The Danish manufacturer Vifa is in the top tier when it comes to the sound of portable speakers. The company is in good company with other Danish hi-fi producers like Bang & Olufsen and Libratone. Vifa’s portable model Oslo, which weighs 2.4 kilos, has been given the sympathetic name Oslo, which probably indicates that it is only half as big as its big brother Copenhagen. However, Oslo is portable, and the same cannot be said about Copenhagen. Read more about the sound of Oslo.
Obtaining the best possible rendering of sound is a matter of orchestration. It’s a complex calibration of multiple technical components. Vifa’s founder N. C. Madsen realized this when he decided to replace his career in auto-mechanics to follow his true zeal, load-speaker technology in 1933. Since then, Vifa has kept its position in the hi-fi market.
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Vifa Oslo Bluetooth
I must admit I hadn’t heard much about Vifa until I realized there were several load-speakers on the market bearing the name of Nordic cities like Helsinki, Reykjavik, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo.
Vifa Oslo Bluetooth load-speaker looks more like a handbag than those cylindrical blasters you can see and hear in parks and on beaches during the summer. Vifa Oslo has a charming and exemplary simple design with a built-in carrying handle.
Vifa Oslo is composed of six load-speaker elements; two full-tone elements, two bass elements and two passive bass radiators. Together they create a soundscape with lots of punch and dynamics and impressive bass. Oslo also reproduces the important midrange sounds better than most portable wireless speakers I have listened to.
Vifa Oslo was launched in 2016 and was awarded the special IF Gold Award by The German IF International Forum in 2017.
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A gorgeously appointed Bluetooth speaker
“The Danish-designed Vifa Oslo is a gorgeously appointed Bluetooth speaker that will look great in your living room: the perfect link between technology, sound quality and long-lasting design. The soft and well-formed handle extends in a single stroke from the speaker body, while upholstery-grade fabric covers the rest of the unit. The interface is hidden. Nothing more and nothing less!” said the jury.
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However, I must admit that after hearing the new JBL Charge 5, weighing only half a kilo, I get more music enjoyment for my money than more expensive speakers.
The Sound of Oslo, written by Tor Kjolberg
All images © Vifa