Escape P6 BT is equally as comfortable in the kitchen…

This is a review of the Escape P6 BT, an outdoor style Bluetooth speaker, fit for anything party or background you can think of, indoors and out, garden or bathroom.

Really you have to ask yourself, “What do you want from a Bluetooth speaker?” Volume, bass, resolution, battery life, ease of use? This review will indicate the Escape P6 BT has it all.

Design

This Escape P6 BT is a Bluetooth speaker but it is so much more than that given its scale and flexibility. There is an Escape P6 Air which is a WiFi version of this model (but it retains Bluetooth). There is the bigger and more expensive P9 in this range, reviewed and loved here; the P9 has 4 midrange/treble drivers whereas the P6 here has two that are opposed. The Escape P6 BT does away with the rubber bit at the top of the P9 that allowed a 3.5mm jack and a USB flash option, to the befit of cleaner lines on the top of the P6. This is great and makes for simplicity and contributes to the IPX4 waterproof feature of the speaker, be that poolside or rain affected (IPX4 rating, this is an international convention and means it is resistant to water splashes from any direction).

The Escape P6 is paired via Bluetooth 5.0 and it features a 24 bit DSP (digital signal processor) and a 60-Watts RMS digital amplifier. There is an App to control pairing, standby and off functions but the touch buttons on the top do all of that anyway. The App control shows you the battery life which is claimed to be 16 wireless listening hours at background volume or 8 hours at typical listening volume. We have not had any problems with battery life in these several weeks. The battery is the same as that in the P9, it is a new generation rechargeable battery made of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4). The Escape P6 BT charges from a port underneath that has a flexible rubber cover, an overnight charge seems to do the job for us.

… or in the garage…

The claimed frequency response of the Escape P6 BT is 20Hz -20KHz which is cutting very low in the bass end, the downward-firing subwoofer has a diameter of 17cm.

The Escape P6 BT can be paired with another P6 to create a stereo stage via the App if desired.

Quality

The Escape P6 BT is a lovely design creation, perfectly formed with a 20cm square base it is about knee height and is just 7.5kg in weight. The outer polyester yarn weave further protects the electronics from splashes, and it comes in black, beige and white (I’d go black based on my P9 experience though a wet wipe does the grubby fingerprint job if I recall). There is a soft feel powder-coated metal handle over the top of the P6, for ease of carrying.

The exact dimensions of the Escape P6 BT is 550mm (H) x 200mm (W) x 200mm (D). It is priced near £599 and can be purchased online.

Performance

The Escape P6 BT can be a full-on rave…

Physically

The Escape P6 BT packs pretty easily in the car boot and has proved to be easily portable around the garden, patio, and BBQ area. It seems to be quite durable and stable when footballs and dogs are flying around.

.. or in the garden.

Soundstage

I’m not going to go all audiophile on this one but what you do need to know is this goes loud, and if you want to pick a fight with some grimy kids in the park with an overpriced Bose speaker squealing away, you’re going to knock them for six with this.  The Escape P6 BT can be a full-on rave, try a bit of Knife Party (Bonfire) or Zomboy (Terror Squad) and that will really upset them! Then you can point out to them the lack of distortion and the tightness of the bass pump at nearly full volume.

It is not always about loud and some cursory critical analysis over the Easter break with Radiohead’s Subterranean Homesick Alien reveals the P6 has the capability of throwing sounds nicely wide creating an open feel if you are having a moment to yourself. You’ll need to make sure you have the opposing speakers firing sideways and not towards you (and away from you) and the App has the P6 in ‘Wide’ mode but this P6 has a subtle side if you desire it. There is a surprisingly uncluttered Bluetooth performance here and if you really want to examine the sound in more detail there is a graphic equaliser in the App to enable you to crank up the bass or otherwise across five frequency bands on the spectrum.

Thoughts

This reviewer is wandering around with the Escape P6 a fair bit at the moment.  It has been on an Easter break with the family, helped with odd jobs in the garage, a bit of gardening, BBQing, washing up in the kitchen before the kids hike it away for the evening, it is a really versatile, easy to use a bit of kit.

The base of the Escape P6 BT with charging/power slot and bass port

So, what do you want from a Bluetooth speaker? Noise, bass, resolution, battery life, ease of use? This Escape P6 BT really does have it all. If you think about a summer of patio living, this is your modern outdoor radiogram, and therefore worth the investment?

Overall

…this Escape P6 can veer from party animal to deft performer, depending on your mood or your music.

With a 60W digital amplifier and a large down-firing subwoofer, there is plenty to scream about here. But this Escape P6 can veer from party animal to deft performer, depending on your mood or your music. If this is your budget, this is unreservedly your Bluetooth choice.

The Escape P6 BT is IPX4 waterproof and it is lick proof!

Specification

Full details are on the company’s site. A list of UK dealers is there too.