Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) Review: A Bluetooth Speaker That Chooses Comfort Over Loudness
The Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) is a compact Bluetooth speaker designed for listeners who value clarity, comfort, and design over sheer volume and bass impact. With a wool-wrapped British aesthetic, gesture controls, and a warm, vocal-focused sound signature, it targets indoor listening, desks, and personal spaces rather than parties or outdoor use.
The Bluetooth speaker market is oversaturated to the point of absurdity. Every week brings another “portable miracle” promising massive bass, endless battery life, and lifestyle appeal — yet most fade into the same black-plastic anonymity. To stand out today, manufacturers need to do something genuinely different.
The Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) does exactly that. It leans not on brute force, but on heritage, design, and character. From its unmistakably British wool finish to a sound signature that prioritizes comfort and clarity over aggression, this tiny speaker tries to win hearts rather than dominate spec sheets.
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After extended real-world use with laptops, smartphones, music, and video, here’s what the Yoyo (S) actually delivers — and where it stumbles.
A Design You Want to Touch (And Yes, You Will)
It’s hard not to start with how the Yoyo (S) looks, because Cambridge Audio clearly wants this speaker to be seen — and touched.
The entire body is wrapped in woven wool fabric produced by Marton Mills in Yorkshire, a detail that immediately sets it apart from the usual rubberized or metal grilles. The review unit’s turquoise sea-wave color is especially striking, managing to feel playful without crossing into novelty. Other finishes include dark and light gray, as well as a deep blue reminiscent of classic denim.
According to Cambridge Audio, the wool is acoustically transparent, water-resistant, and resistant to dirt and abrasion. I didn’t throw it into a puddle, but in daily use, it held up well and felt far more “home-friendly” than most portable speakers.
On the front panel, the drivers are completely hidden beneath the fabric. On the rear, however, the passive radiator proudly shows itself, finished in black with a bold Cambridge Audio logo. It looks good — but this rubberized surface has one flaw: it attracts dust like a magnet. It’s a small aesthetic annoyance, but worth mentioning.
Compact Size, Serious Engineering Intent
The Yoyo (S) is the smallest model in Cambridge Audio’s portable lineup, and the company states it was developed by “hi-fi engineers” rather than lifestyle designers. That philosophy shows.
Behind the fabric sit:
- Two full-range drivers, each handling its own stereo channel
- A dedicated woofer
- A rear passive radiator supporting low frequencies
This isn’t a mono Bluetooth box pretending to be stereo — the Yoyo (S) genuinely attempts proper left-right separation.
Despite its compact dimensions, the speaker feels dense and substantial. At 1.2 kg, it has a reassuring weight that immediately suggests it’s not built around flimsy internals.
Touch Controls and Gesture Playback: Clever, But Temperamental
The top panel continues the wool-and-rubber theme and houses a row of illuminated touch controls. There is only one physical button (power); everything else relies on touch and gesture input.
From left to right, you’ll find:
- Call accept button
- Bluetooth pairing
- AUX input selector
- Five LED battery/volume indicators
- Volume down
- Volume up
- Power button
Above the indicators sits the most unusual feature: a gesture-based playback control zone.
Without touching the speaker:
- Swipe left → right to play
- Swipe right → left to pause
- Swipe left → right again to skip tracks
In theory, it’s elegant. In practice, it takes time to master.
The gesture sensor behaves inconsistently. Sometimes it ignores movements; other times it reacts when you least expect it. Picking up the speaker without triggering playback requires holding it strictly by the sides. Place your palm above the top panel, and something will happen.
Interestingly, gesture behavior also depends on the source. With smartphones, pause and play work reliably. With a laptop running Foobar2000, the pause gesture simply muted the sound for a couple of seconds instead of pausing playback.
After about a day, I learned how to “treat it gently” — slower movements, deliberate gestures, no rushing. Once adapted, it became usable, but it never felt truly intuitive.
Connectivity, Ports, and a Surprisingly Useful Tripod Mount
On the underside, Cambridge Audio made some clever decisions.
At the center is a ¼-inch tripod thread, allowing the speaker to be mounted on standard tripods or flexible mounts. It’s an unusual feature for a Bluetooth speaker, but surprisingly practical — whether for outdoor use or design-oriented interiors.
One corner houses a recessed connection bay with:
- Charging port (cylindrical plug)
- 3.5 mm AUX input
- USB output for charging external devices
The speaker can function as a portable power bank, although using this naturally reduces playback time.
Grooves in the base allow cables to run neatly underneath, so the speaker can sit flat even when wired — a small but thoughtful detail.
Bluetooth pairing is quick and stable, though it’s worth noting that modern high-quality codecs like aptX and LDAC are not supported.
Battery Life: Honest and Predictable
Cambridge Audio claims 14 hours of battery life, and in real use, that figure proved accurate — at medium volume, not barely audible background levels.
Using the speaker to charge a phone will shorten the runtime, but as a pure music device, battery performance is reliable and stress-free.
Sound Signature: Cozy, Clear, and Unapologetically Polite
The sound of the Yoyo (S) can be described in one word: kind.
It doesn’t chase exaggerated bass or artificial DSP punch. Instead, it delivers a soft, cozy, wool-like presentation, prioritizing clarity and comfort over excitement. Size limitations are obvious, and the speaker doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Bass is tight, restrained, and well-controlled, present enough to define rhythm, but never dominant. There’s no bloated low-end rumble common in lifestyle speakers. Vibrations transfer to surfaces beneath the speaker, which can subtly enhance perceived bass, but true low-frequency depth remains limited.
Midrange and highs are where the Yoyo (S) truly shines, an area I evaluate carefully in all portable speakers, including in How I Tested the DALI Katch G2
Vocals are clear, intimate, and forward without sounding forced. Lorde and Zaz benefit from this approach, with voices rendered with as much body and dimension as the format allows. Led Zeppelin sounds warm and slightly nostalgic, while electronic tracks from The Prodigy remain energetic yet surprisingly readable.
At times, the treble can edge toward brightness — noticeable in parts of Smack My Bitch Up — but it never crosses into harshness.
The speaker struggles more with dense industrial textures. Combichrist’s deliberately abrasive drum processing blurred into noise, losing some intended texture.
Stereo Imaging and Video Performance
For its size, the Yoyo (S) builds a genuinely impressive stereo image. Channel separation is audible, effects pan naturally, and the soundstage feels coherent rather than gimmicky.
The ideal listening position is just below ear level at around half a meter distance — there, the speaker feels most balanced and immersive.
Used as a replacement for laptop speakers, it performs exceptionally well:
- No noticeable Bluetooth audio delay
- Clear dialogue at low and medium volumes
- A tangible stereo scene behind the laptop
Watching episodes of Pennyworth confirmed that the Yoyo (S) handles voices delicately, keeping them integrated into the mix rather than pushing them aggressively forward.
One recurring issue remains: manual track switching — either via gesture or source device — causes the speaker to cut off the first one or two seconds of playback. Automatic playlist transitions do not trigger this problem.
A Speaker With Personality
More than anything, the Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) feels emotionally tuned.
It’s not a party speaker. It doesn’t want to impress your neighbors. Instead, it’s the audio equivalent of a cup of cocoa on a cold morning, calming, warm, and quietly satisfying.
Its character changes noticeably at high volume, where midrange dominance becomes more pronounced, and balance suffers. This reinforces its ideal role: background listening, personal spaces, and moderate volumes.
Visually, it’s outstanding. The turquoise wool finish pairs beautifully with dark wood and even classic interiors. It doesn’t scream “tech gadget,” it blends in like a piece of décor.
Yes, the touch controls demand patience. Yes, the lack of modern Bluetooth codecs is disappointing. But taken as a whole, the Yoyo (S) feels thoughtfully designed, musically honest, and refreshingly human.
How the Yoyo (S) Compares to JBL, Sony, and Marshall
Placed next to popular Bluetooth speakers from JBL, Sony, or Marshall, the Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) takes a noticeably different philosophical route. JBL and Sony models in this size category tend to prioritize maximum loudness and boosted bass, often relying heavily on DSP to create an impression of power that suits outdoor use and casual parties. Marshall, meanwhile, focuses on rock-inspired styling and midrange punch, sometimes at the expense of neutrality and refinement.
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The Yoyo (S) avoids all of these extremes. Instead of chasing impact, it emphasizes clarity, balance, and comfort, with a sound tuned for indoor listening, desks, and personal spaces. Vocals are more natural, stereo separation is more coherent, and fatigue is significantly lower during long sessions. The trade-off is obvious: the Yoyo (S) won’t shake a room like a JBL nor project as aggressively as a Sony at high volume. But for listeners who value musicality over muscle, it sounds more composed and genuinely hi-fi than most lifestyle competitors.
Who Should Choose the Yoyo (S) Instead of JBL, Sony, or Marshall
If you mainly listen indoors, care about vocal realism, and want a speaker that blends into your living space rather than dominating it, the Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) makes far more sense than most JBL or Sony alternatives. It’s ideal for desks, bedside tables, kitchens, and small apartments where comfort and clarity matter more than raw volume. Listeners coming from traditional hi-fi systems — or anyone sensitive to harsh treble and overblown bass — will likely find the Yoyo (S) easier to live with over long listening sessions. It’s less about impressing guests and more about enjoying music for hours without fatigue.
Buying Perspective: What You’re Really Paying For
Choosing the Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) isn’t about chasing specifications or maximum output. You’re paying for design coherence, thoughtful engineering, and a sound signature that reflects hi-fi priorities rather than party tricks. Compared to similarly priced lifestyle speakers, the Yoyo (S) feels less disposable and more intentional — a product designed to stay on your desk or shelf long after trend-driven competitors have been replaced. If your idea of a good Bluetooth speaker includes musical balance, visual character, and everyday usability, this one earns its place.
Final Verdict
The Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) doesn’t try to win the Bluetooth speaker arms race. It doesn’t chase exaggerated bass, extreme loudness, or artificial excitement. Instead, it offers something far less common: restraint.
Its sound is calm, warm, and clear — tuned for voices, melodies, and long listening sessions rather than quick demonstrations. The design feels intentional and domestic, not disposable. And while its touch controls and lack of modern Bluetooth codecs remind you that it isn’t perfect, these shortcomings rarely overshadow what it does well.
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This is not a speaker for outdoor parties or bass-heavy playlists. It’s a speaker for homes, desks, late evenings, and quiet enjoyment. For listeners who come from traditional hi-fi systems or simply want a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t shout, the Yoyo (S) feels refreshingly honest.
In a market full of speakers trying to impress in the first five seconds, the Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) is content to grow on you. And that, perhaps, is its most British quality of all.
Pros And Cons
Pros
Beautiful design, cozy and clear sound character, honest battery life, versatile use cases, excellent vocal reproduction
Cons
No support for modern Bluetooth codecs, temperamental gesture controls, tonal balance shifts at high volume
Cambridge Audio Yoyo (S) Specifications
Type: Active Bluetooth speaker, Class-D amplification with DSP
Drivers: 2 × full-range (30 mm), 1 × woofer (75 mm), 1 × passive radiator
Connections: Bluetooth, 3.5 mm AUX
Additional features: Gesture control, speakerphone, portable charger
Battery life: Up to 14 hours
Dimensions: 246 × 128 × 67 mm
Weight: 1.2 kg
