Magnavox DSP 360 Degree Sound Effect Portable Speaker with NFC and Bluetooth Wireless Technology (MMA3630) by Magnavox

I have been using this speaker for 4 months - I put it on a shelf next to my shower and stream music while getting ready in the morning.

This speaker can connect to a cell phone with by way of a wire with plugs on both ends (included) or Blue Tooth. It takes about 15 seconds for the Blue Tooth to completely connect to a previously paired phone. That is little longer than normal for most speakers or headphones, in my experience. 

The speaker claims a 10 hour battery life. While I have never measured it, I can tell you that I go a long time between recharges.

The speaker sounds great with music - it has a nice deep sound with a lot of bass for such a little speaker. The size is compact enough that you can put it on a desk or on a shelf (like me) and have room for other things. 

I rate this speaker 5 stars out of 5.

This speaker cost $77.95 on Amazon.com at the time of this review. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Magnavox DSP 360 Degree Sound Effect Portable Speaker. 

Note: I received one of these speakers as part of the Amazon Vine Program so that I could write an honest review.

iDeaUSA Mini Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with Built-in Mic, Supports SD/TF card,

One of the hottest things at the school where I teach is the mini-bluetooth speaker (as a teacher, I hate them but as an audio listener I have several).
Smart phones generally have pretty good speakers, considering how small they are. But, one of these little speakers can turn your smart phone into an old-fashioned boom box in a few seconds.

This little speaker is built for life in a backpack. It is rubberized and claims it is waterproof, although I didn't test it. Clearly, it is designed to be water-resistant so it should be able to make it through a rain storm or a coffee spill without a problem. It comes with a little carabiner clip to attach outside of a backpack, or to a loop on the inside as well. 

The Bluetooth attaches easily. It has the ability to read music off of a micro-SD card and play it but I did not test that feature since I have no spare micro-SD cards sitting around. But, I have used it with its phone feature and it works great. If you are paired with your smart phone and you receive a phone call (or want to make one) just use your phone as normal and this speaker makes your phone a very loud speaker phone. No need to disengage the Bluetooth and all of that mess. Very helpful if you are listening in the car while driving. Just hang the speaker from the sun visor with the carabiner.

The instruction book comes with plenty of good illustrations that are very helpful. The text is almost always very clear and easy to understand. Sometimes, it is amusing, however.

When this review was written this Bluetooth speaker cost $22.99 on Amazon.com. Click here for current pricing: iDeaUSA Mini Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker.

Note: I received a free speaker in order to test it and give you my honest thoughts about it. This speaker will not rock out a party by itself - it is simply too small. But, for its price and because it is designed to travel it would be great on trips or to stream music with a smart phone in a car that is not compatible with wireless devices. 

I rate this Bluetooth speaker 5 stars out of 5.

BestFire® Land Rover Evoque High Quality Bass Desktop Speaker (Black)

So, you want to rock out with a little style? Regular speakers are for boring people and you want something that stands out?


This speaker just may do it for you then.

Modeled after the Land Rover Evoque crossover SUV, this little speaker is also a true toy car. It's wheels do roll and it is sharp looking. 

When you charge it, this car's rear lights turn on. When you play it, the front and rear lights go on. 

The speaker can be played with a 3.5 mm line-in or using the Aux in plug (an over-sized mini-USB). The speaker is powered by rechargeable batteries that can easily be removed and replaced when they start to fail. The speaker can be played while it is charging but I found that it makes a slight hissing sound when you do. 

The speaker comes with the 3.5 mm line-in cord and a separate cord to charge the battery.

This little speaker does make quite a bit of noise for its size. It would be great for a home office, not so great to rock out a frat party. 

The speaker measures about 7.5 inches long, about 3.5 inches wide and about 3 inches tall. It comes in three colors: red, black and gold.

The speaker has an built-in FM radio butI could not get it to change stations. 

I rate this speaker 4 stars out of 5. I was bothered that I could not get the FM radio receiver to work correctly.

Note: I received a free speaker for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review.

As of the time of this review, this speaker cost $18.66 on Amazon. Click here to check current pricing: BestFire® Land Rover Evoque High Quality Bass Desktop Speaker (Black)

BestFire® Car-Shaped Wireless Bluetooth Speaker With Subwoofer (Red)by BestFire®

Usually I go for speakers that are designed to do the job but not stick out. But, this speaker just grabbed me. Is there any guy that resist a shiny red sports car. This car is the GT by Citroen, a car literally designed for a video game and then brought to the road as a concept car.

This speaker feels like a remote control car when it is picked up. All four wheels roll easily - it will roll off of the table if it is not perfectly level. It measures approximately 10.5 inches long, 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall. When it is playing, the tail lights light up and the headlights blink blue (about two seconds on, two seconds off).

But, how does it work?

This speaker is more than loud enough for a home office space, but it will not shake the walls. Currently, I am listening to it and I found that I had to turn it down - it gets loud enough that I have a hard time writing and listening. If you move the car around, it makes the bass sound more prominent or less prominent. This is not due to electronics, but the simple physics of audio. I found if you tilt the car up on something (like the driver's side wheels on the ground, the passenger side wheels up on a book), which you could easily do in setting it up as a display item on a shelf, it sounds best.

It comes with a replaceable rechargeable battery. The instructions are all one a half-sheet of paper. I used them to get started and then started experimenting. The car is pretty intuitive to operate. 

Everything that comes with the speaker:
1)  the speaker, 2) a combination USB/line-in
cord and a half page instruction sheet.

When you turn it on the car makes a roaring engine sound then there is a voice that speaks to you in Chinese. But, the back window of the car is a digital screen and it says, "HI" in English. Hit the "M" button and you pick the mode you are in: Bluetooth, FM radio or Line-in. The screen identifies them as "blue", the current FM station's numbers you are on (it does remember where you left it, which is a positive) and "Line". As you switch modes the Chinese man comes back and says something. Hit the power button once and it puases (or "PAUS" as the screen calls it), hold it down and it says "OFF" and powers down.

The Bluetooth hooks up easily.

If you are listening to your speaker plugged in to or Bluetoothed to your phone you can use the car as a speaker phone. I asked people how I sounded over the speaker phone (or my "car phone" as I took to calling it) and I was told that I sounded just like normal. I used my phone to answer and call - I hate to use the buttons on a device that is hooked up to my cell phone because while I am looking at the Bluetooth device trying to remember what to do the phone stops ringing. 

This speaker comes in three different colors: red, yellow and blue.

As of the time of this review this speaker cost $58.99 on Amazon. Click here for current pricing: BestFire® Car-Shaped Wireless Bluetooth Speaker With Subwoofer (Red)

Jadaol® Small Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (camo) byJadaol

  A Lot of Noise in a Small Package.

If you are looking for a room-filling speaker, the kind of speaker that rocks out a large space, this is not your speaker. But, if space is a premium, for whatever reason,  and you are in the market for a very small speaker that makes a comparatively large amount of noise this may be your speaker. 

This little cube measures about 1.6 inches on each side, comes with a little carabiner so that you can clip it to a backpack and listen as you hike. It also comes with a mini-USB cable to charge it.

The manufacturer claims it is waterproof (and show pictures of it in water). I will take their word for it. Four sides are covered with a rubberized material. The hole to charge the speaker has a little rubberized door that I have a hard time sealing shut (although my daughter does not - there must be a trick that I do not understand).

This speaker comes in four colors: black, blue, pink and camo. Mine is camo and sometimes the pattern makes the buttons a little hard to see. Not impossible, but tricky.

The same goes with pairing with my Samsung Galaxy 3. It does pair, but not as fast as other devices do. It usually takes more than one try and can take several. 

For the money, there are bigger speakers out there but if you travel a lot and just want a little music in the tent or the hotel room than this may be worth the loss of some volume for gain in space in your suitcase.

I rate this speaker 4 stars out of 5. I took off a point for the issues with seeing the buttons and pairing with my phone.

As of the time of the writing of this review this Bluetooth speaker cost $31.88 on Amazon. Click here to check on current pricing: Jadaol®small Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (camo).

Note: I received a speaker in exchange for an honest review.

iZOOM® LED Bluetooth Speaker, Wireless, Portable and Waterproof with Built In Microphone for Speakerphone

             I Love this Speaker.

I have reviewed more than my fair share of speakers and I can truly say that I have never came across such a simple tech item that literally brings a smile to people's faces like this speaker. I want to thank the fine people at iZoom for sending me a copy to review. I know that I never would have spent the cash for a speaker that does what this one does, but now that I have it I never want to give it up.

The speaker with my Kindle.

So, what does it do that makes everyone smile?

First, let's look at all of the great things this speaker is before we get to why it is so fun.

1. It is a very easy-to-use Bluetooth speaker. It has no syncing issues, even with my Kindle which tends to have syncing issues.

2. It is a very loud speaker considering its size. If you play it in a room in your house it should be more than enough unless you are really trying to rock the room. When I use this speaker in my bathroom when I am showering I have to turn it down because it is that loud.

3. It is waterproof, or at least claims to be. It has a rubber piece to keep water away from the on/off button and charging area. I never have tested it.

4. It has an excellent telephone feature that works through your Bluetooth if you are connected to a cell phone. Ironically, it makes you feel like you are holding one of those very early very bulky cellular phones from the late 80s/early 90s. 

5. It has a little hook so you can hang it up somewhere. 

6. If you want to hook it up to a non-Bluetooth device, it is a wire-in capability.

Those are all wonderful and would make this speaker an excellent buy. But, what makes it magical is the fact that is covered in LED lights and it lights up and pulses with the music in a variety of colors. Put this thing in a dark room and it just lights everything up and makes everyone smile. I am not kidding! It is comparable to sitting around a campfire.

There are multiple settings (in my head, I call them graphic equalizer, stripes, Las Vegas and Christmas tree) so you can find the one that works best for you.   
As of the time of the writing of this review, this speaker cost $69.77 on Amazon. Click here for current pricing: iZOOM® LED Bluetooth Speaker, Wireless, Portable and Waterproof with Built In Microphone for Speakerphone.

I rate this speaker a very enthusiastic 5 stars out of 5.

Brightech Remix5™ - Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

      Great Speaker for Folks on the Go. 


The Brightech Remix5 is a powerful little speaker that fits in the palm of your hand (it is about the size of a baseball) and weighs less than half a pound. This little cube can really crank out the tunes if you push it - and it doesn't lose sound quality to distortion as you push the volume up. 

The rubberized surface offers some protection if it is dropped, but is mostly there for the purposes of grip - it is unlikely to shake itself off of your car hood if you take it out to a picnic.  It comes with a rubbery carry strap and an odd mini-USB/speaker cable combination. You use the same mini-USB to charge the speaker and to plug in to a device that doesn't have Bluetooth. Either way, the sound is great.

The Remix5 speaker with the strap and the odd charger
cord/audio cord.

My high school-aged daughter and I have given this speaker a good workout over the last month. We've hooked it up to two different Android phones and a Chromebook via Bluetooth and have not had a problem. 

The speaker is water resistant. Pay attention to that phrasing - this is not a waterproof speaker that you can stick in your shower, but it is one that can get a little wet around the bathroom sink. Brightech describes it as "splash resistant". 

The phone feature sounds great - I used it to talk for quite a while the other day. You just feel weird carrying around this speaker, but it does work well. 

All in all, this is a great speaker for the price with lots of great features and I am rating it 5 stars out of 5.  But I will make this recommendation to you. At the time of this review, Amazon.com is pricing this speaker at $29.99 (click here to check current pricing: Brightech Remix5™ - Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker ). I recommend that you look at the Brightech DanceOut (click here to see my review of the Brightech DanceOut). It is offers more features and is just an all around better speaker for only a few dollars more. 

Note: I received a sample of the Remix5 for review purposes in exchange for an honest review. 

AquaAudio Cubo Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

         This Is the Real Deal

There are a lot of small bluetooth speakers out there and even more mini-wired speakers that make your cell phone or kindle or iPad much more listener friendly. Over the last year or so I have use a couple of different mini speakers set next to the shower on a shelf. Those are okay but it is really difficult to change songs on your smart phone if your hands are all wet.

The AquaAudio Cubo with a Bic pen for size comparison.
Photo by DWD

The AquaAudio Cubo bluetooth speaker fixes that problem because it is waterproof. It is also rechargable via a small mini-USB port (blocked by a little rubbery piece to keep the water out) and can even be used to talk on your phone (I can't imagine that would be good in the shower but it might be great if you like to talk on the phone while taking a bath).

Positives:

-The speaker really is waterproof. I know this because I dropped it into the bathtub and it was fully immersed.

-When you turn it on it says. "Power on" and when you turn it off it says, "Power off."

-It is by far the easiest bluetooth device I have to pair with my phone and my Kindle. Some devices require multiple attempts. This one gets it the first time, every time.
-If you were to place this speaker in the middle of a large room and let it blast out it would not be impressive. But, it is designed to play in your shower and the acoustics in most showers are awesome. This speaker rocks the shower!

-The battery lasts 2.5 to 10 hours depending on the volume level.

-The phone actually sounds very good, especially for a device where the phone was most likely an afterthought.

-The Bluetooth has a range of at least 15 feet.

-The speaker comes in 4 different colors: black, blue, pink and silver.

Negatives:

-The suction cup to attach the speaker to the shower wall is just a bad idea all around. Mine detached itself and fell when I was away from home once. It's probably not a good idea to drop speakers so I decided to just nestle it among the shampoo bottles on the shower caddy. If the speaker did stick perfectly to the wall you'd have to be taken it off the wall on a regular basis to recharge the battery, anyway. Plus, oftentimes I take it with me around the house while I am getting ready in the morning.

The AquaAudio Cubo speaker measures about 3 inches by 3 inches by 2.5 inches (including the suction cup).

I rate this bluetooth speaker 5 stars out of 5 and can be found at Amazon.com here: 
The AquaAudio™ Cubo - Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker with Strong Suction Cup for Showers, Bathroom, Pool, Boat, Car, Beach, Outdoor etc. / Optimized Buttons for Easy Control / Amazingly Powerful & Crystal Clear Sound / Compatible with All Devices with Bluetooth Capability + Siri Compatible - 10 hours Playtime Rechargeable Battery / with Built-in Mic for use as a Powerful Hands-free Speakerphone [100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - WE GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOVE IT!] (Black)

As of the time of this review, the price on Amazon.com was $29.95. Click through to check on current pricing. 

Note: I received a free speaker to test in exchange for an honest review.

iSound PopDrop Wireless Speaker by iSound

There are a lot of small Bluetooth speakers out there and some can get quite pricey and not very mobile. The iSound PopDrop is a great addition to the lower end of the price range and it is all about being mobile.

Weighing less than six ounces, the PopDrop is the easiest product that I have ever hooked up to my phone's Bluetooth. The speaker has a pleasant "on" tone when it powers up, makes a a different tone when it connects to the Bluetooth and a third tone when it powers down. It has a blue LED light on the front that blinks if it is not connected to the Bluetooth and is continually on when it is connected.

The iSound PopDrop with my Bic pen  for size comparison

The PopDrop fits in the palm of your hand and comes with a wrist strap that I never used to as a wrist strap. Instead, I hung it by the wrist strap in various places as I used it around the house. It has very good range - I got out to about 20 feet away from my phone as I wandered around the house. Very little of that distance was sight line - the signal had to travel through walls, pipes and appliances most of the way.

The sound is sort of tinny if you let it just hang there in open space. But, a little creative arranging can make coax more bass sound out of it. For example, if you place it in a corner or in a box you can make a megaphone effect and it helps a lot. 

The PopDrop comes with a feature that allows you to answer the phone and still remain hooked up via the Bluetooth. This is the weakest feature. When I tested it, I could hear the person I was talking to very clearly. But, it was very hard for the person that called me to hear me because of a host of strange noises. At best, you could answer the phone and let your caller know that you would need a few seconds to turn off the Bluetooth and use your phone in the normal way.

The PopDrop comes in six different colors and would make a great stocking stuffer.

This speaker can be found on Amazon.com here: iSound PopDrop Wireless Speaker. 

Note: I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review as part of the Amazon Vine program.

I rate this product 4 stars out of 5.
Reviewed on November 24, 2014.

XBOOM Mini Portable Capsule Speaker with Rechargeable Battery and Enhanced Bass+ Resonator

          This Little Speaker Rocks


I have a Galaxy S3 phone and a Kindle Fire HD 7". Both have pretty good speakers on them considering their size. But, when I plug in just one of these little speakers (they are designed to daisy chain several in sequence) into either device it fills the room with a richer toned, bassier sound than the original speakers could ever deliver.

The speaker, its wires, the instructions and the
little cloth bag that it all comes in. Photo by DWD.

Experiment with just one speaker and you find that if you position it certain ways you get more bass or less. Even better, if you place it in a corner (let's say the corner of an office cubicle) and the sound is impressively amplified. Honestly, I never thought one of these little speakers could make that much noise, but it really does.

The speaker comes with a little cloth bag to store it in and two plugs. One is a short audiojack plug (maybe 4 inches long) that tucks into the bottom of the speaker. The other is a detachable USB/audiojack plug that serves as the charger for the unit and a longer audiojack plug (maybe 2 feet long) you can play it while it is charging.

The speakers come in nine different colors, including pink, yellow, red and white.

Note: I received one of these speakers for free in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this speaker 5 stars out of 5.