The Andover FreePlay portable stereo speaker pairs Bluetooth convenience with the company’s neatly sorted sound philosophy
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Boston-based Andover Audio has established a solid foundation, a base, a SpinBase to be specific, as a go-to manufacturer of low-profile high-fidelity turntable speakers. Just last month, we recommended the flagship Andover One-SB as a top audiophile pick for Father’s Day. Even the more affordable model is perfect for a newer generation of vinyl fanatics who are building a collection but don’t have the square footage to build a traditional components stack. But those same music fans have grown up with streaming, so sticking to a listening station doesn’t hold the same allure. With that in mind, Andover has announced the FreePlay, its first portable Bluetooth speaker.
The FreePlay won’t play a picture disc, but it’s designed to paint the whole sonic picture. It’s built around a true stereo array, featuring two 5.25-inch aluminum-cone woofers with neodymium magnets, dual 25mm dome tweeters, and a 160mm rear-mounted a-for-Andover-moulded passive radiator, for a stated frequency response of 55Hz to 20kHz. A top-mounted, Qi-compatible, genuinely convenient 5W wireless charging pad sits alongside the onboard controls panel. Behind a secure rubber flap on the back sit a 3.5mm aux port and dynamic microphone input, plus a USB-C port for bidirectional 45W charging [and it comes with a cord and adapter]. All in a 9-pound IP67 dust-tight, liquid-protected enclosure.
We spent the Fourth of July weekend with the FreePlay, and the Andover ethos of a space-saving design without compromising detail, discipline, simplicity, and stability was apparent. App-agnostic, the FreePlay features Bluetooth 6.0 with support for LE Audio/LC3/AAC/SBC. Much like with a plug-and-play SpinBase, just pair, select a playlist, and the speaker snaps into a clearly articulated, tight and textured presentation. The presence of those neodymium magnets can be heard in the way the shallow-mount drivers push substantial air. Highs are crisp with lows balanced yet impactful. Tracks with expressive separation keep their creative intent. It isn’t so much maximum width as decisive lucidity on display (best served when you’re on axis). In terms of loudness, it’s enough to avoid congestion. This isn’t a 360-degree party speaker focused on furniture-rattling physicality, but rather an extension of a clean-looks, clean-sound philosophy to a new category. Pacing over brute force. Composure over spectacle. If you want more low-end, place it near a wall. And a selectable Loud Mode adds 6dB to the top end, so the sound can get bigger if the hangout (or the environmental noise) does.
The fold-down handle makes the FreePlay easy to carry from patio to pool, kitchen table to tailgate. Lightweight but not flimsy, utility tie-downs on the side panels let you anchor the speaker if the road trip turns rowdy or water turns rough. The boombox without the bulk vibe nods to an analog past and is eye-catching enough that a woman stopped while we were taking pictures of the speaker shown above and asked about it, saying it looked expensive and she liked it.
While we only had one speaker so we couldn’t test this feature, there’s a Party Mode that allows you to wirelessly connect up to 99 FreePlays for synchronized playback. Another unverified spec (sorry, we just don’t party like we used to): You can keep that playback going up to 24 hours on a full battery at moderate levels, and it takes just 3 hours to fully refill (and it’s recommended not to listen while recharging). All this from a handy box that never sounded boxy.
Available in Ivory, Olive, and Slate, the Andover FreePlay is up for pre-order on www.andoveraudio.com at an MSRP of $429.
Prefer your retro revival to be more guitar-amp-inspired, and plan to do more rockin’ than walkin’? In other news, Marshall just opened preorders for the fourth-generation editions of its well-established Acton and Stanmore powered speakers. The Acton IV ($329) and Stanmore IV ($429) keep the brand’s aesthetic with a PU leather wrap and mesh grille with brass logo, a control panel with tactile knobs, and a satisfying signature power switch, while upgrading the internal components for wider, more room-filling sound. The tweeters, waveguides, and bottom-firing bass port are redesigned for a more spacious stereo soundstage and cleaner low end, and the cables now route from below, so speakers can sit flush against a wall without choking the sound. Whether driving the 5-inch woofer of the Acton or the Stanton’s 6-inch one for more SPL, Dynamic Loudness keeps the midrange-enriched house sound composed across volume levels (with app-based EQ, placement compensation, and room calibration helping out). And support for Bluetooth 5.3 with Auracast/LDAC/LC3/AAC lets you sync multiple speakers with the Heddon Hub ($299) to stream music throughout the house. There are AUX and RCA inputs, so you could connect a turntable or CD player if so inclined (though if physical formats are your jam, we’d recommend sticking with an Andover SpinBase for its dedicated preamp and isolating platform). And there’s even a customizable M button up top to get you into your favorite EQ profile or playlist instantly. Available in Black or Cream, the Acton IV and Stanmore IV may sit stationary, but you’ll want to boogie when these Homeline speakers are powered up. It’s not a smart speaker, but, like all Marshall products, it’s got an undeniably smart look.
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