Braven
Braven BRV-Pro: the ultimate modular backpacking speaker
Aprox. 149€ - see price -
See specificationsSpecializing in nomadic speakers, Braven returns to our labs with the BRV Pro. This small model puts above all on its resistance, its autonomy and its modular concept. It can be upgraded and equipped with several accessories (sold separately) such as an additional battery, a fixing system, a solar panel or even a stacking system to integrate another BRV Pro speaker.
Positive points
Sound balance for a speaker of this size.
Fairly rich medium / Voice intelligibility.
Powerful.
Serious manufacturing / impact, drop and water resistance.
Numerous indications / Easy to use and configure.
Great autonomy.
Bad points
Dynamic compression which causes pumping effects.
Distortion a little too high, especially after 65-70% of the max volume.
Pronounced forward directionality.
No mini-jack cable provided.
No NFC chip.
Our review
Ergonomics
The BRV Pro rests on a solid metallic chassis accompanied by several parts of hardened rubber. The materials used and the quality of its assembly leave no doubt about its resistance (IPX7 certified). The speaker can fall, bump, bump against other objects or even fall into the water (be careful not to exceed 1 m deep!), It does not flinch. If it falls into the water, remember to shake it a little to release the water from the grid and thus regain correct sound quality.
The BRV Pro is available in two colors: gray / black / blue, like our test copy, or black / red
Purchased alone, the speaker comes with the usual Braven strap as well as a USB cable and an Allen key. This allows you to dismantle the upper base to mount and connect the various accessories offered by the manufacturer. The operation is quite simple and never requires more than a minute or two. We would have liked a 3.5 mm mini-jack cable and a small storage case to accompany the speaker.
Getting started is very fast. The loudspeaker has all the controls that we usually look for on a portable speaker: volume control, playback management, call management and navigation between tracks. Only the latter is done in an unconventional way by pressing the "+" button to go to the next song and the "-" button to go back to the previous song / start of the current song.
Even if no NFC chip is present, pairing via Bluetooth (A2DP, HFP, AVRCP) is done without any problem over the many sound and light indications. To quibble a bit, we find that the sound quality of these indications is a bit average: we hear a small click at each end and beginning and a slight background noise.
The speaker can also be used wired via the 3.5 mm mini-jack connector and can charge a mobile device (smartphone, portable player, etc.) via the USB port.
This small enclosure also offers great autonomy. Even if it can not keep its promise, namely 30 hours of autonomy, it easily exceeds 21 hours of use at a good level of listening. To save the battery as well as possible, it has an automatic switch-off which is triggered after 30 min of inactivity.
As too often on this type of speaker, the hands-free kit is clearly not the most effective. To be heard a minimum, you have to be very close to the speaker, within 30 to 40 cm. Even under these conditions, our voice seems confined and therefore not very clear.
Audio
The small Braven BRV Pro offers surprisingly balanced sound reproduction for its size.
The bass is not the deepest and we would clearly have liked a little more. However, they have the merit of being fair enough and of placing themselves correctly in the scene so as not to mask other sources. The medium is quite rich and detailed, which allows voices or wind instruments (saxophone, trumpet, clarinet ...) to be expressed clearly. Electric guitars are also particularly sharp and sharp. The treble brings the necessary presence and shine but without exaggeration or sibilance.
However, two elements prevent it from providing an excellent experience and thus claiming the maximum score. First the distortion, which makes the bass a little confusing and all a little aggressive at high volume. You have to stay below 65-70% to calm the phenomenon. And it's a shame, because the speaker is relatively powerful. Second point, we feel a compression of the dynamics more or less important according to the songs, especially on the songs with mixing and mastering well compressed basic, with small pumping effects triggered by very marked transients (snare drum and percussion in general).
The communication latency in Bluetooth is correct (around 160 ms delay). This allows you to watch a film or series without being too disturbed by a possible lag between sound and image.
Conclusion
The Braven Pro is a portable speaker with many qualities: it is both robust, very easy to use, its controls are complete and its sound rendering is balanced given its size. However, it barely misses the last step because of the lack of control over its power, which results in a slightly too high distortion and pumping effects when the volume is turned up too high.
Specifications
Reviews
Two thumbs WAY UP!! STILL!!
I am a pretty big audiophile. I listen to everything from bluegrass to heavy metal to punk to dub step / trap. A friend has an older model and I was pretty impressed with the quality so I thought that I would give this one a try.
Day 1: ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY at the volume and quality that this little speaker puts out. Now granted, don't think that this is going to give you Klipsch, Harman / Kardon, or Bose FULL SYSTEM quality. But, I would put up against ANY rechargeable battery Bluetooth speaker out there. It has very clear highs, subtle (not overwhelming) mids, and a wide range of clear bass tones. You can hear all the picks and bends in Texas Flood (Stevie Ray Vaughan) and all the high hats and bass beats in Bangarang (Skrillex). The volume is loud enough to clearly hear at highway speeds in an older topless Jeep and isn't distorted.
I am going on a canoe trip in a couple of weeks. I will write back in about a month or so for a longer term and water resistant review. But as of now, I give it a very high two thumbs up !!
UPDATE: Four months later and I am still extremely impressed with this speaker. I have definitely put it through its paces. I have submerged it in 3ft deep river water, dropped it in a pool, and used it on several very rough ATV rides. It still performs as it did the day I took it out of the box!
Perfect speaker for adventure bikes on a light helmet day.
I have tried other bluetooth speakers and this is the best. The sound is excellent and the battery life is close to claimed even at full volume. My intention with bluetooth speakers is to mount them on my adventure bike so that I can have music without some kind of elaborate set up. The "gopro" mount (sold seperately) for this thing makes it perfect.
Before this I bought a UE boom, which had about a1.5 hour battery life; not a fluke, I replaced it twice. This speaker has great sound and is cheaper than a UE boom and much more versatile. I have included a video of this gem mounted to my BMW GS using a RAM mount. Now adventure bikers truly can have the best of all worlds! And if you own a Road King or the like just toss this in the toolbag on your windshield.
Little speaker with a big punch.
This little guy pumps out a tone of sound for its size. I was surprised after I broke it in and turned it all the way up just how loud it gets. It even prompted me to buy the extended battery pack for it which is completely worth it if you use it outdoors for a long day out on the boat or where ever you may go. Love this speaker and would buy again and just might since they stack to make a small stereo. There are a bunch of different attachments you can get for this little power house so it is definitely worth the price.
Super Durable, Great Sound Quality, Maybe Get the Battery Attachment
Realistically the battery is not gonna last 15 hours, let's be honest. You're probably gonna be using bluetooth and blasting this thing which will last maybe 5 hours, not sure exactly. It's very rugged though, dropped it skateboarding, taken it kayaking in the rain and it's still good to go. Be careful getting it wet with attachments on though, they only use 2 screws normally (not 4) so my friend's got destroyed on a kayaking trip. They sent a warranty one though. Also, the sound quality is fantastic, if you put in the trunk of a kayak it's like you have a subwoofer in there.
Braven Products for the WIN!
This little speaker has amazing sound and the ability to buy add ons for it aka the solar panel for charging is awesome. I use this speaker almost every single day. It stays on the bathroom counter and only has to be charged every few weeks and charging takes no time at all. For the price of this speaker it has everything that I was hoping for and syncs right up to any phone that has tried to pair with it with no issues.
I would go back and buy this again or any Braven product, over a BOSE. I feel like they have the best quality sound and are rugged enough to not have to worry about them being damaged.
Quite happy with this
I bought this refurbished and I'm not confident they completely fixed it. My only complaint is that sometimes it doesn't want to turn on. I have to mess with pressing the power button exactly right to get it to power up. That being said, I also bought the solar panel accessory and with that I am able to play music all day. It's great when I'm outside working and it's waterproof so I don't need to worry when it starts raining. I would have given it 5 stars except for the power button issue.
*AVOID PRODUCT* Flimsy Parts
I purchased this speaker in August of 2016. This speaker gets mild usage with us only using this a handful of time (4-5) every year. The charging compartment panel closes using a plastic latching mechanism which broke this past August. It looks rugged and is marketed as a travel speaker that can handle the great outdoors. We only ever had this speak on a park lawn and the plastic broke from regular use. We used this 15-20 times MAX. Do not buy this speaker.
Excellent detail and volume from a very compact speaker
I purchased this after reading a review on ILounge.com. The bass, midrange, and highs that this speaker produces are amazing. Everything sounds clear as a bell from the lowest volume to the highest, and does this speaker get loud !! I like that it has lights to indicate the battery charge level, and also that I can charge my phone with it. This is my second portable bluetooth speaker; I purchased the Soundfreaq Soundkick about three years ago; that is a great speaker with excellent detail also, but not as much for the outdoors as the Braven.
I was concerned about what I could get for $ 150, but this speaker exceeded all of my expectations.