Braven 625s Bluetooth Speaker review
Written by: Ibba Bernardo

ARRGH! WIRES!

ARRGH! LOW BAT!

ARRGH! LOW VOLUME, I CAN’T HEAR!

ARRGH! I DROPPED IT!

Much like paracetamol (or weed) which cures a plethora of ailments, the Braven 625s is the pain reliever in curing the illness that has been plaguing portable speakers since their inception.

Tough as nails! The Braven 625s is one of the most durable portable speakers in the market

Connectivity

The struggle against wired oppression is coming to a head. The Braven 625s was able to wirelessly connect to all my daily carry gadgets, iPod Touch, Galaxy S3, Macbook Air, and Nexus 7. The pairing system is straightforward and painless. Much like Former Senator Ramon Revilla SR/ Erap/ Prince Jeffrey of Brunei/ Kingdotcom this Bad Boy can also mate/pair with up to 8 partners but can only use them one at a time.

In the event your media player of choice doesn’t have A2DP Bluetooth capabilities, fret not, the Braven 625s has a standard 3.5mm plug wherein you can tether your gadget over a wired connection. The Braven 625s also has this nifty little feature where it can be daisy chained to another Braven unit (like the Braven 650) using the audio-out port. Theoretically you can also use this with other speakers which make the 625s into a bluetooth controller.

Power

The 1,700 mAh rechargeable battery can run for a spec’d 16 hours. During testing, the 625s came very close to the claimed 16 hour runtime. Another added function is the ability to share some of its battery power to charge another device via the build-in USB port which has an output of 0.5a to 1.0A. Because of the vampiric nature of today’s mobile devices, 1,700 mAh is barely passable as a back up battery, but considering that the Braven 625s is first and foremost a portable speaker, I’ll give it a pass for this oversight.

The LED light attachment on the Braven 625s

Audio Quality

6W doesn’t seem like a lot, but it does pack a punch, not a Pacman punch, mind you, more like a schoolyard bully punch. Loud enough to fill my man cave and irritate my wife in the bedroom next door. Unlike of its peers in the market, there isn’t much distortion even when cranked to max volume.

I stumbled upon an alternative “use case”, during a meeting in Makati, four of us needed to talk to one of our partners in QC. Instead of using my S3 in speakerphone mode (which is pretty weak), I whipped out the 625s and presto we had an instant high end teleconference. The audio was solid, though some of the guys in the opposite side of the table did have to raise their voice a bit.

Design

This thing looks tough, metal front and back perforated panels, exposed black allen screws, and a frame enclosed in thick rubber. All these design elements aren’t just for show, this thing is ruggedized to be shock resistant. With the thick rubber bumpers, the 625s is made to be used and abused and allows you to dump it in your bag and go without any worries. The 625s looks like it’s going to rip your X-mini’s diaphragm and stomp on it.

If I was to pick one thing that could be better on this device, and this is pretty small concern, It’s a bit too symmetrical. This sounds a bit odd so I shall expound, the minimal design only hints to which side is which.The small “BRAVEN 625s” tag on the face is the only way you know which is the front and from this minimal design queue, you can extrapolate the left and right, top and bottom. And only then would you know where the volume buttons are and on the opposite side the USB power out port.

The Braven 625s inside the bundled weather-proof pouch

Add-Ons

I’m usually underwhelmed with what most gadgets come with. Gone are the day when you unbox a toy and are surprised by all the cool goodies bundled with it. Now, some of the most sought after tech toys don’t even come with a charger! Thankfully, these come with, not just a charger, but with a couple of other knick knacks. To add to it’s ruggedly handsome good looks, it’s bundled with a bright yellow waterproof pouch and oddly enough a USB plug-in LED flashlight. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be a situation where I’ll be rocking out to “Call me Maybe” and all of the sudden be engulfed in complete darkness, that said, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

BOTTOMLINE

There is no Bluetooth Ruggedized speaker in the local market that can compete with the Braven’s sound and build quality. The Braven 625s is for the adventure junkie, weekend warrior or daily commuter who loves music and likes to travel in packs.

Likes:

• Pretty powerful and clear for a portable speaker
• Ruggedized and ready for adventure. Definitely one of the toughest portable speaker available
• It gives ’til it hurts by charging other USB devices
• A triad of useful accessories bundled with it: Weather-proof pouch, USB-powered LED light and charger

Dislikes:

• I’ve got fat fingers and the buttons are kinda tiny
• I sometime confuse front and back
• It’s pricey

Price:

Php 7,450

Availability:

All Digital Walker, Digital Hub, Beyond the Box and Buzz outlets

Guest Writer

email: guestwriter@technoodling.net