Wren V5AP Wireless Speaker Hardware Review
Price: $399
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Bottom Line: The Wren V5AP wireless speaker can be a little unwieldy, but once it’s properly set up it fills its roll quite well.
Recommended
We live in a world where most everything is getting smaller all the time. Computers, spacecraft, even the world itself when you stop and think about it. But while smaller isn’t always better, it can still be difficult to shake preconceptions that are burned into our brains all the time. Which is probably why my first impression of the Wren V5AP wireless speaker wasn’t an incredibly positive one.
When I unboxed the V5AP for the first time it struck me as kind of large and bit weighty; I also had trouble figuring out where in the apartment to put it. Once a spot was found, I still had to wrestle with it. My first attempt at connecting it to my wifi network via a direct connection between my iPhone 5 and the speaker was a bust - the included cables aren’t Lightning compatible, and when I tried to use my own cables they just didn’t work.
The sound is quite nice and carries through a space well, and it’s very easy to switch between sources. The packed-in remote has also been fantastic, although its range is somewhat limited. Still, the convenience of being able to sync up a computer or iOS device with a click/tap is fantastic. I realize it’s not exclusive to the V5AP, but that doesn’t make it any less cool to walk into my apartment and start blasting the soundtrack to Katamari Damacy without going near my computer.
Even with all that, I’ve been enjoying the V5AP very much. So long as I remember to account for its finickiness it makes for a great source wireless sound. You just have to finesse it little first.
Recommended