TECH SPOTLIGHT

Portable, wireless speakers perfect for a spring hike

The Braven 625s speaker includes a water-resistant carrying bag and an LED flashlight attachment.
The Braven 625s speaker includes a water-resistant carrying bag and an LED flashlight attachment.

— Are you getting the itch? I know I am.

I’m hoping that darn groundhog knows what he’s talking about and that we are going to have an early spring. Not that the winter has been too bad, minus a week or two. Still, there is nothing like a good spring hike.

Seeing as how I’m ready to hit the trails, I’m keeping an eye out for gadgets on the go. The Braven HD Wireless Speaker, Speakerphone and Phone Charger definitely fits the bill. I was sent the 625s model to try.

The Braven 625s, at first glance, appears to be a fairly no-frills speaker system. But looks can be deceiving.

The 625s is made to be a speaker for outdoor use. It comes with a lanyard for easy carrying, a micro-USB charging cord and power adapter, an auxiliary audio cable, a water-resistant carrying bag and a USB flashlight attachment.

Yes, you read that right. The 625s includes an LED flashlight that attaches to the side of the speaker via USB. The flashlight works whether the speaker is playing music or not. It’s a quirky little feature, but I like it.

Of course, the real star of the show is the speaker itself. As I said, it looks very basic. The silver mesh covering the front and back of the rectangular speaker is surrounded by a soft rubber frame. The speaker is about 6 inches long and about 2 inches thick. The size definitely makes it conducive to travel.

The speaker is controlled by buttons on the right side, including volume buttons that double as track forward and back controls. It also has a phone button that allows you to connect the speaker to a smart phone via Bluetooth.

The left side has the USB port for the flashlight attachment, but that port serves another purpose. It can be used to charge a cell phone. Doing so will drain that estimated 16 hours of play time quickly, but it’s great to have that backup available if you are out on the road.

It’s easy to check your battery power, but not terribly precise. A button on the left side will illuminate a light to show you how much battery power is left. White is 50 percent to full charge, blue means there is 10 percent to 40 percent charge left, and red means less than 10 percent. It’s nice to have some kind of indicator, but I wish it didn’t have such a broad range. There is a big difference in having 98 percent of charge left compared to 58 percent.

The real test, of course, is the sound. I ran it through several tests to get a proper feel for the sound, from a variety of music to use of the speaker as a speakerphone.

The speaker is excellent with old-fashioned folk, rock and pop - basically, your typical vocal-heavy sounds.

The 625s is slightly less successful with songs with deeper tones and heavy bass, but I expected that. What I didn’t expect was how rich the sound would be. The thump of a bass drum may be slightly anemic, but the bass leading to that depth comes out nicely. The result is a sound that is richer and better than most other speakers close to this size. The quality is simply excellent.

The other test I performed was with a smart phone, using the 625s as a speakerphone. Again, the speaker did an excellent job. I was able to hear the other person very well at any volume. Better still, they could hear me just fine, thanks to the built-in noise-canceling microphone. In fact, one party didn’t even realize I was on a speakerphone. I was able to be up to a couple of feet away and still be heard well.

The speaker does have a couple of disadvantages, but they’re pretty minor. The size works great for a bag or backpack, but the speaker is a bit bulky to fit into a pocket. It’s also got a bit of weight to it, about a pound, which can get tiresome to carry after a while. As I said, these are minor issues.

This speaker is impressive and very portable. Its function and its accessories make it perfect for camping trips, picnics or even a good spring hike.

I’m ready to go!

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Where it’s @

The Braven 625s HD Wireless Speaker, Speakerphone and Phone Charger requires a Bluetooth capable device for wireless connectivity. The product retails for $179. More information is available at http://www.braven.com.

Business, Pages 19 on 02/11/2013

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