Kicker’s KPW takes a beating and does not skip a key

Kicker has released its new portable Bluetooth speaker, the KPW, a durable water resistant speaker and a convenient design. Similar to the BoomBottle from Scosche, the KPW’s design allows it to fit easily in most any water bottle holder. Dune season has started so what better way to review a durable speaker than to put it in the cup holder of a RZR XP1000 and see if 1) it stays in the cup holder and 2) still worked after three days in the sand. Let’s see how the handheld speaker stood up to the torture. Three days out in the sand dunes, the KPW was placed in the cup holder by day and campfire by night. I did not expect this little speaker to be keep up as well as it did, I only had to charge it twice and it stayed in the cup holder while jumping and when hitting hard lines. The sound quality was better than most sharing the same size and the individual passive woofers made a noticeable difference as it took the place of the car stereo we usually used without worry of waking up to a dead battery. One end twists to control the volume and a button to take calls but my only gripe I noticed was the lack of ability to change tracks.The KPW is a miniature brute in that it is durable, small, loud, and stays where you place it. With sand virtually everywhere, the KPW kept going and now that I am back home and the speaker and I got a thorough cleaning, the beast still sounds like it did when it took it out of the box with the only casualty being the volume knob has a little grind to it. The closest comparison to the KPW that I have come across is Scosche's BOOMbottle, but Kicker's portable speaker outperforms it in every way and I am now a big fan of the individual passive radiators for additional depth. The Kicker KPW is available now in black or white for the price of  $179.95.

Divoom Voombox Ongo: A Bluetooth For Bikes

The latest in the Divoom lineup has arrived, this go round is dubbed Ongo. The Ongo is a part of the Voombox product line, so it sports the portable and rugged, dual driver build. What's fresh with the Ongo, is that it is built to go more place by including a bike mount and built in loop to clip to. Now that the temperature is about to drop going into fall, let's see if it's up to the challenge of never leaving your side.

The Ongo is a great little speaker, with a super sturdy build, but the new design is where it really shines. The addition of the loop to clip a caribiner to is nice and the compact build makes it really easy to get around without a lot of bulk. The included bike mount is the best part of the Ongo for those that commute around town or cruise the local bike trails on weekends when the Arizona temperatures drop below 100. The sound is good providing that extra oomph when the phone's speakers can't cut without being so loud that it's offensive to those nearby.

The Voombox Ongo is a strong fit for anyone with an active lifestyle or looking for great portability. The durability and eight hour battery life will bring your playlist along on most any day trip, wet or dry. The bike mount is easy to put on the handlebars and stays in place even on rough trails, and a nice side note, it uses the same threading as cameras and can mount to tripods. The Voombox Ongo brought to us by Divoom is available now in a variety of five colors.

Forget Bluetooth and AirPlay, Favi Audio+ uses Set To Connect

We have some great items this week that are simplicity and functionality at it’s finest. I am going to start with the Favi audio+ for the wireless speaker! Simple enough, but I expect Favi to have a trick up their sleeve, as they are the same company that turned my dumb TV into a smart TV with only a dongle. Well they did not disappoint as this speaker doubles as a stand and there is no hassle to sync as Favi uses their Set To Connect technology. Not much more to say about the features, simple and sweet, so let's see how this desk companion fares.

Out go the box this cradle/speaker has a soft rubber texture no slip feet, and a lip at the bottom to fold a phone upright and securely whether sporting a case or going commando. The Set To Connect technology is what vexed me most as I did not need to have Bluetooth turned on in order for the speaker to pick up and amplify what I was listening to, pull the phone away and sound goes back through the phone, it's magic. The audio+ is perfect for Face Time and videoconference, freeing up hands for trying to put together last minute reports or playing solitaire. Like I said about the sound, it amplifies, making that is coming out of the phone louder and not necessarily better. 

Favi's audio+ speaker works great for what it is but don't expect to get the same quality at higher volumes that are seen from Bluetooth speakers. We all know that the iPhone speakers suck, so getting more sound to hear from my desktop without having the volume cranked up on the phone is nice. This speaker can also be used for to actually hear whatever video you are trying to watch from Netflix to YouTube, but only in portrait orientation as the Set To Connect does not pick up the sound in landscape viewing. The Favi audio+ Set To Connect speaker is available now in black or white for $49.99.

Divoom's Voombox Outdoor ups the ante with more speakers and power

Divoom has provided me with their new rugged wireless Bluetooth speaker, the Voombox Outdoor. The new addition to their lineup has added more oomph by packing Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connection, 5 drivers with 15-watt output, and a microphone into a weather resistant case. On top of the beefier build both internally and externally, the speaker has onboard controls, a twelve-hour battery life, and comes in an assortment of colors. Now that I am synced, charged, and by the pool it is time to see how the Voombox Outdoor compared to the previously reviewed Onbeat-200.

The addition of drivers to the already compact design is my favorite part of this speaker. While most wireless Bluetooth speakers come packing only two drivers and a passive radiator, the jump up to five drivers really makes a difference in regards to the sound quality while filling larger areas with ease. The speaker is about the same size as those dual driver speakers, but is quite a bit heavier and not so much that it looses portability, just enough so that it is more difficult to knock off tables or shelves. However, should I have dropped it, which I did and kept on ticking as it was built to be tortured.

The rubber texture did pick up a lot of dust but it was a small price to pay with a speaker you can practically play catch with. I was expecting a bit more bass from this speaker, there is more depth but does not come close to those with a larger subwoofer. The battery is no slouch either as it has more speakers and wattage than those other guys but it packs more juice with up to 12 hours of playback before recharging. Divoom's Voombox Outdoor is available now in red, blue, black, and dark green from a number of online retailers.

Life n Soul's new lineup of wireless audio products gets the MashButtons treatment

Life n Soul has provided us with their latest lineup of Bluetooth devices which consist of headphones, earbuds, and a speaker in a bright assortment of colors. This is a new company to which I am unfamiliar with but vows to bring high quality and trendy personal audio devices to you and me. All the devices come toting Bluetooth 4.0 wireless capabilities, four to six hours of talk and play time, and the ability to sync with two different devices. All devices come in an assortment of if eye catching colors so let's see if they not only look great but sound great too.

First up is the BN301 on ear headphones, which I received in red came in a bright and glossy color. On the headphones are the controls to adjust volume, change tracks, and answer calls without fumbling with an inline remote. Syncing up with my phone was fast and easy and had my playlist bumping wirelessly into my dome. In terms of fit, I actually found the top or the top to be uncomfortable as there was no padding incorporated during design, but the cushioning on the ears felt quite nice. Now for the biggest reason in which we buy headphones, the sound quality, and while it wasn't great, It wasn't bad either. The sound provided offered range for a variety of genres but leaned toward the flat side without the clarity or depth found in it’s competitors. These wireless on ear headphones are available now for the price of $99.99.

Next on the chopping block is the BM208 or the bluetooth speaker in which I received in green. This speaker comes toting two drivers, passive woofer, and on board controls. The sound quality is comparable to other speakers with the same features but what stands out is the design as the bass radiator is up firing under the top of the speaker and the onboard controls allow access to all functions like adjusting track, volume, or take calls. The color of the green is bright and vibrant, while the size is easy to carry with you. The speaker is able to fill a room or small patio with music, but if throwing a party or higher volumes are necessary, then the sound quality will suffer or get drowned out. The BM208 is available now for $79.99.

Last up is the B106 wireless earbuds and I have saved these for last as they were my favorite of the three even though mine came in purple. This was my choice of the three as the earbuds were comfortable and stayed in place during use while sounding great during physical activities whether running or working out. Since these are a small wireless earbud, the controls have been placed on the buds to easily control your playlist and take calls without having to access your phone. Additionally since they have to ability to sync to multiple devices, it was a one a one and done process to sync with my MacBook and phone. The B106 is available now for the price of $99.99.

Libratone's Zipp brings hi fi audio on the go wirelessly

Next up is an Airplay speaker in which I did not know what to expect with little knowledge of the brand. I have received the Libratone Zipp, the unique Italian wool wrapped speaker that provides 360 degree wireless hi-fi audio quality through ribbon based tweeters, Digital Amplification and Signal Processing, topped with an active 4" bass driver. This big drink of water packs an internal battery for four to eight hours of wireless playback, USB port to charge wireless devices, leather handle for easy transport, and two additional wool wraps to change the color to match the environment. It is time to crank it to ten and see if it lives up to high end price range.

Wow. Like I said not hearing much about Libratone's other products made me curious, but minutes after tearing away from the box's clutching grasp, I was connected and was impressed. Libratone offers a sound app for the speaker to make sure the best sound is provided and to fine tune the powerhouse,and then I was able to set up sound profiles based on the room it was in and the distance from surrounding walls. The sound quality is top notch, crank it up and you can fill a house with music or a large backyard with no problem, but if you are in a smaller area or just need to tone it down a bit, a quiet mode is available, and because the connection is wireless there is no quality loss like that with a Bluetooth connection. The connections supported are Airplay, Play Direct to create a wireless network, and DLNA is supported so connection isn't limited to Apple devices. 

I was incredibly apprehensive of this speaker as they have gotten bigger but still lack deep bass or require a power source. The huge amount of sound and large spaces that this little wooly speaker provides made this beast flawless in my opinion.The wool covers were nice and easy to swap, but the additional colors I received were yellow and maroon, so I just stuck with black. With big sound you can expect a large price tag, but with that being said, even the big Bluetooth speakers I have recently reviewed can not hold a torch to the Zipp as the active woofer, tuning app, and 360 degree sound makes it well worth the $399.95 price tag.