It’s the summer, so it’s time to hit the beach before it gets cold and the white stuff starts falling from the sky. Yes, I’m talking snow. There are a number of great durable and water-resistant Bluetooth speakers out there, however, the Braven BRV-X might just be the best. Why? The biggest reason being the sound that comes out of this speaker, as well as the volume that comes out. Not to mention you can basically run the thing over and it’ll still work. Toss the Braven BRV-X Bluetooth speaker into the pool with you and listen to your favorite jam. Whether that be Tech N9ne’s Hood Go Crazy or Nicki Minaj’s The Night is still Young.
So, this Bluetooth speaker is rated at IPX7. That’s the same rating as the new Moto G. Which means it can be submerged into about a meter of water for up to 30 minutes and still work. When I reviewed this speaker, it was the winter time, so I dropped it in a snow bank, and it kept playing without any issues. And now, months and months later it’s still working great. The BRV-X is durable because it does have a rubber exterior. So when you drop it, it actually bounces. You might get a few scuff marks on the speaker, but that’s about it, actually. Otherwise there’s no damage at all here.
Braven also has a built-in noise-canceling microphone. This way you can take calls from the speaker, without having to pull out your phone when your mom calls and tells you to come home. There is also a pretty hefty 5200mAh battery inside. Now this battery isn’t just for keeping the BRV-X going all day – which its battery life is quite good – but it’s also there to charge your phone while you are listening to music through the speaker. A great idea, considering streaming music over Bluetooth does eat up some battery, and even more if you are streaming over LTE as well.
The only real downside to this speaker is that it does not use a micro USB cable to charge up. Unlike a number of its competitors. However it does charge up quite quickly and does last pretty much the entire day. On the back, Braven also has a switch for Audio Mode which is for Indoors or Outdoors. So when you are outdoors you’ll have louder music, without it getting distorted. Definitely an important feature to have here.
The Braven BRV-X is on sale now for $159. If you want something a bit smaller, there’s also the BRV-Pro which works just as well.