GGMM M-Freedom WiFi AirPlay DLNA Speaker Review
Jan 30, 2016
By: Ryan
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The AirPlay technology incorporated in the GGMM M-Freedom speaker makes streaming music from your iPhone a breeze. The sound quality is not bad, either.
PROs
- Sound quality: The sound quality on this speaker is very good overall. Mids and highs are clear and there is some bass, although the bass is a little on the light side. However, sound quality overall is still very good and well balanced.
- WiFi: One of the biggest advantages that a WiFi speaker has over Bluetooth speakers is the ability to easily stream from any device on your network without the hassle of pairing and unpairing. You can download the GGMM app to your iPhone or Android device and it will help walk you through the setup process. You can also setup the speaker manually using the instructions in my accompanying video review. Once connected to your home network, you can easily stream music from your Apple devices by using the AirPlay option. Android users can use a DLNA-supported music app, such as the GGMM app itself.
- Aux: If you don’t want to bother with WiFi configuration, you can also connect your phone directly to the speaker with the included 3.5mm audio cable. This also makes it compatible with devices such as the Chromecast Audio dongle.
- AC power: I was happy to see that the power adapter for this unit has the UL certification logo on it.
- Design: I really like the brushed aluminum front and the soft leather exterior of the speaker. The retro design also looks great on a bookshelf.
- Apple users will likely have the best experience: The AirPlay music streaming technology is one of those things that “just works” in the Apple ecosystem. While the speaker also support DLNA streaming (a supposed media streaming standard), I’ve never had much luck with DLNA streaming among Windows, Android and Sony devices in the past. This is not the fault of this speaker, but more of an issue with DLNA and UPnP.
CONs
- No Bluetooth: This speaker does not contain Bluetooth connectivity.
- No built-in apps: If you’re familiar with Sonos speakers, you’re probably aware that the speakers can directly connect to Pandora, Spotify, etc even when your phone leaves the network. That is not the case with this speaker and it does need to be connected to a device for streaming playback.
- No built-in battery: This speaker must be connected to an AC outlet. It does not have a built-in battery.
Overall, the GGMM M-Freedom definitely has great sound quality and incorporates network music streaming. The retro design makes it a great addition to your bookshelf.
Check out the GGMM M-Freedom WiFi Speaker on Amazon
— Sample provided for review
Tags: airplay review speaker