Turn any flat surface into a sound speaker – Kerchoonz K-box

Ever wanted your wall or table to play the music? In this article we’re not talking about flat and thin speakers, but rather of a gadget that turns any flat surface into a giant speaker. As personal music players are becoming more common, there’s another developing trend that is growing: the desire to share that music with everyone else. There are many mini speakers on the market today, but a new product called the Kerchoonz K-box promises to make even more noise. A compact, mobile-phone sized device, the K-box turns any flat surface as a wall, table, window or ceiling into a speaker.

This idea isn’t new and it started in the beginning of this century but this gadget works on a different principle. Other similar devices work on transduction (converting electrical signals into vibrations) and then using the flat surface as a giant sound board. The K-box is the first to use a “hydro-gel” suspension system. And it does seem to have improved the dynamics and performance. The device has an average output of 95dB at 1m, with the bass performance averaging at around 40-20 KHz. That fact is pretty impressive, considering the unit only has 2W RMS.

There are a couple of other pluses, too. The K-box has a battery life of up to 20 hours, and is rechargeable via USB. It can recharge via a 5V USB adapter but that adapter doesn’t come in the standard package. It will plug straight into the headphone jack so it can work with almost any kind of notebook, gaming device, mp3 player, mobile phone or laptop with that output.

The device is nicely designed and is compact (115mm x 55mm x 20mm). You have to experiment with surfaces a bit before you get used to find the right spot for the best sound reproduction. There are no buttons, dials or switches on this gadget. There are just two connection points – a 3.5mm Aux In jack for audio input and a mini USB connector used for charging the internal battery. It is a simple plug and play device but there are a few mistakes developers made. There is no indication of battery status and that is a huge minus. There is also some notable static presence when the music is paused or you listen to some music that isn’t loud.

Overall, Kerchoonz K-box is mid priced, affordable, and it’s noticeably outperforming its competition. A worthy purchase until a better product overtakes the spotlight.