Here we have another Bluetooth speaker for review. This one is from Braven, which we reviewed their rugged and waterproof portable speaker earlier this year. This one is a bit more expensive and actually works as a portable charger for your phone or tablet as well. The Braven 600 has a built in battery that is used for charging your phone or tablet, which is great when you’re on the go. It also says you can get about 20 hours of use out of this thing, and I’d have to agree. Now I didn’t use the speaker for 20 hours straight, but I did use it for about 4-5 days before I had to recharge it. I’d guess I used it around 20 hours in those 4-5 days. So the battery in this thing is pretty impressive compared to others which last about 6 hours of continual use.
The Braven 600 is also made out of Aircraft-grade aluminum. And damn does it look nice. Before I purchased the Nexus 7 (2013) I was using it as a portable speaker for my original Nexus 7. It was great for watching movies like The Expendable 2 and Fast 6. All the explosions definitely sounded great with this speaker. Now it’s no Beats Audio or Bose, but it’s definitely awesome. The speaker even comes with a little pouch for you to store the speaker in, along with audio and charging cables. It’s very easy to set up as well, just flip the switch on and hold the Bluetooth button so devices can find it. It can remember up to 4 devices, since that’s the most I had it connected too. I wasn’t able to test more since I didn’t have more.
The Braven 650 is going to run your about $100, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s worth it. You’ll see others from Jambox, that are north of $200-300, and in my opinion this one outperforms them all. Braven is definitely my first choice for portable Bluetooth speakers now. I’ve reviewed two from them that performed great. Although I do wish they all were waterproof.
There is also the Braven 650 which is pretty similar except it has a larger battery and some upgraded speakers. That one will cost you around $170.