Orange Box

Orange Box · Source: Orange

The new Orange Box-L and Box Bluetooth speakers offer music lovers a hint of the brand's retro cool and pair this with the company's Class D and A/B analogue amplifiers. With 50 watts of rechargeable portable power, can Orange squeeze some of the portable speaker market share from its competitors?

I would hazard a guess that the people in the official video below have never heard of Orange Amplification. This is a British brand with over half a century in the business of making huge guitar and bass amps, with bright orange or black covers.

A brand many guitar and bass players will be more than familiar with.

But will the average consumer be enticed by the Orange Box-L and Orange Box Bluetooth speakers?

Classic Orange livery

The specifications are actually very good and include Bluetooth 5 plus, the aforementioned 50-watt RMS power output. This is driven by Class D, A/B analogue amps and I cannot think of any other brands doing this currently.

A rechargeable onboard battery offers 15 hours of playback, which is very reasonable and could be great for anyone on the move.

It has the obligatory Aux In and includes the relevant minijack cable to access this input via the top panel.

EQ is basic, yet effective and consists of Treble and Bass, plus the standard Volume control.

Orange Controls

An onboard warning lamp lights up if the volume gets too high. This can avoid damage caused by permanently too high levels and help avoid too much distortion. A nice touch and it means that this speaker aims to offer optimum sound quality. I suspect that the Class D analogue amp will offer nice detail, so why spoil it by overloading it?

Back in black

Essentially, the Box has a 4″ Bass Driver unit and weighs in at 3kg, whereas the Box-L has a 5″ Bass Driver which pushes the weight up to 4.3kg.

Both models are available in either orange or black finishes.

Orange Box with handle

They include a strap that allows users to lug them around, which could be useful, as there are no integrated top or side handles. Though they also make the GigBag for the Box which is sold separately.

Orange Box GigBag

Orange has also pledged to make stock and replacement parts continuously available into the 2030s, allowing owners the right to repair these units. A nice touch and great for sustainability, which has to be good for the consumer.

Orange Box and a random Dog

A lot of guitar brands have released portable speakers in the last few years and Marshall was recently acquired by Zound Industries. The company has worked with Marshall for the last 10 years, making Bluetooth speakers and headphones.

Fender has also thrown their hat in the ring with the new RIFF speaker, though that one also works as an actual guitar amp.

This would suggest that taking classic guitar amplifier brands and repackaging them for music lovers and casual guitarists is the way forward for these old-dinosaur rock’n’roll brands. As the massive 100-watt tube-driven guitar and bass amps are no longer practical for many musicians. Therefore, it is time to diversify and look at alternative markets.

Personally, I quite like the aesthetic of these new Orange Box amps and would happily have one in my home. My kids still wouldn't have a clue who Orange are though.

MSRP – Orange Box GBP 274.00, with the matching GigBag at GBP 49.99 and the Orange Box-L GBP 315.00

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