Bluetooth speakers have become popular products over the past couple of years, no doubt due to the fact that their prices continue to keep on coming down, while their overall sound quality keeps going up. CES 2016 is in full swing at this point, and it’s pretty safe to say that a lot of our readers are interested in good-quality audio. The problem with the majority of Bluetooth speakers is that well, they’re all much of a muchness. Sure, some of them sound considerably better than others, but they’re all portable, rechargeable speakers that make sound wherever you might be. ECOXGEAR is making use of CES 2016 to announce their waterproof and solar-powered speakers.
ECOXGEAR is a San Diego based firm that produces quality audio products for surfers, kayakers and the outdoors-y folk out there looking to bring the music with them wherever they end up. The two speakers are both IPX7 water and dust resistant and both adhere to the US Military’s 810G standard making them hardwearing and tough. The SOL JAM (the more boxy, larger of the pair) is a $150 speaker that features a solar panel on its angled top panel to enable listening at “normal levels” without a recharge all day long. We’re assuming this includes at least a few hours in direct sunlight to recharge, but it’s a bold claim nonetheless.
The smaller EcoCarbon is a $129.99 speaker that’s a little more portable, including a carrying handle and mounting clips to stick to your bike or board while on the move. The EcoCarbon is the smaller affair, and cannot be recharged by solar power, but instead has some cool tricks up its sleeve. For one, it can float in the pool or at the beach to pump out tunes when the party has hit the surf, and for another it can recharge other devices and last 12 hours on a single charge.
These are a pair of speakers that are clearly more focused on being rugged and versatile than their overall sound quality. For a lot of people though, sound quality is a fair trade-off to be able to listen to their favorite podcast in the pool or get quality sound all-day long at the beach. Those interested can find the larger SOL JAM later this year in March, while the smaller EcoCarbon is available now.