This is where the Flare Mini really shines. When the music (or podcast or Gregorian chants) hits your earspace, it has to sound good as well. Getting the sound there is only half the battle, though. Nice touch, and one that guarantees you’ll hear everything no matter where you are. This is thanks to twin speaker arrays that cover 180 degrees each and pump out 5 watts of sound per array, the music pours out in every direction. No matter where I was in the space, the sound followed me as if someone was pointing the speaker in my direction as I moved. The claim to 360 degree sound is accurate – I placed the speaker in the middle of our large open floor plan, cranked up the volume and wandered around. The first question to ask in a crowded market like this is “how does it sound?” In a word, spectacular. Only slightly bigger than your average soda can and weighs about the same, too. We’ll take on these claims, but first a comparison in size: And it says it has a light show that keeps time with the music. Soundcore says that it is IPX7-rated so you could drop it in your pool and not have to run out and buy a new speaker.
It claims to have a full 360 degree sound so that you can place it anywhere and still hear as if you were standing in front of a traditional speaker.
The Flare Mini is an attractive and attractively small Bluetooth speaker.
While it shares a lot of the same features as its bigger brother, there are also some trade-offs that help this speaker to come in at a lower price. The Flip 5 includes easy-to-use tactile buttons, and you can buy it in several colors, including teal, blue, white, red and camo.The Flare Mini from Soundcore (an Anker brand) is a smaller, lighter version of the Flare Bluetooth speaker. This speaker has an IPX7 waterproof rating, impressive bass frequencies and up to 12 hours of playtime per charge.
JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker Still, even most small Bluetooth speakers are loud enough to use at the beach, by the pool or in other outdoor locations. If you need something loud enough to compete with a boat engine, you’ll want to consider something of around 40W are more. Speakers today can vary widely in volume, and many use a speaker’s wattage as a rough indicator of volume. Many speakers also let you use them while charging, extending playtime indefinitely. You can find speakers ranging in battery life from as low as four hours per charge to as many as 40 hours in larger units. Most Bluetooth speakers are powered by a rechargeable battery that offers a certain amount of listening time between charges. While most Bluetooth speakers are fairly small and are designed to be portable, larger speakers will often include a handle, clips or other features that make them easier to transport. Many Bluetooth speakers today offer the benefit of portability. These ratings also include a dustproof rating, represented by the X. For speakers to be truly waterproof, they need to have a waterproof rating between IPX6 and IPX8. Like many electronics, waterproof speakers are rated by the Ingress Protection system for how much water they can be exposed to and for how long. When shopping for speakers to use on boats or at the pool, a speaker’s waterproof rating is the most crucial factor to consider. What to look for in portable waterproof speakers High waterproof rating Larger speakers are usually louder, though they’re often less portable than smaller ones. This shouldn’t be an issue if you’re using it while relaxing on the boat rather than cruising. For example, many Bluetooth speakers have a high enough waterproof rating to be used on a boat, though they may not be loud enough to project over a boat’s engine. The best speaker for you depends largely on how you use it. How you’ll use your portable waterproof speakers Still, many portable Bluetooth speakers are too small and quiet to project over a loud boat engine, and finding the compromise between these two can be tricky. While you can buy waterproof marine speakers to build into a boat, these don’t offer the benefit of portability. Waterproof electronics have become significantly more common in the past few decades, and speakers are no exception. Which portable waterproof speakers are best?