Sadly for Roberts, that convenience almost pales into insignificance when reminded of the R-Line S2’s sound quality. Do not use or charge the battery if it appears to be abnormally hot, swollen, leaking or damaged in any way. Battery charge time – approximately 3 hours (Beacon 330 may take longer). EQ Setting (Beacon 330 only)

If I had to use one word to sum up audio quality, it would be restrained. The Beacon 330 doesn’t go particularly loud but is at least distortion-free at higher volumes. It’s capable of filling small rooms though there’s not the raw power needed to fill larger spaces with truly immersive sound. The Roberts Beacon 330 comes with dual bass radiators that should bring with it "rich, powerful and clear sound" according to Roberts. In reality, it's certainly clear but we're not convinced by the power. The volume requires turning up more so than with other speakers in this price range and, even then, the energy isn't quite as potent.Voice assistant support would have cemented it as our new favorite addition to the smart kitchen, but it's still an attractive proposition, taking up very little space while offering a decent amount. It gives a better impression of itself with its mid-range and treble performance. The mid-range offers decent amounts of detail and nice form with vocals – Jill Scott’s voice in He Loves Me [Lyzel in E Flat] is given space and clarity, and the same can be said for Sting’s Shape of My Heart and the Stereophonics’ Maybe Tomorrow. Treble is clear, defined and likable, neither bright nor harsh in how it’s described. It’s with slower-paced and relaxed tunes where the Beacon 330 finds its groove. The battery in the speaker may not have sufficient capacity in all cases to fully charge the connected device.

If previously used and paired it will attempt to connect to the previously paired device – see ‘reconnecting bluetooth device’. Bluetooth: version 5.0; frequencies: 2.402 – 2.480GHz; power 0dBm; profile A2DP; codec SBC. Rechargeable battery: Lithium-ion 7.4V 2500mAh 18.5Wh (Beacon 310/320); 7.4V 3200mAh 23.68Wh (Beacon 330). The company reserves the right to amend the specification without notice.Battery life is 15 hours – presumably each circle on the top plate counts for five hours – and recharging the battery to full takes three hours. The Bluetooth classification isn’t revealed in the specs, but we’re assuming its Bluetooth 5.0.

The three little circles in the indicate battery status, while the bars at the bottom are there to help decipher the speaker’s EQ mode. The EQ LED will light or flash according to the current setting. The current battery status will also be shown. The Beacon 330 offers five EQ modes to choose from: Normal, Classic, Bass Boost, Outdoors and Speech. Press the power button – not too hard or long, or else you’ll turn the speaker off – and press either the volume “+” or “–” buttons once for Classic, twice for Bass Boost and four times for Outdoor mode. The small LED light beneath the Equalizer bar will flash a set number of times to indicate the mode the speaker is in. Two Beacon 330 speakers may be linked to form a stereo pair with one playing the left channel and the other playing the right. Of all the sound profiles available, Normal and Classic are your best bets, with Classic adding a little more size and pushing out vocals more. Outdoor makes it sound bigger but also a little less defined, while Bass Boost makes the shallow bass slightly tighter but the vocals sound reined-in. They all sound fine, but neither mode grabs your attention.

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When charging is completed the LEDs will stop flashing. The speaker is ready for use away from the mains supply if needed.