REVIEW: Sound Tower Samsung MX-ST45B brings impeccable sound and mobility

A Samsung dominates a considerable slice of the Brazilian technology market. To further expand her portfolio, she brought here her sound tower MX-ST45B, a speaker full of features, connections and super easy to use.

In addition to what is already expected in a speaker, such as – obviously – its audio and connection bluetooth, sound tower surprised me by delivering a variety of possibilities for use, whether with cables or not, allowing for a much more comprehensive experience. I was able to test it for a few weeks and now you check each of its points and if it will be worth it for you.

Design

As the name suggests, the SoundTower MX-ST45B it simulates the design of a tower and I particularly liked the concept. From the moment I took the device out of the box, first impressions were very positive and the design idea was well passed.

At the top of tower, we have some buttons, namely: power button, “light” button to change the light patterns of the box, source to change which connected source will be used to play your music, play/pause, volume up and down and button BASS to activate the super bass mode.

At the top of these buttons, we also have an LED indicator, which shows us which source of sound tower MX-ST45B is currently being used. The LEDs present are the Bluetooth, USB, Assistant 1 and 2 and an exclusive one to show the battery level. It turns green when battery is low, red when low, and flashes green when charging.

As for the body of the box, it has a triangular shape, with two of these corners of the triangle being the sound outputs and the other being the back. In this part, we have three more buttons. The first is the bluetooth pairing button which, regardless of what you are doing, if you press it, it will go to the bluetooth function and will already enter pairing mode. The second is the ADD STEREO which serves you to add a second sound tower, transforming them into a stereo and even more powerful sound. Finally, we have the GROUP PLAY to connect up to 10 sound towers wireless.

Apart from the buttons, there is still a sealed area that, when opened, gives us access to the USB and auxiliary inputs 1 and 2. At the bottom of the back, we have another small area with a seal, to connect the power cable – included In the box. These areas are sealed to ensure the water resistance of the box, here in the certification IPX5. With this certification, the product will be safe from water jets.

The material that covers the product is of quality and makes it firm and when turned on, it lights up completely, making it a real attraction wherever you are. To close, it even comes with a remote control that works with batteries – included – and it works very well.

Usage and connectivity

A sound tower MX-ST45B fortunately it was mega functional from the first contact. I took it out of the box, pressed the power button on top and tested its functionality. The real blow was when I managed to connect it to my smartphone and test the songs via bluetooth.

According to Samsung, the box reaches 80W of power when on battery and 160W when connected to the mains. I tested it both ways and well, at least for the use I have in my day to day life, the 80W are more than enough for you to enjoy your music and movies.

Yes, I cited movies because sound tower, thanks to our amazing technology bluetooth – with support for aptX –, allows you to connect it to any compatible device – except you, PlayStation 4 😒. On SmartTVs, for example, you can just hold the source on the box for 5 seconds and it will already look for nearby TVs.

Despite the bluetooth being the strong point of the box, you can see that it allows you to use it the way you want. With aux input 1, for example, all you need is a 3,5mm aux cable. On auxiliary 2 you need component cables to make the connection and with USB you can connect a pendrive.

The cool thing about the USB port is that it works both ways, also serving to charge other devices. In my case, I tested my bluetooth headphones and it worked. For smartphones, I didn't get it here, but it may be that yours will charge.

Finally, we can install an app called Samsung Sound Tower Giga which serves you to give one of DJ. With it, you can control effects and box colors. I didn't particularly like the experience with him. Moving it was not at all intuitive and through the remote control I was able to perform the same functions. Maybe for a professional DJ it might have its value.

Audio

Right off the bat, I advance that the sound of Sound Tower MX-ST45B impresses and manages to cater for all tastes. I tested the most varied genres of music and she did perfectly well in all of them. The sound is undistorted and doesn't sound dirty, no matter what I've tested.

This is great, especially when using the product at parties, for example, where there are the most varied tastes being chosen there. Now, an issue that needs to be discussed here is the fact that the product is a “hybrid” between a speaker and a soundbar.

I say this because it has a little of the functions of each of these devices. The fact of being able to connect with another sound tower and generating stereo sound, for example, is useful for those looking to use it in the living room.

But in general, its resources are much more aimed at the public that enjoys taking their speakers to parties, to the beach and so on. The 80W of battery power will probably be the most used mode most of the time and far from being a bad quality. However, if you take a soundbar made exclusively for this focus, with a similar value, we managed to find more powerful products, surpassing 200W with some ease.

In addition, a product focused on the experience of home cinema and the like guarantees technologies such as Dolby Atmos and more sound channels. On the other hand, the idea that you can use it in so many ways is something that can be a good eye-catcher, as it was for me.

In addition to good sound, the box is compatible with the main bluetooth codecs on the market, as well as accepting the most diverse types of files. Other features include alternate sound modes, similar to the headphone equalizer.

Battery and charging

This was another aspect of the product that completely won my heart. According to the information contained in the box and provided by Samsung, a full load of sound tower MX-ST45B holds up to 12 hours of continuous playback. Of course, this will vary with your volume usage, whether the lights are on, and other factors.

Regardless, using about 2 hours a day, I managed to get the sound tower could last a whole week quietly, which for me was a great thing. In another situation, I did a more stressful test on it and left it playing for hours without stopping and luckily the battery held up very well in that case too.

Even with a great battery performance, it was nice to see that the recharge time from 0 to 100% was about 3 hours, which again made me smile.

The only problem I found using it is not being able to actually see how much battery it has left. It simply connects to devices and unlike what we see in headphones, where they show the battery level in the bluetooth management of your smartphone, tablet or PC, here there is nothing. Despite this, at least we have an indication of low battery on the device itself, which has a red light.

Price and availability

A sound tower MX-ST45B da Samsung arrives in Brazil today, March 1st, for the suggested price of R$2.999,00. It's not a cheap product, but it's not a bad thing either. What will weigh you down when choosing is going to be the type of user you are.

Conclusion

If you are looking for just one product to serve as a soundbar, don't even spend your money here, after all you would have to buy two sound tower to create stereo, cinema-like sound. On the other hand, with this suggested value, you can buy a soundbar with incredible technologies and an excellent sound that will deliver you what you are looking for.

Now if your goal is just to enjoy good music, without worrying about carrying your speaker, it's all for you. The sound quality is exceptional, the battery has great autonomy and if you need to charge it, it also charges very quickly. Also, you can use the sound tower plugged in and it, in addition to charging, will have twice as much power.

Finally, we have people who are looking for the best of both worlds and here they will find it. By working with several ports and technologies, the sound tower manages to deliver a hybrid experience between a soundbar and a — almost — portable sound box.

With a device like this, you'll be able to be the guy with the distinctive speaker at parties, while having beautiful immersive sound in your living room, bedroom or wherever you want. That for me was what caught my attention the most and what added the most value to the product, generating a very nice differential.

Technical specifications

Samsung Sound Tower

Mark	Samsung
Model	Sound Tower MX-ST4B
Number of channels	2
number of speakers	4
Maximum power (W)	160w
special functions	Lights configuration, with the following options: - PARTY - ENVIRONMENT - DANCE - LIGHTNING - STAR - OFF DJ mode, with the following effects: - WE ARE – FILTER – CRUSH – CHORUS – WAHWAH
BASS mode	Yes. With this effect, the bass becomes fuller.
built-in battery	Try; Lithium-ion battery lasting 12 hours; Charges in about 3 hours
Water resistance	Yes, with IPX5 certification. This certification guarantees protection against water jets from any direction.
Accepted file formats	WAV, WMA, AAC, MP3, FLAC and ALAC
Connectivity	USB 3,5mm analog audio input; Bluetooth Bluetooth multi connection; Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC and apt-X
Dimensions and weight	22,1 (width) x 56,1 (height) x 25,6 (depth) 7,9 kg
Price	Suggested price of BRL 2.999,00 at launch

And that was my analysis of tower da Samsung. Don't forget to comment on what you think of her or ask any questions about her. In addition, you can check out other reviews and much more by accessing the showmetech, as in the case of LG XBOOM 360RP4.