The Maverick ($299) is Cavalier Audio’s first-ever audio product and it’s basically a portable, better-sounding and better-looking Amazon Echo. (Maybe the better comparison is with Amazon Tap, Amazon’s now-defunct portable speaker, but not nearly as many people know what that is.) The speaker with Alexa built-in so when it’s at home, connected to wi-fi, it can do everything an Amazon Echo can (play songs, answer questions, control smart home devices). The speaker also has a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth functionality, so you can take it to the park or beach and play music, too.
There are a couple other key differences between the Maverick and Amazon Echo. The Maverick speaker feels like a way more premium product, made of mostly leather, wood and aluminum. It has a huge volume knob at the top of the speaker, which analog guys will dig. It comes with an elegant-looking charging base (uses USB-C). And the speaker itself is supposed to sound significantly better; it’s got a 20-watt stereo speaker system with two active drivers and dual passive radiators.
The Maverick is fairly expensive at $300, which is twice what the larger Amazon Echo Plus ($150) is going for. However, it’s way nicer to look at (and probably better sounding), plus it’s portable and comes with a fancy-looking charging base. It’s available now in two colorways: black and indigo (pictured).
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