Skip to main content

Carbon Audio Zooka Review

Image used with permission by copyright holder
Carbon Audio Zooka
MSRP $99.95
“For the avid traveler, the college dorm resident, or the tablet-toting young adult, the Carbon Audio Zooka will definitely enhance the media experience, and would likely make a desirable gift.”
Pros
  • Smooth, clear treble
  • Convenient minimalist design
  • Multiple features
Cons
  • Limited frequency response
  • Some pops while connecting Bluetooth
  • A few minor design quirks

We’ve had more than our share of fun evaluating various Bluetooth speaker designs this year, but we’re always up for more. Recently, we snatched up the opportunity to check out the debut product from a locally-based startup called Carbon Audio, a company situated just down the street from our Portland offices.

Recommended Videos

The Zooka is a small rubbery tube with speakers on each end that face outward, like a double-sided flashlight. It’s made to work with the iPad, iPhone and iPods (though it will work with many laptops and tablets) and connects via Bluetooth to play audio for music, video chat, and phone calls, all at a claimed “five times” the volume level these mobile devices can achieve on their own.

Priced around $100, and with two relatively small 30 mm drivers at work, we weren’t expecting the Zooka would “raise the roof” at our next office party. But we were interested to see how functional this supremely mobile add-on could be, especially considering how notoriously poor the built-in sound quality of tablets and smartphones can be. Here’s what we discovered.

Out of the box

The Zooka experience is about as minimalist as you can get for a piece of electronics gear. Cut the tab on the underside of the small box, and out drops the Zooka, lying in a cast-plastic frame. Pulling the soft wand from the frame, we found only two other items in the box: a small USB to mini-USB cable (for charging purposes), and a little white card with a picture diagram that shows how to get your Zooka up and running. Following the little cartoon with relative ease, we soon had the Zooka powered-on, connected, and ready for action 

zooka wireless speaker review front macbook lid
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Features and design

On Carbon Audio’s website, the Zooka is displayed in a rainbow of available color choices, though ours was a rather understated charcoal grey. The soft bar is covered with a smooth, grippy silicone surface, and feels pretty durable. Along the spine of the device are buttons for power, volume control, and Bluetooth pairing. A multi-color LED situated above the power button indicates power status, charging status and Bluetooth pairing status. Just to the side of the control buttons is a mini-USB input for charging the Zooka, and 3.5mm input for non-Bluetooth devices.

The Zooka features a slit along its side to accommodate a laptop lid or a tablet. The clever design includes a circular cutout in the middle, so the rubber “mouth” doesn’t cover your iPad’s home button or laptop camera when attached. Slipping our first-gen iPad into the gap, we discovered another clever Zooka feature: A silver bead protruding from one end turns out to be a short metal peg when you pull on it. Screw the peg into a threaded insert on the back of the Zooka and voila: your Zooka becomes a tablet stand – perfect for watching movies and video. Strangely, though, Carbon Audio has placed the Zooka’s control buttons such that they are hidden away under the device when it is used to prop up a tablet. You can still control volume with your device, sure, but we’d still like to have access to the buttons at all times. 

zooka wireless speaker review controls zooka wireless speaker review logo
zooka wireless speaker review rear ipad zooka wireless speaker review macbook lid

Placed atop our Macbook screen, the Zooka seemed a bit heavy and precarious. For those with loose laptop lid hinges, the Zooka’s weight could be a problem. Also, we noted that, while seated atop a laptop’s lid, the Zooka’s stereo speakers become inverted. This could be a problem while watching movies, as stereo effects would contradict the on-screen action. You might see the Batmobile cruise in from the right, but you would hear it come in from the left. That would get annoying after a while. As a laptop speaker, the Zooka works ok, but we preferred using it as a tablet stand, by far.

Audio Performance

We never expected the Zooka to deliver sonic precision or studio-quality sound, but when we compared the Zooka back-to-back with the tiny speakers in our different devices (especially our iPhone 3GS), there was no question the Zooka provided a much-improved audio experience.

The small drivers on each end of the Zooka offer little to no bass and midbass response – you’re not going to hear bass grooves thumping in your hip-hop tracks. However, as we moved through our music catalog, we noted smooth, crystalline treble sounds from instruments such as synthesizers, flutes and violins. While watching video, voices were clear, and there was plenty of volume in most scenarios as well. 

 zooka wireless speaker review side macbook lid

The Zooka’s side-firing speaker design is a little limiting in terms of sound clarity, but it did help make stereo effects more convincing and, generally, we got a bigger-than-expected soundscape from the small tube.

With clear treble and notably bigger sound than our mobile devices were capable of, the Zooka produced some enjoyable moments. Still, without much low end, the sound came off as unsupported sometimes. It’s as if you’re only hearing some of your music.

Also we eventually got a little annoyed with the clicks, pops and beeps that the Zooka produced as we disconnected, reconnected, changed or turned off our devices. Any speaker that makes sounds when not instructed to gets a bit tiresome for us. 

Conclusion

While the Zooka delivers solid detail in higher registers and relatively wide stereo sound, it isn’t a replacement for larger desktop speaker sets. Is it five times louder than most portable media devices? Probably. Does it sound five times fuller than those media devices? No.

This little bar shines brightest when it is used for its many applicable multimedia functions. The Zooka’s strength lies in its convenience, and we like the fact that, when paired with a tablet, it becomes a sort of miniature entertainment center, video chat enhancer, and speakerphone, all in a singularly sleek and portable package. The Zooka may not be the choice for supreme sound quality – and it has its quirks – but for the avid traveler, the college dorm resident, or the tablet-toting young adult, the Carbon Audio Zooka will definitely enhance the media experience, and would likely make a desirable gift.

Highs

  • Smooth, clear treble
  • Convenient minimalist design 
  • Multiple features

Lows

  • Limited frequency response
  • Some pops while connecting Bluetooth
  • A few minor design quirks
Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
Denon Home Amp adds HDMI eARC, Dolby Audio to HEOS systems
Denon Home Amp seen next to a Denon turntable.

In its competition with Sonos and Bose, Denon has a new arrow in its wireless, multiroom quiver: the Denon Home Amp. It's effectively the next-gen version of the aging HEOS Amp HS2, with two important new features that keep it relevant in a modern home: an HDMI eARC input and compatibility with multichannel Dolby Audio. Plus, there's more power on tap for connected speakers with up to 125 watts per channel. You can buy the Denon Home Amp from retailers or for $799.

Denon has been slowly migrating its HEOS line of wireless multiroom speakers and components over to its new Denon Home brand, and the Home Amp is the latest device to be transitioned. It takes the guts of the $499 HEOS Amp HS2 (which Denon continues to sell) and wraps it in a new, simple-yet-sophisticated body that will blend more seamlessly with people's existing hi-fi setups. The clean lines and squarish dimensions are very reminiscent of the Sonos Amp ($699) and Bose Music Amplifier ($699), with touch controls on the front panel for preset access, play/pause, track skipping, and volume control.

Read more
Beats Pill tips and tricks
beats pill 2024 tips tricks 1

The new Beats Pill is a brilliant little speaker for all kinds of reasons. Chief among them probably is that you get a very capable Bluetooth speaker for not a ton of money.

In a lot of ways, and as you've read in our Beats Pill review, the version remains simple. You pair your phone, play your music, and Bob's your uncle. But despite having just three buttons and that same basic shape we've loved for years, there are a few decidedly deceptive features that you might well miss -- or that might send you scrambling for the manual.

Read more
Best Bluetooth speakers for 2024: Beats, JBL, Soundcore, and more
The JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth speaker. [Embargoed image 06/03]

Bluetooth speakers are everywhere. I think it's safe to say that they've replaced the receiver-based component setup as the main music delivery system for most people (unless you're into hi-res digital music or vinyl records). They've become such commonplace audio devices that it'd be odd not to see one (or several) speakers at parties, poolside, at the beach, or even strapped to the front of a mountain bike.

And rightfully so. Bluetooth speakers have come a long way. They sound better than ever, are reliable, portable, and they come in so many varieties that it's becoming easier to find one perfect for your needs.

Read more