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An American Turntable Specialist Just Went Big on Stereo Hi-Fi

Best known for it vinyl hi-fi speakers, the company is branching out into a new audio category.

Green Andover portable speaker with black speaker grills on a wooden surface outdoors.Andover Audio
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By Tucker Bowe

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Andover Audio is best known for its high-end all-in-one turntables and, subsequently, its powered speakers designed to sit beneath a turntable. In a nutshell, it has focused on vinyl hi-fi systems.

Now, the Boston-based audio manufacturer is branching out into a new audio category: portable Bluetooth speakers.

Andover FreePlay

Three portable Andover speakers in green, black, and white with handles, placed on a wooden surface outdoors.
The Andover FreePlay is a boombox-style portable speaker that plays true stereo audio.
Andover Audio

The FreePlay is Andover Audio’s first portable Bluetooth speaker. And it’s a far cry from today’s breed of tiny, super compact speakers. It’s a boombox that weighs 9 pounds.

On the surface, the FreePlay boasts many of the features you’d expect from a modern portable Bluetooth speaker. It has an IP67 rating, so it’s quite rugged and water-resistant. It has quite a long 24-hour battery life. And it even has a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, so you can play wired sources (like your smartphone, computer or even turntable).

Black portable speaker with two large and two small round speakers held by a person in a forest setting.
The FreePlay is rated as having an up to 24 hour battery life. Of course, that depends on the volume of the music you’re playing.
Andover Audio
White portable speaker with black mesh grills and a black handle, placed outdoors near a person in blue jeans.
The FreePlay features dual 25mm dome tweeters, two 5.25-inch woofers and a 160 mm rear-mounted passive radiator.
Andover Audio

True stereo playback

However, Andover Audio is banking on the fact that what really separates the FreePlay is its sound. While many portable speakers play mono audio or rely on digital processing to create a more spacious sound, the FreePlay delivers a true stereo sound.

“With FreePlay, we wanted to create something people are proud to display throughout their home, just as much as they would enjoy taking outdoors,” says Bob Hazelwood, Andover Audio’s Director of Engineering and Product Development. “We focused on preserving musical balance, stereo information, and honest sound, all wrapped in a portable yet durable enclosure.”

Black portable speaker with handle, wet and splashing water, held in a hand above a wooden surface.
The speaker has an IP67 rating, which is basically the best water-resistant rating a portable speaker can get.
Andover Audio
White Andover portable speaker with black control panel and Bluetooth button lit, held by hands with a gold ring.
On top of the speaker are its playback controls and wireless charging pad.
Andover Audio

In addition to its true stereo playback, Audio Audio has given the FreePlay a few other unique features. The standout has to do with charging.

The speaker features a USB-C port that supports bi-directional charging. This means the FreePlay can double as a portable battery and charge your other devices, like your smartphone, when using this wired connection.

Also, on top of the speaker is a Qi-compatible wireless charger. So if you don’t have a charging cable, you can place your smartphone on top of the speaker to wirelessly charge it.

White portable speaker with two large black speaker grilles and a handle, glowing lights in the background.
The FreePlay can be grouped with up to 99 other FreePlay speakers in Party Mode.
Andover Audio
White Andover portable speaker with black handle and four visible speaker grills, covered in water droplets.
The speaker also supports a Loud Mode, which provides an additional 6dB of output.
Andover Audio

Availability and pricing

Andover Audio’s FreePlay is available in three different finishes: ivory, olive and slate. Each speaker comes with a should-strap bag for easy and safe transport.

The FreePlay is available now on the company’s website. It costs $429.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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