Parties seem an odd concept at the moment, don’t they? Even a garden party in pre-pandemic times, with plenty of space, wouldn’t be braved by anyone other than the hardiest of folk until at least May. Hopefully by that point, a semblance of normality might begin to emerge.

In the meantime, spirits can be cheered by preparing for the glut of over-emotional and rosé-fuelled garden gatherings, with your first stop being the right speaker.

The KitSound Diggit 55 is the outdoor speaker for the socially-distanced generation. Coming along at exactly the wrong time for its target market might have been an unfortunate twist of fate, but this speaker deserves to do well: the design, sound and general feel certainly outperform its humble price tag.

Speakers at the budget-friendly end of the market can sometimes seem like a bit of a risk. The spectre of false economy looms large over cheaper options: will I end up spending more on a series of cheap, short-lived speakers instead of investing in one pricier product?

There is sometimes a happy medium, however, when you go a little over the £30 mark.

British audio brand KitSound believes that quality audio products shouldn’t necessarily cost the earth. We agree with that, and a speaker should be judged on all its merits. Does the Diggit 55 stand up to its credentials? We find out.

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KitSound Diggit 55

Output: 12W

Frequency: 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Weight: 570g

Wireless options: Bluetooth 5.0, dual speaker pairing

Battery life: Up to 15 hours

Buy now £39, Amazon.co.uk

Design

We love the look of the Diggit 55 in general, but there’s one design element that’s almost worth the price alone: the bonus removable stake. An inspired idea, the stake elevates the speaker far enough above the ground that the base remains dirt and worm-free, but also helps the sound to spread further across the space.

The elevation also serves to make the Diggit 55 look like a much more premium speaker, especially with the faux wood finish and LED rings at the top and bottom adding to the evening vibe: they also let you know when the battery is low, along with the speaker’s charging and pairing statuses.

The fabric mesh covering looks the part and contributes to the speaker’s IP66 rating – enough to protect against sand and dust (beach party, anyone?) and for the speaker to survive the odd summer shower – just don’t chuck it into a pool, and you’ll be fine.

The speaker in general feels sturdy and rugged, able to cope with being thrown into your bag along with a supermarket bottle of something cheap and cheerful for an afternoon sitting two metres away from your friends in the park.

Bluetooth pairing is easy, and reacts quickly to input, but there are also micro USB and aux inputs hidden beneath a protective rubber cover. The buttons on the top are huge and easy to use, including one that switches the speaker between outdoor and indoor EQ modes. If you decide to buy two speakers for a fuller stereo effect, linking them is as easy as tapping them together, which is neat, straightforward and adds some more fun to proceedings.

Sound

The Diggit 55 isn’t a main home speaker. It doesn’t pretend to be that: this is a speaker for gatherings and ambience. The sound quality is, however, impressive for its price, especially if you decide to buy a twin pack for extra sound and stereo benefits. Sound is clear and consistent, with no distortion at loud volumes. There’s no tinny element here, or underwater effect, which can be a risk at this price. The bass does its job pretty well, although there’s space for that to be improved in future Diggit iterations.

The speaker has two EQ modes, geared towards either indoor or outdoor listening. Outdoor mode pushes the volume up a notch and creates a fuller sound, but can lose some of its crispr elements. The indoor mode keeps the sound a little more refined, and is very capable in most rooms.

The speaker offers a near-enough consistent 360-degree effect, with only slight drop offs in the points between the double dual opposing drivers inside, but that’s almost imperceptible to anyone using it for its actual purpose, and not forensically testing the thing. The overall audio quality is high, and perfectly suited for a get-up-and-go speaker of this type.

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The verdict: KitSound Diggit 55

The Diggit 55 has everything you need from a portable speaker. It’s light, has a good battery life, absolutely looks the part and is rugged enough for everyday outdoor use. While the lower frequencies can get a little lost, especially when in outdoor EQ mode, the removable stake helps diffuse the sound across your space, and in general, the audio on show here is of a much higher quality than you’d expect for a speaker of this size and price.

This is an update on KitSound’s original Diggit, a speaker known for doing its job very well, and with its few extras and tech tweaks, the Diggit 55 is a worthy upgrade, both outdoors and indoors – it sounds good, is easy to use and fun to play around with. There’s plenty to smile about with this handy little speaker. We can’t wait for summer.

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We put the portable and budget-friendly KitSound Diggit 55 speaker to the test

From design to sound, we tried out the Bluetooth device designed for outdoor fun

KitSound Diggit 55

Design

Sound

The verdict: KitSound Diggit 55

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