bluetooth speaker sitting on a hot tub ledge.

The beautiful thing about Bluetooth speakers is that they allow you to bring music to almost any situation, almost anywhere. If anywhere for you happens to be next to a swimming pool, beach, or bathtub, however, then you're going to want a waterproof Bluetooth speaker for sure.

Now, we're not talking about speakers that can take a few drops of rain or a splash from your nephew's cannonball. Many Bluetooth speakers these days are going the distance and are able to withstand total submersion for several minutes in several feet of water and are sealed up tightly enough to keep pumping or are able to recover quickly without damage. Sand and dust are kept at bay, too.

Read more