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Braven BRV-1 Wireless Speaker
Just a couple of years ago, a great sounding portable Bluetooth speaker was a cutting edge
product. Now, they are seemingly a dime a dozen. With increasingly better sound quality
and dropping prices, there’s tons of alternatives in this hyper-competitive space. It is
easy to see why consumers are lusting after these products. Who wants to listen to earbuds
when hanging with a group of friends at a festival in a tent, on a road trip, in a hotel
room, at the beach or anywhere else where mobile tunes are needed? Nobody is the answer.
Yet, at the same time, who wants to bring a bulky, expensive or fragile audio solution to
these types of environments when a rough-and-tumble solution is warranted? Again, nobody.
There’s very few, if any, solutions that fit the bill of affordable, portable, waterproof,
shock-resistant and packs-a-punch Bluetooth speakers. The Braven BRV-1 is one that
fits the bill.
Design and Overview
I’ve reviewed and listened to a ton of Bluetooth speakers. The Braven BRV-1 is without
question the most rugged, durable and seemingly indestructible one that I’ve used. The
thick rubberized casing coupled with the sturdy, chunky buttons and massive waterproof cap
that screws onto and protects the inputs, connections and ports just screams that it is
able to withstand just about anything. I saw a video of the BRV-1 successfully standing
up to being run over by a car. Despite my desire to whip this product with all of my might
against a concrete wall to test durability, I haven’t yet, but there’s zero question in my
mind that it would withstand it.
The speaker is water resistant and offers jumbo playback control buttons on the top for
easy control. On the back, and under the waterproof screw-on cap that reminds me of a
small jelly jar, are a line-in port when using non-Bluetooth devices, a charging port so
you can charge other USB devices, a USB port to charge the speaker and five LED lights to
check the battery life.
At 4.75” x 3.25” x 2.25” the speaker is ultra portable and practically fits in your back
pocket and easily fits in your backpack, glove compartment or beach bag. (It’s just 12
ounces too, so it will not weigh you down). An included lanyard loop with connection point
and LED indicator light under the front speaker grill are nice touches as well. Jumbo,
rubberized no-skid feet allow for easy placement just about anywhere you want.
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