TIVOO's pixel art Bluetooth speaker mixes retro with sweet sound

As part of an ongoing series, the CNN Underscored team showcases outstanding deals you can shop right now on the CNN Store. Each week, our staff chooses a product to feature that we think you'll love. This week, we're highlighting the TIVOO Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker ($79, originally $99; cnnstore.com).

Does retro ever go away? The truth is, at least with design, it doesn't. The $79 TIVOO Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker is mixing new tech with a classic 50s design.

Yes, it's a Bluetooth speaker in the design of a CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) television design. Pushing this theme even further is the 8-bit pixel display on that front which screams Atari and classic Nintendo. Simply put, it's a Bluetooth speaker that also has customizable tiny pixel display.

I've been testing this fun speaker out for a few weeks, and I'm pretty impressed. It offers a well-rounded experience with a runtime of around eight hours. It's not fast charging, but through the included micro USB cord, it can fully charge in about four hours. TIVOO includes dock pixel stickers that I gladly stuck on my laptop and other devices.

The speaker is the star of the show and has plenty of connectivity. For starters, you can connect to it through an aux cable or over Bluetooth, plus you can insert a microSD card slot. These ports are behind a rubber door on the back of the speaker that can be a bit hard to open, especially with short fingernails.

I connected over Bluetooth from an iPhone or a Google Pixel 2. It was strong on both devices, and I didn't experience any long buffers or dropped songs. The sound quality was excellent and balanced. I threw many artists at it, including Bruce Springsteen and Maggie Rogers, and the results were nice. It's a balanced mix that delivers quite a punch for its size.

Sound is pushed out through the top, front and rear of the TIVOO. In a similar fashion to the second generation Echo Show and Apple HomePod, the sound bounces off of a wall when it's placed against one.

The silver knobs on the front allow volume control and fast input changes. This might remind users of the days before remote controls. There are preloaded designs that you can cycle through with the top knob, and they're pretty fun. I will say they can get old after a while, but via the companion "Divoom Smart" app for iOS and Android, you can make your own and pull from a larger selection.

From the CNN Store at a discounted price to $79, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the TIVOO Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker. I've been rocking it on my desk at work and wish I had it in school. Yes, it works as a Bluetooth speaker, but it's also a conversation piece.

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