Damson Twist – A New Twist on Audio [Review]

Bluetooth speakers are probably one of the best invests you can make if you’re a music junkie. If your device supports it, nothing beats the freedom of being able to listen to your music from across a room with your device in hand and not being tethered by a wire to your speakers or having it docked on a shelf. This allows you to control your music anywhere in a room at your leisure without the hassle of having to get up and change your tunes. I’ve looked at tons of Bluetooth speakers over the past year. I’ve looked at everything from tiny portable Bluetooth speakerphones to full on powerhouses that can fill up an entire room and then some. Bluetooth speakers come in many different shapes, sizes, and designs but for the most part, they are all pretty much the same with the same basic features and components.

With that said, it’s not often that you find one where your mind automatically says, hold on a second, that as totally cool. Well, I think I’ve found one that does just that and it’s called the Damson Twist. This may look like a regular can shaped Bluetooth speaker, but the way this device functions will completely blow your mind.

Design and Build

For starters, the Damson Twist just looks like your typical can shaped Bluetooth speaker. It’s a small at only about 2.75-inches tall and about 2.25-inches in diameter. What catches your attention though when looking at its sleek aluminum body is you begin to wonder where the actual speaker is at because there isn’t one in the traditional sense. Nothing on the body looks like a speaker and you don’t see any speaker grills that usually give away its position. Instead all your see is a clean, cylindrical aluminum body with a black, mirror like circle up top.

By clean, I also mean that there aren’t any buttons on the Damson Twist either. It is completely devoid of buttons with the only things breaking up its sleekness would be the ports on the rear for audio line in/out and the USB charge port.

So where is the speaker? Well, if you flip it over, you’ll notice that the bottom the Damson Twist has what appears to be a stand that elevates the Twist about a quarter of an inch leading into a hole at the bottom. This is where the actual “audio” comes out from but not in the traditional sense that you are expecting. I’ll explain more a bit later.

What gives the Damson Twist its name is the fact that the Twist is operated by a simple twist of its body. Twist clockwise to activate it in Bluetooth mode and twist counter-clockwise to activate it in Line In mode. The LED light located at the center of the Damson logo will glow blue in Bluetooth mode and glow white in Line In mode.

In terms of design, the Damson Twist is the coolest looking Bluetooth speaker of the cylindrical type that I’ve looked at. For one, the entire body is made of aluminum which definitely gives it a feeling of quality and sheer coolness. Second, the way it actually functions is probably the coolest thing about it and definitely a talking point if someone ever asks you about it.

How it Works

The Damson Twist is completely different from anything I’ve ever seen before. Unlike other units where the size of the speaker affects the sound output, the Twist is affected by the surface its sitting on. Let me explain. It uses something called Incisor diffusion technology, which pushes the sound across almost any surface it is rested upon. I honestly have no idea what that is, but from what I can tell, it basically turns any surface into a speaker through use of vibrations that come from the Twist. That’s the best way I can describe it really.

It’s crazy the way it works. When you’re playing music through it for instance and it’s sitting on a table, it literally sounds like the table itself is playing your music. The entire surface somehow is pumping out your tunes and it sounds fantastic. What’s even crazier though is that if you pick up the Damson Twist while it’s playing, the sound coming from it sounds really low and a bit muffled which makes how it functions even more amazing.

There are limitations though. You have to use the Damson Twist on something that will freely vibrate. Tables work great, as do counters and shelves. Materials those are made of even seem to affect the quality of sound a bit so it’s best to experiment with different surfaces. I’ve even tried using it on less obvious things like glass cups, plastic buckets, and even boxes. You get a different sound out of those as well but it’s really neat experimenting.

Final Thoughts

The Damson Twist is a very cool little device. It is by far, the neatest and most different Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever used and while it sounds great in most situations, it might not be the best speaker for all situations. This is a speaker that I am more comfortable using indoors than I would be using this outdoors like at the beach or pool. In those situations, I’d still much rather use a traditional Bluetooth speaker as it doesn’t matter where you put those.

But, for indoor use, the Damson Twist is awesome. It’s amazing how it can turn any surface into a speaker with full and rich sounds despite how small the unit is. If you want something that sounds great and will get the attention of your guests that might come over, the Damson Twist will surely fit the bill.

The Damson Twist is available in four different colors, silver, red, blue, and black. Each look great with their aluminum bodies and each can be daisy chained for even bigger sounds. Each Damson Twist includes a USB charging cable, and audio connect cable, and a pouch to carry the Twist in.