Audio Players Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/audio-players/ Live Bravely Thu, 14 Aug 2025 18:15:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png Audio Players Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/audio-players/ 32 32 The 7 Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers of 2025 /outdoor-gear/tools/best-portable-bluetooth-speakers/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 22:06:03 +0000 /?p=2672628 The 7 Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers of 2025

We put this season鈥檚 best outdoor Bluetooth speakers through their paces indoors and out, on wet days and dry days, beaches, tailgates, and patios. These seven emerged as our favorites.

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The 7 Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers of 2025

This year, there have been some nice trends in the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers: 鈥淭rue stereo,鈥 which lets you pair two speakers at once and play the left channel in one and the right in the other, is available in more and more models. While it may be a clever way of selling you two speakers instead of one, it makes the experience more like sitting in front of your home hi-fi system. Meanwhile, battery life keeps on improving across the board, and it鈥檚 kind of stunning how water-resistant these devices have become: All of the speakers below have an ingress rating of at least IP57, which means they can be submerged in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. If you鈥檝e ever combined a swimming hole and a large dog in the same outing, you know why this matters. All of which makes the new speakers highlighted here some of the best ever for your adventures.听Here are reviews of seven of our current favorite outdoor Bluetooth speakers, depending on your needs and budget.

Update July 2025: We鈥檝e tested and selected new Bluetooth speakers in two of our seven categories, including a new best all-around pick of the Brane X, and updated prices and availability for all.

At a Glance


Brane X Bluetooth Speaker
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker Overall

Brane X

Pros and Cons
听More bass than you鈥檒l believe possible
听Wi-Fi connectivity
听Makes funny noises on startup
听Touch controls are overly sensitive

It鈥檚 rare that a product has so much crossover appeal that it鈥檚 nearly impossible to categorize鈥攍abels be damned. The Brane X is an ingenious piece of technology that transitions neatly from a bookshelf-style speaker for your desktop to a backyard DJ boom box to a travel companion for a remote lakeshore, where, as one tester said, it produces bass that can 鈥渟care away the bears.鈥 This versatility and its surprising power are what led our team to name it the best outdoor Bluetooth speaker we tested.

The reason this 7.7-pound unit has such outsize power is magnets. Specifically, it鈥檚 the first Bluetooth speaker with a subwoofer, which relies on a Repel-Attract Driver (RAD), a patented technology that employs specially designed magnets that cancel internal air pressure and allow it to produce deeper bass than was previously possible.

In practice, the results are impressive: Played at lower volumes, it produces fine detail that is as good as anything that comes out of a Bose product. But when you pump up the volume, you can hear bass notes that reach lower into the audio spectrum. It鈥檚 safe to say nothing we鈥檝e seen at this size (under ten inches wide) has been able to create such a rumble way down deep in your belly.

The Brane X can connect with your home Wi-Fi, eliminating the problem of your Bluetooth speaker glitching out during a party because you stepped outside to fetch ice. This feature also makes streaming music over a subscription service or using the built-in Alexa voice assistant easier and more reliable.

And yes, despite its urban looks, the Brane X can withstand water, dust, and a fair bit of rough handling: Its IP57 rating means it can survive in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. A 12-hour battery life is respectable, given its power. And the Brane app makes it easy to set up and equalize, for less bass, more bass, or more more more bass. Listening to jazz with a double bass, one user said, 鈥測ou can hear all the subtle squeaks of the player鈥檚 fingers on the strings.鈥

If there鈥檚 a drawback to a speaker this good, it would only be that it makes the windows rattle. Said one tester: 鈥淚t makes other portable speakers seem like toys.鈥


Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Best Value

Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2

Pros and Cons
听Sound fills the room
听Long battery life
听Controls not all in same place

The German audio engineers at Teuful got together with the American guitar and amp brand Fender to make this thing of beauty. The sleekly designed Rockster Go 2 is smaller than a hardcover airport novel, at eight by four inches, but it pumps out some of the best, bassiest sound in this size range. Much like Bose鈥檚听鈥攚hose latest version weighs in at 1.3 pounds and costs $149鈥攖he 1.6-pound Rockster Go 2 amazed us with its 鈥渟traight-ahead sound quality and musical vividness,鈥 as one tester put it. It goes one step further than Bose with a button that engages what鈥檚 called Dynamore virtual stereo sound, an impressive, non-gimmicky feature that seems to magically move the music to the corners of the room. The speaker is unidirectional, but the Dynamore feature does a lot to make it sound good from the front or the back.

The Rockster Go 2 is supposed to last for up to a whopping 28 hours in Eco Mode (which reduces the bass), though you鈥檒l probably get more like the 15 hours it promises in regular mode at medium volume. Quick charging, however, gets you out the door faster if you forgot to plug it in the night before. A short carry strap enables easier toting, and GoPro users will appreciate the quarter-inch threading on the base, which is compatible with camera mounts. Although its range is only 30 feet, one reviewer remarked that 鈥渨ith a design that鈥檚 worthy of residing on your bookcase plus its rugged build, this may be the ideal indoor/outdoor speaker in the midsize range.鈥

Note: The Rockster line includes two other, larger sizes: the $180听听and the monster $480听.


Ultimate Ears Miniroll
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Most Portable

Ultimate Ears Miniroll

Pros and Cons
听Very compact
听Impressive sound for its size
听Bungee strap is useful
听Can get only so loud

Over the past decade, the 鈥渕ini speaker鈥 category has been relentlessly trying to reach a level of sonic quality that sounds so much better than your laptop speaker that it warrants a purchase. With the Miniroll, we may have achieved the singularity. At less than 10 ounces and a fits-in-your-hand five-inch diameter, this grab-and-go disc produced some moments of startling loudness for its size. Physics wouldn鈥檛 allow it to be in the same acoustic class as the others in this test, but testers were impressed by what it can do.

Think of the places it can go: With its eminently handy built-in rubber strap, the Miniroll can bungee right over your bike handlebars, onto your belt loop, or鈥攁 habit I鈥檝e acquired solely on account of this portable Bluetooth speaker鈥攐ver the shower curtain rod, so I can keep clean while keeping up with the news. As secure as the strap is, a bouncy bike ride might eventually dislodge it, but with its sturdy build, we wouldn鈥檛 be too concerned about damage鈥攁nd its crazy-long range of 131 feet means you won鈥檛 lose connection when you turn around to retrieve it. A PartyUp feature lets you pair multiple Minirolls together for more power or a stereo effect.

Anyone debating whether to pack a speaker for an overseas flight or strap it to a backpack for playing podcasts on a hike can be confident that the Miniroll, with its 鈥渞oad-friendly size and shape,鈥 is well worth the consideration.


Turtlebox Gen 2
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Most Rugged

Turtlebox Gen 3

Pros and Cons
听Extremely tough
听Easy to tote
听Smooth sound
听Not cheap

Like Pelican and Otter, Turtlebox thinks in terms of durability that will see you through any terrain on earth, if not other planets. Case in point: The company claims that they were able to park a six-ton monster truck on this speaker, to no ill effect. Encased in super-hard plastic and completely waterproof (even floatable), the Gen 3 has quickly garnered a following among fishermen and watersports enthusiasts for more than being tough. The 120-decibel speaker is 鈥渂oth incredibly loud and impressively refined,鈥 one tester observed. Indeed, our team was hard-pressed to find many differences in audio quality between the Turtlebox 3 and the other top scorers in this year鈥檚 test. The unit plays for 25 hours at lower volumes and about six hours at max volume, such as what you鈥檇 need for a big party.

During LCD Soundsystem鈥檚 鈥淭ribulations,鈥 the bass tones flowed smooth as silk and distortion-free, thanks to the 6-by-9-inch woofer, and, to our surprise, the high and midrange sounds also came across with great clarity. With five color options and an ideal form factor鈥攁 lunchbox-size 9.5-pound boombox with a hard nylon handle coated in rubber, plus rubber bumpers on the undercarriage鈥攖he Turtlebox Gen 3 gets just about everything right, and its fairly high price tag is less scary when you consider its durability.


Bose SoundLink Max
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Best for Audiophiles

Bose SoundLink Max

Pros and Cons
听Very rich, loud sound
听Long battery life
听Easy to pair
听Needs 5-volt charger; standard USB-C is slow

For those who were wowed by Bose鈥檚 1.3-pound SoundLink Flex (our 2022听Editor鈥檚 Choice winner), this larger and far more powerful 4.9-pound edition of the SoundLink will be true love. It punches above its weight, with rich bass and perfect balance in the higher registers. While the addition of a rubber-coated rope handle is both convenient and cute, the sticking-to-basics features from this classic brand made it a bit less fun than other party-ready units in this test. Where Bose beats them, though, is with more subtle orchestral and ambient tracks. Max Richter鈥檚听The New Four Seasons听came through with a dynamism and presence that was a notch above.

Battery life is 20 hours, range is a passable 30 feet, and Bose鈥檚 app is more versatile than those that accompany most speakers, with EQ settings to suit your tastes and listening environment. IP67 water and dust resistance means it鈥檚 fine being dropped in the pool for up to 30 minutes. The SoundLink Max does cost a lot for its size, but for those among us who like to just sit and focus on great music, it may be the most ideal鈥攁nd ideally sized鈥攑ortable Bluetooth speaker to date.


Treblab HD-Max
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Best for Parties

Treblab HD-Max

Pros and Cons
听Loud volume when wanted
听Great value
听One-dimensional sound
听Confusing LED modes

If you鈥檙e looking for a speaker to churn out volume in a big crowd for a fair price, the HD-Max delivers. The sound is not as detailed or three-dimensional as the others in this guide, but that matters less when it鈥檚 about a crowd and, as the evening wears on, they鈥檙e getting down and boogying. Treblab鈥檚 newest offering has the power to fill a sizable outdoor space, and if you want to go a notch higher, a bass-boosting feature adds even more thump. 鈥淚t makes you feel like dancing,鈥 said one reviewer.

Two other fiesta-friendly novelties are a pair of multicolor lights on either end that can be turned off and on, and a bottle opener on the removable carry strap. It鈥檒l get 20 hours of play time if you keep it at 10 percent volume, but at 100 percent it鈥檚 certified for only 6.5 hours鈥攕till, enough to get you through the night, or, if not, you can always plug it in. (And the power goes both ways: If your phone is running out of juice, the HD-Max can charge it.) One thing that could use improvement: It鈥檚 hard to tell when you鈥檙e in indoor, outdoor, or bass mode; they鈥檙e indicated by a clunky system that involves deciphering a series of blinking LED lights.

These are small trade-offs when you consider that the HD-Max is a tough-built five-pound, foot-wide boom box that retails for $200鈥攂ut can be found for 30 percent less than that. Others in its class, like Ultimate Ears鈥櫶, usually set you back $350 or $400. When the fun is over and it鈥檚 back-to-work time, the speaker has a built-in mic that performs well for conference calls, with an average range of 33 feet. One tester praised the HD-Max for its 鈥渃ombination of sound quality, volume, and portability.鈥


Marshall Emberton III
(Photo: Grace Palmer)

Best for Travel

Marshall Emberton III

Pros and Cons
听Solid, compact, travel-friendly build
听Room-filling sound
听No bass/treble controls on unit

Don鈥檛 let the throwback looks of the Emberton III fool you: This technology is far from basic. Marshall鈥檚 newest travel Bluetooth speaker has better, more robust sound than its predecessors while adding some new features like Bluetooth LE鈥攁 more efficient form of Bluetooth that sucks less energy鈥攁nd Auracast, an incoming technology that will soon have you wirelessly linking several of your speakers and headphones at once, making a connected life more seamless.

The Emberton III is that one piece of gear you鈥檒l wish you鈥檇 packed for your family reunion on the lake this summer. You鈥檒l realize this when you go to play home movies on your tablet with its anemic speaker. You鈥檒l hardly notice the Emberton III in your luggage, at a little over six inches from end to end and only 1.5 pounds鈥攖hree percent of your checked-bag limit. But you鈥檒l notice it when you fire it up, because, in the words of one tester, 鈥渢his little thing cranks!鈥

As with other Marshall speakers, the Emberton III achieves a deceptively dynamic sound quality through 鈥淭rue Stereophonic鈥 multi-directional technology, which replicates the experience of being on a soundstage by moving different tones to different areas of the speaker. One tester noticed the 鈥渞ich bass notes鈥攏ot much thump, but clean and clear.鈥 And the well-rounded sound is just as good from the back side as the front.

A whopping 32-hour battery life makes it even more travel-friendly, and a 20-minute quick charge provides six more hours of battery life. The range (thanks to the Bluetooth LE addition) is an excellent 100 feet. And an IP67 rating lets you drop it in the drink (up to three feet deep) with no repercussions (although no testers reported trying this).

One tester summed up his report, 鈥淚 love the retro looks and small package. It makes a cool statement on the shelf but is small enough you can slip it into your pocket on the way out the door.鈥


How to Choose the Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker

When shopping for a new outdoor Bluetooth speaker, your first move is to check its听听to get an idea of how much water and dust resistance it offers; these are typically reliable. Next, think about how much you鈥檒l be carrying it around鈥攂etween house and backyard, say, or moving from campsite to campsite鈥攁nd whether you鈥檒l be on foot (carrying a pack or duffel, or not) or on wheels. Then consider what makes sense in terms of weight and dimensions. As a general rule, the heavier a speaker is, the more volume you鈥檒l get out of it, but playing it loud isn鈥檛 always a necessity鈥攕ome of you will be entertaining large groups, but others will just be setting it up for mellow creekside cocktail-hour listening with your partner.

If you鈥檙e someone who moves around a lot, a portable Bluetooth speaker with long battery life might also make a difference. These days most new models will play for a good 10 hours or more even at high volume, but some are longer-lasting than others, as detailed in the models reviewed here. Finally, more and more models offer 鈥渢rue stereo鈥 linking, where two or more speakers can be paired to play at once but in stereo; this makes smaller models with this option a little more attractive than before, because if you later decide to invest more, you can give your soundscape an appreciable boost.

Finally, don鈥檛 assume that if one of the speakers in this list doesn鈥檛 sound great to you, it鈥檚 your fault. Different folks have different tastes, and some types of music sound better鈥攐r worse鈥攐n certain speakers. If you make a purchase and are feeling lukewarm afterwards, keep an eye on your return window and don鈥檛 feel guilty if you have to exchange it.


How We Tested Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers

  • Hours of Testing:听419
  • Test Environments:听Hiking, pool parties, stand-up paddleboarding, yardwork, movie watching, car camping, making dinner, conference calls
  • Highest Elevation:听10,152 feet, Leadville, Colorado
  • Lowest Elevation:听5 feet underwater in Lake Pleasant, Arizona
  • Most Listened-To Tracks:听Bon Iver: 鈥淒ijon,鈥 Charli xcx featuring BB Tricks: 鈥淐lub Classics,鈥 Childish Gambino: 鈥淟ithonia,鈥 Drugdealer and Kim Bollinger: 鈥淧ictures of You,鈥 Flock of Dimes: 鈥淒ay One,鈥 Fontaines D.C.: 鈥淔avourite,鈥 J Dilla: 鈥淲orkinonit,鈥 Kenya Grace: 鈥淪trangers,鈥 The Hold Steady: 鈥淪tuck Between Stations,鈥 Magdalena Bay: 鈥淚mage,鈥 Prince: 鈥淓lectric Chair,鈥 Puentes: 鈥淎mor y Unidad,鈥 Kathleen Smith: 鈥淚 Can See for Miles,鈥 Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: 鈥淐hallengers鈥

The first thing we do with any Bluetooth speakers is attempt to pair them with our phones without consulting the user manual: The quicker, more intuitive, and easier the sync, the more points scored. Then we put them through hours of testing doing the kinds of things听国产吃瓜黑料听readers do鈥攕oaking in remote hot springs, inviting friends over for outdoor dance parties, playing audiobooks while riding a bike, etc.

Our team turns in reports on each product tested, providing a score of 1 to 10 for five different measures: sound quality, pairing and connectivity, fit and comfort, rain and drop protection, and user friendliness. Scores are averaged, with more weight given to sound quality and (knowing our audience) how well they stand up to the elements. Note: Battery life estimates in these reviews are based on manufacturer specs; it鈥檚 difficult to confirm those numbers, given the time involved and variances among user habits (different volumes, different uses, different functions enabled). Actual results may be 10 to 20 percent lower, judging from averages experienced in general testing.


Meet Our Lead Tester

Will Palmer has been testing gear for 21 years for 国产吃瓜黑料, where he was managing editor and copy chief for nine years. Based in Santa Fe, he has been a runner since 1984, and while the mile counts have decreased over the years, he鈥檚 kept motivated to head out the door on the hottest, coldest, and wettest days by the opportunity to test the best new products鈥攁nd to commune with the junipers and pi帽ons.

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The Best Audio Gear of 2022 /outdoor-gear/tools/best-new-audio-gear-2022/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 19:33:35 +0000 /?p=2586206 The Best Audio Gear of 2022

You鈥檒l want to know about these earbuds

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The Best Audio Gear of 2022

It鈥檚 hard to believe that a few years ago, we were all still plugging earbuds into our phones using things called 鈥渃ords.鈥 The advent of Bluetooth, with its ability to pack into itty-bitty cordless speakers that reside in our ears, has changed things fast. Every year, the sound gets better. Nice touches like hear-through to let in ambient sound, in-ear detection that halts playback when you remove one bud, and active noise cancellation鈥攐nce seen only in travel headphones鈥攈ave expanded earbud versatility. Even battery life keeps improving. Today there are dozens of excellent-sounding, snug-fitting, water-shunning models out there, and teasing out the differences gets harder all the time. Our winners for 2022 are the ones that have the most intelligent design and most useful tech features, stand up to the elements, and, best of all, sound the sweetest.听

Jaybird Vista 2 ($150)

Jaybird Vista 2
(Photo: Courtesy Jaybird)

Best for Harsh Weather

Like the first-gen Vista, these clear, robust-sounding earbuds have real outdoor cred. They鈥檙e IP68 dust- and waterproof and meet U.S. military shock and crush standards. What鈥檚 new: active noise cancellation and a volume control that lets you listen to music without blocking out the outside world. They go for eight hours, with two more charges in the case. Bonus: the app can find your buds on a map if you drop them.


Edifier TWS 330NB ($80)

Edifier TWS 330NB
(Photo: Courtesy Edifier)

Killer Value

Like the look of Apple鈥檚 AirPods but shopping on a budget? Look to Edifier鈥檚 TWS330 NB. Despite the affordable price tag, you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find anything cheap about them. Sure, with active noise-cancellation turned on, the battery life is only five hours on a charge (plus 15 more hours from the charging case). But they boast solid sound and a sturdy build, with IP54 dust and water resistance. They even boast an AI algorithm that makes calls clearer by enhancing the other person鈥檚 voice.


Shure Aonic 215 True Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones, Gen 2 ($229)

Shure Aonic 215 True Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones
(Photo: Courtesy Shure)

Best for Audiophiles

Sure, this pair has a higher price tag, comes with a much larger case, has only IPX4 splashproof-ing (no waterproofing), and takes more effort to hook around your ears. But if you鈥檙e seeking a hi-fi experience, you鈥檒l find them a step above the competition. The earphones have excellent equalizers that can be controlled from Shure鈥檚 Play app, which also lets you modify the amount of ambient sound and customize what the buttons at the base of the over-ear hooks do. As for those hooks: they also make these the most secure-fitting pair in this list. These buds last for eight hours per charge, with three more charges in the case, for 32 hours of total run time.


Beats Fit Pro ($200)

Beats Fit Pro
(Photo: Courtesy Beats)

Best for Everyday Use

Though the Fit Pro are a slight step down in durability from the Jaybirds and Jabras (it鈥檚 rated IPX4), they鈥檙e an excellent go-everywhere model with loud, heart-pumping sound. We love their compact design (these are the smallest buds on the list) with flexible wings to hold them in place. Battery life is six hours, with three additional charges from the palm-sized case. A five-minute charge restores an hour of playtime. Mac and iPhone users will like how they quick-connect without needing to open your Bluetooth settings.


Jabra Elite 7 Active ($180)

Jabra Elite 7 Active
(Photo: Courtesy Jabra)

Best for Runners

Like the Jaybird Vista 2, the Elite 7 Active is a smooth-sounding unit built for the trails, with eight hours of battery life, 22 more in the case, and app-controlled active noise cancellation. They鈥檙e slightly less burly: waterproof only up to one meter (but still functionally rainproof), and have no fit wedges to hook inside your ear, which makes them easier to drop and lose. But in testing, they stayed in place just fine). But they offer a particularly significant feature that all trail users will love: a mono mode that enables you to leave one ear open to trail sounds without sacrificing audio quality. You get both sound channels coming into one ear, leaving your second bud free to charge in its case.

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This Victrola Record Player Is Portable and Sounds Awesome /outdoor-gear/tools/portable-record-player-victrola-revolution-go/ Wed, 08 Jun 2022 11:00:10 +0000 /?p=2582071 This Victrola Record Player Is Portable and Sounds Awesome

The Revolution Go is an ideal machine for toting your favorite records to picnics, park days, or anywhere else under the sun

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This Victrola Record Player Is Portable and Sounds Awesome

Of all the ways to enjoy the outdoors, relaxing to music on a nice day is a simple and undeniable pleasure. There鈥檚 something novel about lying in a hammock on a sunny Sunday afternoon or listening to a vinyl record with friends at the park. While it might be easier to pack a small Bluetooth speaker and play tunes off your phone, dusting off a stack of hand-me-down records and reveling in some old-school charm is more about the experience. ($200) lets you have that anywhere you want. While there are other record players that let you listen to vinyl outside, most only work if you鈥檝e got access to an outlet. The Revolution鈥檚 rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it truly portable. It has enough power for 12 hours of continuous tunes, which is more than enough for a backyard barbecue or an evening around the campfire.

I鈥檝e had a couple of suitcase-style turntables before (two different versions of the which you can now find used for around $59); they鈥檙e kitschy, fun, and allow you to listen to vinyl anywhere, but they don鈥檛 sound that great, so I was surprised when the Go hit me with rich, warm music that鈥檚 not usually found in an all-in-one unit. The built-in Bluetooth speaker isn鈥檛 meant to deliver the audio quality of a hi-fi home-stereo system, but it does sound pretty damn good, especially for a unit you can pack anywhere.

The Revolution Go is a belt-driven turntable with three speeds鈥33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM鈥攁nd three modes鈥攙inyl, vinyl stream, and Bluetooth, allowing you to pair it to your phone and play music through the built-in speaker, have your vinyl stream through a better-sounding setup, or pair it with your earbuds. An RCA jack in back lets you hook it up to external speakers the traditional way, the dial has a satisfying feel, and an Alexa-sounding voice announces the battery level and mode as you cycle through the functions.

One of the nicest things to see on the Revolution Go is the Audio-Technica magnetic moving cartridge, which has a ubiquitous (the needle that reads the grooves in the record) that鈥檚 easily replaced for around $25. The moving magnetic cartridge is a step up in quality from the ceramic cartridges found on most of the entry-level portable record players I鈥檝e seen, including my older Crosley turntable. If you鈥檙e unfamiliar with record components, think of a ceramic cartridge like a pair of hiking boots: rugged and a little heavy. A moving magnetic cartridge is more like a pair of trail runners: light and nimble. Both get the job done, but ceramic cartridges generally wear out records faster because they have a greater tracking force, and they don鈥檛 sound as good as magnetic ones, because they read fewer details in the grooves.

I鈥檝e mainly inherited my record collection from family or bought it at thrift stores and garage sales (though I will buy the occasional new album on vinyl, and Chris Stapleton鈥檚 double LP, , is the first record I tested on the Go), so I鈥檓 not too precious about it, but I still don鈥檛 want it unnecessary damaged. Some of my albums have gnarly scratches from improperly lowering the tonearm on my older record player, but I鈥檓 not worried about that with the Go; the cueing lever is foolproof and lowers the tonearm slowly and safely, so even my young son can use it without causing any real harm.

The plastic turntable platter (the spinning surface that the record sits on) does feel a little flimsy, but that鈥檚 pretty standard with portable players, which trade off some component quality in favor of packability. However, the platter is spring mounted, to help dampen vibrations, and a silicone slip mat absorbs shock and minimizes skipping. The record player has a folding handle that tucks away and a removable guitar strap for hands-free carrying. The lid鈥檚 design gives the Go a retro vibe and pops off to double as a record holder once you鈥檙e at your destination. I do wish the plastic dustcover was made with a more durable material; mine already has a few noticeable scratches just from setting it on the picnic table.

The $200 price tag is a jump from most suitcase players, which run closer to the hundred-dollar mark, but it鈥檚 an equal leap in audio quality and portability. Given how easy it is to carry (it weighs less than seven pounds), the Go has earned a spot in my 1980 Boler trailer for road trips, family car camping, and simply hanging out with friends outside. Just don鈥檛 take it to a beach party鈥攊t can鈥檛 get wet and shouldn鈥檛 be used in direct sunlight.

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Editor鈥檚 Choice: Bose SoundLink Flex Speaker /outdoor-gear/tools/bose-soundlink-flex-speaker-outside-editors-choice-2022/ Fri, 27 May 2022 13:00:49 +0000 /?p=2582127 Editor鈥檚 Choice: Bose SoundLink Flex Speaker

This travel speaker impresses with studio-quality sound

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Editor鈥檚 Choice: Bose SoundLink Flex Speaker

Bose SoundLink Flex ($149)

Bose鈥檚 newest portable Bluetooth speaker is a case study in great things coming in small packages. It measures 7.9 inches long, 3.6 inches high, and 2.1 inches wide and lacks the kind of flashy aesthetics that make you instantly curious. But trust us: you should be.

Travel speakers have historically been the kind of gear that鈥檚 nice to have, but none that we鈥檝e tested has ever achieved downright greatness. That鈥檚 just physics: until now, outside of five- or ten-pound breadbox-size speakers, no brand has been able to pack in enough power to fully envelop you in the music. The achieves that鈥攜et weighs only 1.3 pounds and is smaller than a brick.

Bose engineered it with powerful drivers that produce more bass than you鈥檇 believe possible. It also has such clear, crisp highs that you may find yourself peering inside expecting to find tiny violinists making that precise, rich sound.

Best of all, you can carry it all day: it lasts up to 12 hours on a charge. Prop it on the picnic table, toss it in your duffel, or hook it to your tent with the webbing loop (provided you鈥檙e far from other groups). You can even set the SoundLink Flex on your boat and, should it fall off, it will float back to the surface. That鈥檚 because it鈥檚 both buoyant and IP67 dust- and waterproof, which means its submersible up to a meter for 30 minutes. Bose鈥檚 designers also enclosed the front grille in a steel frame, then encased the sides in rubbery silicone, so you can drop it from moderate heights. Use the Bose Connect app鈥檚 party mode to sync two Bose Bluetooth speakers and distribute the sound in stereo. Still, one SoundLink Flex is impressive enough on its own.

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Rockit Logs /outdoor-gear/tools/rockit-logs/ Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/rockit-logs/ Rockit Logs

All Your Music Will Sound Better On This Reclaimed Wood Speaker

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Rockit Logs

Made from reclaimed British Columbian logging waste, this portable Bluetooth speaker ($200) kicks out an impressive 60 watts. The internal battery is good for ten hours at full volume, and USB charging ports keep phones topped off听while you dance. No two speakers are alike, and you can also choose custom colors and stains for a personalized finish.

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Mighty Media Player /outdoor-gear/tools/mighty-media-player/ Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/mighty-media-player/ Mighty Media Player

Streaming music on the go

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Mighty Media Player

With , a new one-ounce digital device, you can stream music on your run or hike without a smartphone.

The 1.5-inch unit syncs with your iPhone or Android and allows users to play up听48 hours of music from Spotify, provided you have the premium subscription. Developers plan to expand support for other streaming services, too.

Because it鈥檚 designed for people who like to exercise, the Mighty is sweat resistant and works with both wired and wireless headphones. Recently funded on Kickstarter, units should start shipping in November.听

$79,

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The Apr猫s Tailgating Essentials of 2016 /food/apres-tailgating-essentials-2016/ Tue, 29 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/apres-tailgating-essentials-2016/ The Apr猫s Tailgating Essentials of 2016

You can do better than ketchup and crackers.

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The Apr猫s Tailgating Essentials of 2016

Because you can do better than听ketchup and crackers.

(Zippo)

Zippo All-Terrain grill听

With an easy-to-set-up folding frame, rugged rubber-coated wheels, and 1.9 square feet of cooking space, the is your instant party starter. With a durable aluminum body and heavy-duty grate, it鈥檒l last for years. And it works just as well at campsites come summer.听

Price $300
(Cascade Designs)

Therm-a-Rest Treo chair听

A camp chair is not an unnecessary luxury in the parking lot鈥攊t鈥檚 a throne you鈥檝e earned with a day of hard charging. And is too easy not to pack: it鈥檚 smaller than a bottle of wine and weighs just over two pounds.

Price $100
(Stanley)

Stanley Classic Vacuum growler听

Apr猫s without beer is like winter without snow. The two-quart steel keeps your cerveza cold for 28 hours or coffee hot for 18, thanks to its vacuum-insulated body and foam-packed lid. Nice: the top stays open for one-handed pouring.听

Price $50
(Canada Goose)

Canada Goose Brookvale hoodie听

Made from super-packable down fill and a stretchy face fabric, is the kind of insulator you keep at the ready year-round. Bonus points for the understated camo print. '

Price $475
(Ridgemont Outfitters)

Ridgemont Monty Hi shoes听

The 鈥檚 oiled-suede upper is sufficiently waterproof to fend off light snow and earns far more style points than your old rubber boots. It鈥檚 also relatively lightweight, so your little stinkers will feel liberated after spending eight clammy hours strangled by heavy plastic shells.听

Price $99
(Bigtruck Brand)

Bigtruck Brand Pro hat听

The flat-brimmed mafia has taken over鈥攁nd we鈥檙e fine with that. Our lid of choice is made by Lake Tahoe鈥檚 , which was started five years ago by two friends who wanted to make high-quality, good-looking caps for people living and playing in the mountains.听

Price $35
(Snow Peak)

Snow Peak Silicone wineglass

It may look like glass, but it鈥檚 made of a foldable, unbreakable for easy packing and worry-free drinking. Available in tumbler and Old Fashioned versions, too.

Price $27
We Are The Rhoads

Client: Bose
We Are The Rhoads Client: Bose (Bose)

Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth speaker

This is loud enough to get your crew shakin鈥 and delivers the excellent acoustics expected from the Massachusetts-based audio-equipment company. Syncs seamlessly with a smartphone and鈥攁w, yeah鈥攃omes in five fun colors.听

Price $130
(Spy Optics)

Spy Discord Kaleidoscope sunglasses听

We鈥檝e been casual fans of the 鈥檚 chunky frame and high-quality signature lenses for a while. Now we鈥檙e full-on groupies. This year it comes in a wide range of translucent, neon-bright frames to match your Hot Dog鈥 The Movie ski kit.听

Price $120

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How to Create the Ultimate Party Patio /food/how-create-ultimate-party-patio/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/how-create-ultimate-party-patio/ How to Create the Ultimate Party Patio

Equipping yourself to be a one-person A/V Club should be a point of pride.

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How to Create the Ultimate Party Patio

Isn鈥檛 technology wonderful? Used to be that playing music or a movie in the backyard meant wheeling out coils of sound cords and duct-taping them along the fence and warning people about tripping over them on the patio. But no more.听

Thanks to some smart innovations, there are now听far better ways to wire your yard for summertime dance parties and film screenings. Here鈥檚 our DIY instruction manual.

Power It Up

Even if you have a ready supply of electricity in your backyard, it'd be niftier to run the whole show off solar power? Goal Zero鈥檚 ($430)听takes five hours to juice up, using a pair of ($200). It pumps out 12 volts so you鈥檒l have plenty of juice to run the following setup.听

Lighten the Mood

Hurricane lanterns are pretty, but kerosene is a smoky pestilence that you don鈥檛 want to unleash on your crew. Ditch the gas-fed flames and string up a chain of Goal Zero鈥檚 new ($40)听instead. They鈥檙e like holiday lights, just better. They come with both magnets and 鈥檅iner clips so improvising mood lighting is very simple, and the power draw is low. A single LAL can run for 50 hours off the Yeti 150 generator.听

Turn It Up

Music is key to making any party a success. ($100)听speakers are handy because they鈥檙e self-powered and they power down automatically when you鈥檙e not using them. Plus they鈥檙e weatherproof鈥攋ust leave them on the back deck and forget them until you need music. And you can daisy chain up to 10 speakers together wirelessly.听

For the coolest effect, combine audio and lighting together with ($150). Yes you read that correctly. These are听combination lightbulbs and speakers.听Use the iOS/Android app and wireless bounce music from a phone or tablet to a pair of Pulses (and add up to six more bulbs for true surround sound). You can also dim the bulbs as the night goes on, and independently crank the volume. Of course if you want to keep it simple, there鈥檚 also ($200);听one wireless, weatherproof Bluetooth speaker you can crank up to 11.

Project Yourself

You鈥檝e probably been in at least one boring conference where someone鈥檚 lame pico (read: handheld)听projector rendered a washed-out video. Well, the ultra-portable ($360)听is worlds better and only about the size of a VHS tape. For best results, position the projector such that the image on your display surface is roughly four-feet along the diagonal. You don鈥檛 need a traditional projector sheet. The surface can be the stucco wall in back of your house, a bed sheet, or even a light-hued tent rain fly. The projector鈥檚 720-pixel HD resolution comes through clear enough on whatever you鈥檙e projecting onto. The PicoPro also has a built-in battery good for up to two hours of battery life. Extend that life by plugging it in to external juice.

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Normal Earbuds /outdoor-gear/tools/normal-earbuds/ Thu, 23 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/normal-earbuds/ Normal Earbuds

The future has arrived, and because it鈥檚 built to fit you perfectly, it鈥檚 not going anywhere.

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Normal Earbuds

You're glimpsing听the future of manufacturing. Launched in August 2014, sells one type of custom-made earphone out of its headquarters retail store and factory in New York鈥檚 Chelsea neighborhood. Users download an app that snaps photos of both ears (because they are not mirror images of each other), lets them choose one of seven colors, and uploads the data to the company. Within 48 hours a bespoke pair of handsome, great-sounding earbuds is sent to your home, with your name etched on the case. If they don鈥檛 fit, you can send them back for a refitting, free of charge.


The Takeaway:

The Good:听A workout-friendly, custom-made, 3-D-printed earphone that you order via a smart and entertaining app. The novelty would mean nothing if the tailored fit didn鈥檛 make a real difference, and the tailored fit would mean nothing if the sound weren鈥檛 exceptional.

The Bad:听Two hundred is pushing it for a pair of听earbuds. Environmental sound gets in; some users might prefer better noise听cancellation. Not wireless (though fitting that technology in would have been a tall order).

The Verdict:听A very well-made earphone by any measure; throw in the pure fun of 3D printing, a fit that will make them yours for a lifetime (unless your ears are still growing), and well-rounded audio quality, and they鈥檙e worth the price鈥攅specially considering the lifetime guarantee for repairs, even if you dunk them in water.


The Specs:

  • Driver:听14 mm Neodymium Dynamic
  • Sensitivity:听109 dB/mW
  • Impedance:听32 Ohms
  • Frequency Response:听20 Hz-20 kHz
  • MSRP:听$199 (includes tax and shipping)

Intended for:

Anyone who puts a premium on quality audio as well as on being able to do crazy stuff like get out of one鈥檚 chair and move around. For years, earbud makers have been trying various designs of rubber wedges, clamps, and looping cords to keep them in place, but once the sweat starts rolling, no one I know has been a stranger to the Big Slip, followed by the Great Exit and the God-Damn-These-Things. It鈥檚 not because any of us have oddball ears鈥擭ormal named themselves that because everyone has unusual ears. There is no normal鈥攐r, the only normal is abnormal.

(Normal)

The Competition:

There is no other product on the market like this, but the obvious comparison is with custom in-ear monitors (IEMs) like the ones made my Etymotic and Westone. Those professional-grade earphones require a visit to the ear doctor, who makes a silicone mold of your ear canal and ships the mold off to the company, and a few weeks later your monitors arrive. These therefore run to $1,000 or more, which means they鈥檒l always remain something best suited to music professionals, not us denizens of the backcountry.

In this price range, the closest competition is a premium sports earphone like the Bose SoundSport听or Bowers and Wilkins鈥檚 C5. Both come with various rubber attachments or looping cords that are good attempts at the holy grail of a secure fit but don鈥檛 come through in the end. But the clincher is that Normals sound just as good as those premium brands鈥攎aybe even better, because the speaker sits at just the right position, directing sound into your ear canal, and are very immune to the jostling that frequently causes other models to get displaced鈥攐ut of position and pointing their sound into your skin, or pushed in too far, causing a sweaty seal to form and causing that obnoxious mix of squeak and muffle.


The Test:听

I wore the Normals on trail runs throughout the spring in Tucson, Arizona, where temps at 9 a.m. were already scorching by March.听


Performance:

The first thing I noticed鈥攁nd have kept on noticing鈥攊s that the Normals nestle right into the lower-back pocket of the ear, unlike everything I鈥檝e ever tested, which typically utilizes the ridge over your ear canal. This results in an immediate and dramatic improvement: As I run, any inadvertent tugging, which comes from below, only pulls them into the lower contours of my ear, and nothing bad happens. The connector also swivels to further foster movement. As gravity and sweat conspire to try to overthrow this beautiful arrangement, again, the perfectly fitting molded earpiece goes nowhere. Which is exactly where it鈥檚 supposed to go.

(Normal)

I鈥檝e tested the pro-grade in-ear monitors, and they do sound amazing, but the trade-off is that they sit much further in, only millimeters from your eardrum. Any accidental full-volume blast from your music device could easily cause damage to your hearing, and if not damage, then some sharp pain.听

After three months of using the Normals to play Alt-J, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, and many bands that don鈥檛 start with an A, I had no loss of audio quality. Some users have complained of crackling, which probably means that with enough tugging they will start to short out, but I didn鈥檛 have this problem. And frequent encounters with moisture (including head dousings when the temperature shot past 90) didn鈥檛 cause damage鈥攚hich is not to say that you should try to swim with them.

A cool feature that I wasn鈥檛 aware of until I visited the store in Chelsea is the reconnectable cord. Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e tying your shoes and you accidentally step on the cord; when you stand up, something鈥檚 gotta give, and with most wired earbuds, that means disaster. With the Normals, the cord disengages from the earpiece, and you just snap it back in. You can also swap out your old one鈥攕hould your miniature dachshund chew her way through it鈥攆or a replacement at no cost, and you can even choose from two sizes: 44 inches or 63 inches. The cord also houses an inline mic and call control so you can take a call without breaking a stride. 听

And did I say they sound fantastic? Deep, smooth bass that doesn鈥檛 distort, very good midrange, and crisp highs. The drivers even seem to offer a different kind of dimensionality that approaches the sound of those expensive IEMs: Because they sit a little closer to your eardrum and direct sound to just the right place, you can pick out the clanging of a high hat from the strum of the lead guitar as if they鈥檙e coming from different places.听


The Drawbacks:

Like Apple鈥檚 little round ear saucers, Normals let external sound in, which can be good or bad. If you鈥檙e looking for noise cancellation, these don鈥檛 have it, and those expensive IEMs do have a big edge when it comes to creating an intimate space that lets in nothing else. For me, this is not a concern except perhaps when I鈥檓 on a plane; I鈥檇 rather be able to hear what鈥檚 coming up from behind me, especially if I鈥檓 on a mountain bike (and I never listen to music on the road). Also, you decide: Is it weird that they enclose a card, signed by the engineer, that says, 鈥淵ou have lovely earholes鈥?


Bottom Line:

Is this my new go-to earphone for trail running? Call it a tie. My other favorite is the long-discontinued Jaybird Sportsband鈥攁 lightweight pair of on-ear Bluetooth phones that, after six years of use, still sound great. They pop onto my noggin and stay there, the controls are built into the earpiece, and I am liberated from the tyranny of the cord. In a future review, I鈥檒l make a case for its resurrection. But if, somewhere down the road, Normal is able to fit a Bluetooth receiver into these custom-made wonders, then the tie would be broken.听

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6 Beach-Ready Essentials /outdoor-gear/tools/6-beach-ready-essentials/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/6-beach-ready-essentials/ 6 Beach-Ready Essentials

Instead of that old-school boombox, consider throwing a powerful water-resistant speaker or high-tech action camera in your beach bag this summer.

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6 Beach-Ready Essentials

Instead of that old-school boombox, consider throwing a powerful water-resistant speaker or high-tech action camera in your beach bag this summer. Check out these six sand- and sun-resistant products guaranteed to make your hot summer nights even more fun:

Canon PowerShot D30 ($330)

canon Canon PowerShot D30 waterproof outside magazine outside online beach essentials
| (Courtesy of Canon U.S.A.)

Go ahead and dive up to 82 feet below the surface with this . The tough outer shell can withstand drops on the dock up to 6.5 feet. The killer feature? Perfect for beach-goers, the screen uses a new LCD screen that鈥檚 viewable even in direct sunlight.


Outdoor Tech Big Turtle Shell ($230)

Outdoor Tech Big Turtle Shell wireless speaker bluetooth waterproof outside magazine outside online beach essentials
| (Courtesy of Outdoor Tech)

Don鈥檛 dip your toes in the water unless you have the tunes to play in the background. This is water- and splash-resistant (not waterproof), plays music at a loud 110 decibels, and connects to your phone or tablet from up to 30 feet away.


Quiksilver Rashguard ($40)

quiksilver rashguard upf 50 outside magazine outside online beach essentials
| (Courtesy of Quiksilver)

This has a hidden feature. Although it looks like every other T-shirt you鈥檇 wear to the beach, it uses a new Rashguard tech with a UPF 50+ rating for sunblock. The entire line includes long-sleeve shirts, swimming trunks, and surf shirts.


Miir Growler ($59)

miir growler stainless steel outside magazine outside online beach essentials double insulated
| (Courtesy of Miir)

Not every water bottle is beach-ready. Not so the , which uses a unique clamp system that keeps sand and other residue from building up at the lip. The double-insulated shell keeps cold drinks cold for about 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours.


Sprint Kyocera Hydro Vibe (Free with contract)

Sprint Kyocera Hydro Vibe waterproof phone outside magazine outside online beach essentials
| (Courtesy of Sprint)

A few years ago, companies started offering so-called 鈥渨aterproof鈥 phones. The actually lives up to the claim鈥攊t can be submerged down to 3.28 feet for 30 minutes. The 4.5-inch screen is also crack-resistant and the phone wards off dust and sand.


Plantronics BackBeat FIT ($130)

Plantronics BackBeat FIT bluetooth headphones beach essentials outside magazine outside online wireless
| (Courtesy of Plantronics)

This , which is splash-resistant and durable, comes with a neoprene armband to hold your smartphone on your arm while you lay out at the beach. The headset lets you control music and answer calls with a quick finger press.

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