web analytics
yugatech x infinix pad

Samsung DA-F61 Portable Wireless Speaker Review

A year after its official debut , Samsung Philippines has brought their top-of-the-line wireless speaker called the DA-F61 to our shores. Check out our full review after the break.

Design and Construction

One of the things that we’re not used to see on some of Samsung’s consumer products, particularly on their smartphones, is the use of metal. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the DA-F61 as the speaker is almost entirely made of steel which gave it a nice elegant yet durable feel to it.

Samsung DA-F61

The speaker’s front panel is predominantly occupied by the speaker grill which hides the pair of 10-watt neodymium drivers and other inner workings from plain sight. There’s a small strip of metal on the right flank which houses six LED light indicators.

Five of these LED lights corresponds to three of the four buttons found on the right flank of the DA-F61 namely the Mute, Function and Bass Boost. The only other button not mentioned earlier is the Power button which sits at the bottom of the heap.

DA-F61

On the opposite pole, there’s a fairly large and free-wheeling dial that adjusts the volume. By default, the knob is pushed inside so it’s not sticking out of the speaker, but it can be popped out to easily adjust the sound intensity.

Over to the back side, there are a trio of ports for charging, USB and audio out. Unfortunately, the USB port is only intended to supply power to the audio source (smartphone, PMP, etc.) and it doesn’t support flash storage.

DA-F61

Lastly, there’s a detachable magnetic cover that’s latched at the DA-F61’s underbelly. This cover is a nice addition to the speaker’s repertoire as it protects the front panel from being scratched and prevents dust from getting inside the speaker grills’ crevices.

Wireless connectivity

Just like other wireless speakers, the Samsung DA-F61 is also equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and NFC which allows user to wirelessly stream contents to it. However, what sets this bad boy apart from most Bluetooth speakers is the additional technologies that its BT chip supports.

We’re talking about the SBC (Subband Coding) and aptX . These two codecs allows the DA-F61 to produce better sound quality, especially when paired with an audio source with Bluetooth A2DP like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Sound Performance

But even without these fancy Bluetooth technologies, the DA-F61 is still one of the best sounding portable speakers in the business to date. In our opinion, the aptX and SBC support are only there to further sweeten the deal, but at the end of the day it’ll still boil down to the drivers.

And let me tell you up front, the DA-F61 has some serious fire power underneath its classy chassis.

Samsung DA-F61 wireless speaker

The moment we fired up the speaker, the first we noticed was the unadulterated bass that’s coming out of it, the kind that one wouldn’t normally expect from a portable speaker of this size.

But it’s not just the richness of the bass that impressed us; it’s how the DA-F61 was able to blend its powerful bass with a near-flawless treble which results to balanced sound output.

(24 hours of burn-in was done prior to the actual test)
Device: Samsung Galaxy S4 (i9500)
Volume: 100%
Equalizer: Off
File format: Combination of MP3 and WMA
Track bitrate: 256Kbps and above
Tracks:
• Little Respect – Wheatus (Good)
• Not Done Yet – SOJA (Good)
• Poorman’s Grave – Eraserheads (Best)
• What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye (Best)
• Prom – Sugarfree (Best)
• You Rock My World – Michael Jackson (Best)
• Mockingbird – Eminem (Best)
• Therapy – India Arie (Good)
• Aerials – System of a Down (Good)
• Happy –Squareheads (Best)

In addition to its superb sound reproduction, we also noticed that the speaker has a relatively wide soundstage and it was able to pick up some of the faint sounds on some of the songs we played on it.

By and large, the DA-F61’s bass output is more than enough to satisfy one’s cravings for rumbling bass lines. However, should you feel the need to have deeper and more pronounced lows, you’re just one button away from doing it by pressing the Bass Boost which sits in between the Power and Function keys.

Battery life

Samsung claims that DA-F61 battery can last up for up 12 hours of continuous playback before it asks for its proprietary charger. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to exactly time how long the speakers last on a single full charge, but our mileage-per-charge was definitely well more than what was advertised.

Samsung Bluetooth Speaker

To put it in perspective, in the span of three weeks that we’ve spent with the DA-F61, we only charged it a total of five times. Our average daily use falls somewhere between 4-5 hours with the volume set to around the 20-40% mark and we’re connected to it via Bluetooth.

Of course, your mileage will vary depending on the volume, whether you use the bass boost and how you’re streaming your contents to the speaker (wired or wirelessly). But regardless of usage type, the DA-F61 should be a perfect companion for your outdoor trips, provided that you’re willing to add an extra kilo to your luggage.

Conclusion

The Samsung DA-F61 Bluetooth Speaker is the total package. Nuff said. It’s got superb sound output to match its outstanding design and build. That said, it’s no longer a question of whether or not you should get it, but rather can you stomach shelling out ten grand for this speaker?

Samsung DA-F61 speaker

In all honesty, the DA-F61’s Php9,990 price tag puts it at a slight disadvantage against cheaper but clunky wireless speakers without NFC and fancy aptX codec. However, if your budget allows it, we think that the Samsung DA-F61 should be worth your every dime.

What we liked about it:
* Premium look and build
* Superior sound output
* NFC and aptX support
* Relatively loud with well-pronounced bass output

What we didn’t like about it:
* Proprietary charger
* Exterior is prone to sratches
* No USB Flash Drive support
* Highs are bit recessed

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,117 other subscribers
Avatar for Ronnie Bulaong

This article was written by Ronnie Bulaong, a special features contributor and correspondent for YugaTech. Follow him on Twitter @turonbulaong.

30 Responses

  1. Avatar for Joseph Joseph says:

    Saan po nakakabili ng charger nito? Nawala po kase ung charger ng sakin. Salamat po sa sasagor

  2. Avatar for Abortion Clinics Abortion Clinics says:

    If some one desires expert view on the topic of blogging and site-building then i recommend him/her to go to see this weblog, Keep
    up the fastidious work.

  3. Avatar for bmw repair st bmw repair st says:

    Good day! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
    Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa?
    My website goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I
    think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested
    feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Fantastic blog by the way!

  4. Avatar for t=16&feature=share t=16&feature=share says:

    I’ve learn a few good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting.

    I wonder how so much attempt you place to create any such fantastic informative website.

  5. Avatar for Marrakech riad Marrakech riad says:

    Not only is it full of things to enjoy in Morocco, luxury riad marrakech medina where thousands of ­revellers will enjoy fireworks and a gig by rockers Primal Scream.

    Feel free to visit my weblog :: Marrakech riad bahia reviews

  6. Avatar for kids science kits kids science kits says:

    This website really has all of the info I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

  7. Avatar for beach themed beach themed says:

    It can be a wonderful way to help socialize a new dog or puppy,
    or a fun way just to have some fun on a nice weekend.
    Beer and soda by the pitcher, fresh seafood on paper plates
    with great side like coleslaw, fries and hush puppies.
    She might love Dora the Explorer today, but it’s not likely that she’ll want cartoons on her walls forever.

  8. Avatar for dama trazi muskarca dama trazi muskarca says:

    Great information. Lucky me I found your website by accident (stumbleupon).I’ve book-marked it for
    later!

  9. Avatar for Tech News Tech News says:

    Hey! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds
    me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this.
    I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
    Thanks for sharing!

  10. Avatar for magnetic screen magnetic screen says:

    Excellent goods from you, man. I have bear in mind
    your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely great.
    I actually like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you are stating and the best way
    wherein you say it. You make it enjoyable
    and you still care for to keep it wise. I can not wait
    to learn far more from you. That is actually a tremendous website.

  11. Avatar for http://www. http://www. says:

    I have been surfing on-line more than three hours lately, yet I by no
    means found any interesting article like yours. It is beautiful worth enough for me.
    In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as
    you probably did, the web can be much more helpful than ever before.

  12. Avatar for Chasity Chasity says:

    This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and i am really happy to read all at alone place.

  13. Avatar for two women two women says:

    Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told
    was once a leisure account it. Look complex to far added agreeable
    from you! By the way, how can we keep up a correspondence?

    My site: two women

  14. Avatar for adoption services adoption services says:

    While many have heard of the epic, Ramayana, only a few
    have read the Sanskrit book that may be considered to be the
    life story and principal scripture about Lord
    Rama. Try to think of what areas in your neighborhood could use a little bit of sprucing up – As you
    try to decide what services are needed, you can actively
    advertise and promote it to try to get others involved.
    Remind them that sales effectiveness is the key to becoming
    a leader in your market.

    Feel free to visit my web-site :: adoption services

  15. Avatar for women clothes women clothes says:

    In addition, several mutual exchange of goods shop, but also
    result in product updates to customers to avoid the impression of slow.
    Parents can usually find these shops in their local area
    or a near by town. In most cases, clothing photography requires little editing other than cropping and some minor adjustments with
    contrast and brightness.

  16. Avatar for work home work home says:

    I read this paragraph fully concerning the difference of most recent and earlier technologies, it’s awesome article.

  17. Avatar for anchor2 anchor2 says:

    Very good info. Lucky me I discovered your site by chance
    (stumbleupon). I’ve book marked it for later!

  18. Avatar for Knighthood Knighthood says:

    Guys, out of the topic but what brand of Bluetooth Speaker/s do you suggest with price range of 3K-5K only? Comments/Suggestions would be highly appreciated.

    DA-F61 is quite expensive for me that is budget-conscious. TIA!

  19. Avatar for Harvey Harvey says:

    Places like the Vancouver Film School channel at You – Tube are making
    such pieces more available to the public, and are well worth a look.
    It does offer some nice touches and is better than its predecessor, but has
    a long way to go to catch up to the HTC Sense UI. The photos you can capture with the HTC Vivid are worthy of the name ‘ they look vibrant with great color
    reproduction.

  20. Avatar for The Amazing Spider- The Amazing Spider- says:

    You can easily find a free one online and it will show you, based
    on age, height, weight, and other vital statistics what your daily caloric intake should be.
    A trick with any successful movie that entertains is having something that needs to be acquired, regardless of the
    risk, and Spiderman is after an intangible thing;
    peace and justice for the people of New York.

    The feminine essence is not: controlling,
    overly organized, bossy, nagging, changing light
    bulbs (even if she is perfectly capable of doing so), killing
    snakes, doing manly chores that require power tools, silent, talking about her emotions instead of.

  21. Avatar for How to get my How to get my says:

    The 8-Step process found at How To Get Back an Ex Boyfriend gives the best advice possible on how to Get Back With
    Your Ex. When you do this then you will be shocking him as he
    will not have expected this at all. If several weeks have gone by and he
    hasn’t yet got in touch with you, then you may want to
    think about arranging an “accidental” meeting.

  22. Avatar for Pokemon For Android Pokemon For Android says:

    The first pokemon you should encounter is mew, then mewtwo should appear,
    and also if you pull the green wire on your game, you should encounter the
    regis and 1 ho-oh. Any Pokemon character will work for this game,
    just cut a hole about 6 inches wide in the posterboard wherever you are wanting the bean bags to
    go through. And if so, what happened to our Pokemon from the previous game.

  23. Avatar for oxon oxon says:

    If you would like to obtain a good deal from this article
    then you have to apply these methods to your won blog.

  24. Avatar for WOOHOO WOOHOO says:

    Most of the wireless bluetooth/NFC speakers I saw have a price range of 6k-8k. So I guess I can stomach buying that product for 10k… That is if I ever buy a wireless speaker. I already got an amazing set of speakers at home and a pair of Sony MDR headphones. At this point, a wireless speaker isn’t something I need right now.

    But if I ever consider buying a wireless speaker, I’ll be sure to put this on my list of choices.

  25. Avatar for Justin Justin says:

    So where is the hardware spec sheet?

  26. Avatar for Easy E Easy E says:

    Sound naman is analog, so yung bit rate is not really an issue with the speaker itself pero makakaaffect kasi sa subjective na judgement ng nakikinig. Sisisihin nila ang speaker dahil panget ang sound, ayun pala ay content ang problema.

    Para sa akin, hearing frequency range at capability to produce a high fidelity sound and mas importante mula sa pinakamahina hanggang sa pinakamalakas na volume ng speaker.

    At dahil wireless, dapat walang noise, malayo ang reach, at ease of setup lang ang titingnan ko. At price.

    Ang mahal mahal nito. Grabe.

  27. Avatar for abuzalzal abuzalzal says:

    So fucking expensive. At that price, you can buy the Cherry Mobile Omega HD 2.0 whose speakers are better than that adulterated piece of shit speaker from Shitsung.

    • Avatar for abuzalzal abuzalzal says:

      Addendum:
      When reviewing a set of speakers, please don’t use a music file whose bitrate is below 320 Kbps. You’re not pushing the full potential of the speakers because you’re not using the best quality audio bitrate you could get. The damn author should always take note of that.

      Oh, and another thing, the author should stop pretending that he’s a goddamn motherfucking sound expert because each and everyone has different levels of hearing capability. Just because it sounds good to your ears does not mean it’ll sound good on everyone’s ears. You’re no Otolaryngologist, are you?

    • Avatar for Charles Charles says:

      just review it yourself abuzalzal, kung may magbabasa man. For sure ako hindi ko babasahin kasi puro curse words lalabas. -_-

    • Avatar for Abudaldal Abudaldal says:

      Ayun nagda.daldal na naman itong si Abuzalzal. Kung wala kang ibang magawa eh di wag kang magbasa. Pangungutya lang ang alam mo. Nagmamagaling ka lang. Napaka.troll mo naman

Leave a Reply