In Review: Beyerdynamic Space Max speakerphone

Back at the end of July, we brought you word (seen here) about the new Beyerdynamic Space Max speakerphone. Since then, we’ve gotten one in, and have been spending time with it during the workday. Read on to see what we thought!

How big is it?

When considering a speakerphone setup – either at home or at the office – the size of the device is one likely concern. You don’t want it so small that it gets lost in a desk drawer, but you also don’t want to have to dedicate a lot of real estate on the desk or table to it. Beyerdynamic hit the sweet spot here, with a device that’s 5.5″ in diameter, and stands 2″ tall. Coming in at 680g, it’s also got a heft that means it won’t slide around the conference room table, but it’s easy enough to move around without giving it another thought. It should be noted it does have a threaded receiver on the base, so you could set this up on a tripod.

What is it like using it?

Once you’ve got it connected to your computer, it’s pretty simple. The touch ring allows for easy control of the volume, answer/closing calls, and even flipping between muted and unmuted. Here’s a quick list of all the controls that you’ve got there:

• Establish Bluetooth® connection: To establish a Bluetooth® connection with the smartphone or laptop, press the Bluetooth® button for three seconds, then connect via the settings of the respective device.
• Voice prompts:
  • Turn on: Press and hold the mute button and the volume up button
  • Turn off: Press and hold mute button and volume down button
• Turning off the LED ring: Stealth Mode to turn off the LED ring is activated by holding down the battery and mute buttons. This way you can extend the battery life of your beyerdynamic SPACE MAX and work more concentrated.
• Pairing for stereo playback: To pair two beyerdynamic SPACE MAX, hold down the Y button and Bluetooth® button on both devices. After a short time, both beyerdynamic SPACE MAX will find each other and create a stereo pair.
• Lighting Mode:
  • In Lighting Mode, the RGB LED ring reacts to the music being played.
    • Turn on: Press and hold the Y button and Volume Up button
    • Turn off: Press and hold Y button and Volume Down button
• Bluetooth® Reset: Very long press (at least 10 seconds) of the Bluetooth® button.
• Reset to factory settings: Very long simultaneous press (at least 10 seconds) of the Bluetooth® and Mute buttons.
• Commands during music playback:
  • Start / Pause: Press Y button once
  • Next track: Press Y button twice
  • Previous track: Press Y button three times
• Activate Business Mode: Simultaneous press of the Bluetooth® and Answer buttons.

How’s the sound quality?

As far as what the microphones of the Beyerdynamic Space Max pick up, the sound is pretty great. I never had anyone complain they could not hear me (or were picking up background noises), and when I made a test call to voicemail, things came through crisp and clear. On the speaker side of things, for calls, there was no problem to understand what the other participants were saying. Where the sound is maybe a little underwhelming is when you use the speaker to play music. Sure, that’s not what it was intended for, but it’s what I do between calls during the day. So, frankly, that’s more of a bonus feature, and not something I’d say would be a deal breaker.

Are there any hidden features?

In a word, yes. For one, you can sync two of these and have sound going in stereo. What we really find interesting about the Beyerdynamic Space Max, in terms of extras, is the USB-C power output port. While you can have power flowing in, you can also have power going out. This is a way to charge and power things off of a single port, if you wanted. But it also allows the Beyerdynamic Space Max to work as an external battery pack if you need to charge your phone up in a pinch. Maybe not something you’d use a lot, but having there to use in an emergency, we like having that flexibility.

Would we recommend it?

We’ve only reviewed a few speaker phones to date, and the Beyerdynamic Space Max is definitely on the more premium end of things. Other than that one quibble about it not being great for music playback (again, not it’s intended usage), this is a great option in the category. If you’re the sort that likes to be able to walk around, or need a speakerphone for groups to utilize for impromptu calls, the Beyerdynamic Space Max will get the job done with aplomb. On the other hand, if you’re used to using headphones all day in your WFH setup, the change to a speakerphone will be tricky. Barring that, though, there’s nothing here that would stop us from recommending it.

How can I get one?

That’s the relatively simple part, here. If you want one, they’re going for $399 over on Amazon, or directly from Beyerdynamic.com. Oh, and if you want the original Beyerdynamic Space, you can get those much more affordably, coming in at $179, albeit with a bit less tech packed in.

Tech Specs from Beyerdynamic

• Device type : Speakerphone
• Loudspeaker type: Two-way system with 2.0″ mid-range speaker and 0.65” tweeter with two passive radiators
• Maximum loudspeaker output: 10 W + 5 W RMS
• Sound pressure level: 90 dB SPL
• Microphone type: 4 x MEMS
• Microphone frequency range: 100 Hz – 10 kHz
• Loudspeaker frequency range: 80 Hz~ 15 KHz (-10dB)
• Supported profiles: HFP, A2DP
• Transmission: Bluetooth® and USB-C®
• Bluetooth® version: 5.0
• Battery technology: Lithium-ion 5000mAh 7.4V
• Battery life: Typ. 25,5 hrs when communicating
• Charger connector: USB-C®
• Charging time: 2 hrs 5 min (via PowerDelivery Charge)
• Firmware updates possible: Yes
• Dimensions in mm (L x W x H): 149,5 mm x 149,5 mm x 52,5 mm
• Weight (without cable): 680 g
• Included as standard: Speakerphone beyerdynamic SPACE MAX, drawstring bag, USB cable (USB-C® to USB-C®), USB-C® to USB-A adapter