Beyerdynamic’s $179 Space speaker is a decent personal music system that does double duty as a fantastic office speakerphone. It pumps out rich, clear audio, but its four-mic MEMS array is a stronger selling point, intelligently emphasizing human voices and suppressing background noise. We also like the disc-shaped speaker’s intuitive capacitive controls and LED indicator. Other options, such as the Editors’ Choice-winning JBL Charge 5 ($179.95), offer stronger sound for the price, but the Space’s utility as a speakerphone could help secure it a spot in your home office.

Sleek Design, Top-Notch Controls

Available in aquamarine, charcoal, or gray, the Space measures 5.2 inches around and 1.6 inches deep, with four rubber feet on the bottom that keep it firmly planted on flat surfaces. It weighs 12.5 ounces, making it a little heavy for a pocket, but perfect for slipping into a bag. A cloth grille covers much of its upper portion, and a central ring of controls illuminates when you turn the speaker on.

Beneath the grille, a single 1.5-inch dynamic driver delivers a frequency range of 90Hz to 15kHz. Two passive radiators enhance the bass response. If mono sound doesn't cut it, you can link two Space speakers for stereo audio. It's compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports the SBC codec, but not AAC or AptX (though we don't expect a mono portable speaker to support higher-fidelity codecs). There are two frequency response modes (optimized for either audio or voices) the speaker automatically switches between based on your activity; you can't switch between these modes manually, however.

The Space has an IP64 rating, which means that it's well protected against dust and modestly protected from moisture. It can handle light rain and splashes, but you shouldn't submerge it or rinse it off under a faucet. This IP rating is middling if you plan to use the speaker outdoors, but it's perfectly suitable for an office setting. For comparison, both the JBL Charge 5 and the Bose SoundLink Flex carry a fully waterproof IP67 rating.

The control ring on top consists of touch-sensitive buttons that, in some cases, helpfully incorporate the LED ring to guide you. If you press either of the volume buttons, for example, the LED completely illuminates (at maximum volume), doesn't light up at all (for no volume), or shows a level in between. The battery status button illuminates the LED to show you how much charge remains. When a Bluetooth connection is active, the section of the ring near the Bluetooth button turns blue. When you mute the mic, the ring near the mute button displays red. These visual LED prompts are a real selling point.

Moving clockwise around the ring, you get buttons for Bluetooth pairing, muting and unmuting the mics, answering a call, controlling the volume, and ending a call. There's also a multifunction button that Beyerdynamic somewhat confusingly demarcates with the “Y” logo that appears in the company name—it controls playback, track navigation, and voice assistants depending on how many times you press it or how long you hold it.

A USB-C charging port (Beyerdynamic includes a USB-C cable in the box), a power button, and a Kensington lock slot sit around the back. The bottom panel houses a recessed area for the included USB-A adapter, as well as a threaded screw-mount for mounting the speaker on a stand.

You can use the Space as a portable speaker or keep it plugged in for power. Beyerdynamic estimates that the speaker can last roughly 20 hours on battery, but your typical listening volume will affect that estimate. Regardless, because the speaker doesn’t get too loud, you should be able to just charge it overnight and rely on the battery all day.

We wish the speaker worked with a companion app. Without one, you can't manually switch between audio and voice modes, for instance, or see which mode is active. You must also head to Beyerdynamic's online hub for firmware updates. The lack of an app is more of an annoyance than a glaring omission, however.

Pleasant Sound for Casual Listening

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Space delivers a decent sense of the powerful lows. We don't expect much from a speaker this size (although the passive radiators add a little thump), but if you seek powerful bass depth, this isn't the speaker for you. At top volumes, the digital signal processing (DSP) kicks in—we didn't notice any distortion in testing, but the track starts to sound thin and heavily compressed at these levels. The Space also doesn’t get as loud as other portable speakers in this price range—it doesn't sound weak, but it’s more suitable for office environments than as the main sound system for a party.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the Space’s sound signature. The drums on this track sound thunderous through bass-forward speakers, but here they take a backseat to Callahan’s vocals, which command the bulk of the low-mid richness. The speaker sounds bright overall—the acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits are crisp and clear, while Callahan’s baritone vocals anchor the lows; the Space reduces the drums to light taps rather than serious thumps. The electric bass benefits from a bit more space to breathe as a result, and we hear a hint of its depth when it enters the mix—another example of the passive radiators adding some richness.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid treble edge, allowing its attack to remain punchy. Meanwhile, the sub-bass synth hits that accentuate the beat are more implied than delivered—we hear their raspy top notes, but nothing of the ominous rumble below. The vocals on this track sound clean with perhaps a bit of additional sibilance, but nothing to the point of unpleasantness. The strongest bass presence on this track is the thump of the beat; once again, the passive radiators are responsible.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound more rich and full of low-mids than usual, as the Space compensates for its lack of actual bass depth by dialing up the low-mids to a degree. The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals still sound crisp, however, so this emphasis doesn't wreck the balance of the mix. Again, the speaker’s lack of powerful output means that classical tracks, in particular, top out at pretty modest maximum volume levels.

Clear Mics Tuned for Vocals

The four-mic MEMS array enables crisp audio transmission. We had no issue understanding every word we recorded via the Voice Memos app on an iPhone in testing, or hearing other speakers on test calls. The clarity isn’t mind-blowing, but it's reliable, and that's what's most important for meetings. The Space is especially good at facilitating the natural timing in conversations—we didn't encounter any annoying delays or dropouts in the audio that threatened to grind the flow of communication to a halt.

When we blasted some music in the background, the mic did a laudable job of making sure our voice was audible amongst the racket. In testing, this voice isolation worked best against music at low volumes and a backdrop of a noisy cafe recording than against loud music. However, these are all stress tests—you're unlikely to conduct speakerphone calls in a room with blasting music, after all. Typical home or office noise won't be an issue for conversation clarity.

A Good Speaker for Your Home Office

You should think of the Beyerdynamic Space foremost as a strong speakerphone that is also capable of decent audio for music. Its unique control scheme with LED feedback is a high point, though the combination of its mono driver and passive radiators can’t quite match the power and bass depth of other speakers in its class. If you're more interested in a portable speaker for listening to music, the JBL Charge 5 our top choice for the same price, and we're also fans of the slightly more affordable Bose SoundLink Flex and Sony SRS-XB33 (both $150). If you want a speaker for your office, however, the Beyerdynamic Space is an alternative worth considering.