Sensport Rave Model 1 Outdoor Speaker IPX7 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker – Today’s product was provided for review by Probox2’s Wilson. Thank you so much for your continued collaboration!
Rave Model 1 is the second, and bigger Bluetooth Speaker I received for review from Probox2. It is a bigger, a little pricier and more powerful brother to the Move Mini I reviewed a few weeks back.
What’s in the Box?
Sensport included almost all needed bits with this small speaker. Connected the speaker itself, you’ll find a connection ring (Also referred to as a “climbing hook”) to help you hang the speaker from hooks and such, a USB – Micro-USB charging cable (but no actual wall plug, to save costs), a 3.5 mm AUX audio cable, and the leaflet form User Manual:
• Rave Model 1 Speaker with Climbing hook (permanently attached to speaker)
• USB Charging Cable
• 3.5 mm AUX Cable
• User Manual
Looks
The Rave Model 1 comes in unassuming black package, looking ready for rough trips in nature, with it’s military-like cut off sides. The climbing hook also adds to the nature destined/hiking look. It feels sturdy and still isn’t much heavier than a big smartphone.
Specifications
| Bluetooth Specification | 4.2 |
| Driver Spec | 8W x 2 = 16W |
| Size | 165 x 78.6 x 43.5 (L x W x H) mm |
| Net Weight | 357 Grams |
| Transmission Distance | 33 Feet (10 Meters) |
| Battery Capacity | 3600 mAh |
| Charging Port | Micro USB |
| Charging Voltage | 5 Volt |
| Charging Time | Approx. 4-5 Hours |
| Playtime at full volume (100% volume) | Approx. 4 Hours |
| Playtime at partial volume (60% volume) | Approx. 24 Hours |
| Waterproof Standard | IPX7 |
| Other Interfaces | AUX-IN Port, Micro-SD (TF) Slot * |
* MicroSD (TF) card supports maximum 32GB capacity and it supports MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, APE file formats playback.
Ever since Bluetooth made its way into our little devices, it became an integral part of out lives. From Bluetooth enabled earphones and headphones, through hands-free wireless car ports, and of course wireless speakers that you can carry anywhere – Bluetooth became so common that you don’t find it strange to see people talk to themselves while walking in the streets any more.
Testing and Audio Quality
Audio was tested in both quiet(ish) apartment and louder (shower) environments. Audio sources included lossless FLAC files in local playback (from a Micro-SD card), Bluetooth streaming of lossless FLAC files, and the loudness was more than sufficient for small to medium sized rooms. In fact, I’ve found that the speaker can act as a wireless sound bar quite well (with some reservations due to some latency).
Audio Quality
Sound seems to be loud and clear. However, I noticed that low frequencies were a bit muddy and less pronounced than the high and mid frequencies.
Playback Modes
Move Mini allows three different modes of operation for audio playback (excluding the Bluetooth hands-free ability, which I will cover later):
- The first, is Bluetooth streaming. Pretty simply, it’s streaming audio from a Bluetooth capable device – In my case my new Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Audio quality was great and volume was good for a small to medium room. I’ve also tested the speaker while connected to a TV box, and it can easily function as a sound bar thanks to the dual drivers within it
- Next mode of playback is via a Micro-SD memory card. The card must be no larger than 32 GBÂ *, according to specifications. The Rave Model 1 supports WMA and MP3 compressed audio, FLAC, OGG, APE and WAV lossless audio. I’ve tested lossless FLAC files only and both the audio quality and the volume proved excellent
- The last mode of playback is via a coaxial 3.5 mm direct cable connection. To use this mode of playback, we need to turn the speaker as usual, with a long press on the power button, and then plug in the included 3.5 mm cable from the audio source to the connection in the back of the speaker, followed by a long press on the M button. The audio quality is the same, but I found that the volume was a bit lower than with the other two modes
*Â However.. last two tests I conducted with a 64 GB Micro-SD card as well with a 128 GB capacity one, showed that the speaker IS able to read and play audio back from larger capacity memory cards – topping out at 64 GB, and not 32 GB as specified. (also mentioned in Issues and Bugs as follows)
Bluetooth
Pairing completed quickly and without issues, after turning the speaker on by applying a long press on the left-most power button. All audio playback via Bluetooth and MicroSD testing was done using lossless FLAC audio files.
The manufacturer claims 10 meters (direct line of sight). When testing inside an apartment, I was able to keep playback running smoothly through two walls, but at a little less than the reported distance.
Battery Life and Waterproofing
Time measured using mixed sources (Bluetooth, Micro-SD and AUX) in differing volumes came up to about 32 hours. That’s a great number for Battery Life. Water/splash proof abilities were tested successfully in the shower with no issues found.
Bugs and Issues
- When used in conjunction with a TV Box (Himedia Q10 Pro), it automatically turns the volume (in Android) all the way down when paired/connected. I assume this is to avoid damage in case the volume is too high for the speaker to handle, but it’s just another redundant step and cannot seem to be avoided
- Reception distance is not as good as the Move Mini reviewed previously
- Some latency (audio-video delay/de-synchronization) was found when using the speaker in Bluetooth mode while connected to a TV box
Rave Model 1 Speaker Conclusions
Did I like it? Yes, I did. It surpassed my expectations for such a reasonably priced speaker.
Would I recommend it? Definitely. Similarly to it’s little brother, the Rave Model 1 does a great job and only adds to the mix a beefier volume (thanks to two drivers and a double capacity battery), as well as support for lossless formats such as FLAC, APE and WAV via MicroSD playback.
You like it! Where can you buy it? You can get it now from Amazon for 35 USD excluding shipping and fees:Â https://amzn.to/2quH5ko
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