Divoom is a company that makes all kinds of Bluetooth speakers and audio accessories, as well as wired speakers, device stands, and other smartphone and tablet accessories. They are already pretty well known for their tiny Solo and Bean speakers, but what we’re going to take a look at today is the Divoom Voombox Ongo, a wireless Bluetooth speaker that’s rugged and designed for outdoor use. It comes with a bike mount kit and the threads on the bottom can be used for mounting the speaker on a tripod or other mounting system, too. Let’s see what Divoom brought to the table with the Voombox Ongo.
Design
The Voombox Ongo feels sturdy and a bit heavy. It measures 5.5 x 2.36 x 2.87 inches (140 x 60 x 73mm) and weighs 14.34 ounces (406.5 gm). It has black speaker covers and silicone trim around the middle. There’s a handle on the top right corner of the speaker box. Four control buttons line the top; Power, Play, and then a + and – to adjust the volume up and down. This is feature that I like. Some Bluetooth speakers have what look like buttons to adjust the volume, but they actually skip between tracks. I like having physical volume buttons on my Bluetooth speakers. On the bottom of the unit we find the threaded hole where you can screw in the bike mount. Divoom has a picture of the Voombox Ongo mounted on a tripod, on their website, but the package does not contain a tripod. This is a standard 1/4″ threaded hole so you should be able to use almost any tripod stand. The speaker has one blue LED that lets you know that the speaker is paired up to your phone.
In the package with the speaker we find a microUSB charging cable, an auxiliary cable for connecting to devices via a wire instead of Bluetooth, and the bike mount kit. The bike mount should work with just about any bicycle and is easy to install. There’s only one bolt to tighten on your handle bars, then screw the speaker onto the threaded bolt.
Using The Speaker
You’ll need to pair the Voombox Ongo with your phone, and thankfully that is very simple. Turn on your device’s Bluetooth, then power on the speaker and wait. The Ongo will go into pairing mode on its own and your phone or tablet will see it right away. Just tap on the speaker once it appears on your device’s screen and the two will connect and pair. You may want to charge the speaker fully before you use it. A full charge takes about two hours.
The sound quality was good and the speaker was louder than I expected. Bass is a little weak, but overall the sound quality was above average for a speaker this size. The volume got quite loud without distorting, which is what you want when you’re using it on your bicycle. This speaker designed to be used outside and it’s IPX44 certified water-resistant, so it you can splash it with some water or even get a little rain on it and the speaker should be fine.
You can also take phone call on the Voombox Ongo, turning into a neat little conference call device. Even if you are just listening to music and get a phone call, this is good feature to build in. The speaker is rated for 8 hours of playback on a full charge. That’s about what I got out of it.
Wrap-up
Divoom has made a good portable speaker with decent sound quality, loud volume, and a cool handlebar mount for your bicycle. It’s designed to take a little bit of a beating, although the IPX44 rating is only good for water splashing on it, not much more. Battery life is more than enough to get through a day out and about. It comes in five colors; black, blue, green, red, and orange. You can get more information about the Ongo on Divoom’s website, and you can pick one up for $59 on Amazon.
