Go Groove  - Go Groove BlueSYNC RGD

Go Groove

BlueSYNC RGD: a portable speaker not close to making a splash

Aprox. 37€

See specifications

The BlueSync RGD is a loudspeaker ready to do battle: waterproof and all silicone clad, its stowage bar allows it to accompany you everywhere. On the audio side, the two speakers and the passive radiator promise powerful stereo sound. GoGroove's promise can be summed up in three words: robust, splendid, durable.

Positive points

Splashproof.

Complete orders.

Robust...

Bad points

... but not necessarily in the long term.

Messy.

Imprecise finishes.

Lack of sound precision.

No bass.

Bluetooth latency.

Extremely directive.

Our review

Ergonomics

At first glance, the BlueSync RGD seems solidly built: the elongated paver is covered with a silicone camisole, the controls as well as the hatch concealing the connectors are also made of elastomer, while the head of the speaker is topped with an imposing potentiometer as well as a hoop for securing the enclosure to a hook.

But on closer inspection, the reality is far from being as beautiful. To start with, the rubber is extremely dirty (see photo below) and tends to detach from the enclosure - or more precisely, to peel off. Sure, the RGD is sturdy - we dropped it a meter, and its non-slip side is quite practical - but to be honest, it's not clear for how long. By the way, the tightness of the hatch leaves us skeptical, and indeed, the RGD is not waterproof as promised, but IPX4 - protected against water splashes from all directions -, therefore splashproof.

The finishes generally leave much to be desired: the cuts are approximate and the assemblies, imprecise. The controls are quite cheap, as is the LED indicating the status of the speaker (recharging, pairing Bluetooth). They allow you to pause / play the song, take a call or hang up, skip to the next / previous track and adjust the sound level. It should be noted that GoGroove has opted, like certain other manufacturers like Divacore, for a change of track via a short press, while a long press makes it possible to adjust the sound level. The audio indications (simple beeps which indicate that the speaker is powered up, the pairing and the maximum level reached) are quite unpleasant, and it is not possible to deactivate them.

If the controls on the side of the speaker allow you to adjust the volume of the player (smartphone, computer, tablet, walkman), that perched at the top of the RGD allows you to adjust that of the amp of the speaker itself: there are therefore two ways to manage the listening volume. This button also has its peculiarity, since it continues to turn - painfully, of course, but all the same - after having reached its stops, thus pushing the visual cue of maximum and minimum sound level.

The hatch conceals a micro-USB port for charging, an on / off switch that is inconvenient enough to turn the speaker on / off and an analog input in mini-jack. Its autonomy measured at 7:30 am is in the low average (ten hours for the Charge 2+, 12 hours for the SoundLink Mini, 2 pm for the UE Boom).


Audio

On the audio side, we tell you right away: it's not the burst either. To begin with, the bass and low mids are almost absent, the spectrum starting to be correctly reproduced from 250 Hz. So we should not count on any sensation of sound immersion whatsoever, however tenuous it may be. she be with a nomadic enclosure.

We also notice, and this from the first seconds of listening, that the sound is as if confined in a cardboard box. But beware, it is not stifled either: count on the treble to twist your eardrums from time to time, at random from a perky cymbal or a slightly twisted Fender. The explanation is not this time on the side of the frequency response, but rather on the side of the square signals: the membranes lack too much reactivity to offer the different sound actors a correct ADSR envelope. The whole therefore lacks precision, generating a confused rendering, hence this "cardboard" effect. To top it off, the speaker is extremely directional, becoming extremely medium as soon as you offset from a central listening position. Finally, the power is correct, but the excessive Bluetooth latency does not allow you to watch a movie wirelessly with the BlueSync RGD.


Conclusion

From its precarious robustness to its poor quality sound via a significant Bluetooth latency, a construction leaving much to be desired or even a fairly low autonomy, there is unfortunately not much that saves this brave BlueSync RGD.


Specifications