PSA: Braven 850 Portable BT Speaker $177 on Amazon

[BrianZ]

http://www.amazon.com/Braven-850-Portab ... B00DM445KM

Became interested in BT portable speakers in the last couple weeks and stumbled on this sale. Reviews seem to be almost unanimously rave, including claims that it's very comparable to the Jawbone Big Jambox, both in size and sound. Having heard the Big Jambox at BB this week (very impressive) then this is a deal not to be missed since both units normally go for $280-300. Can't wait to receive mine this weekend!

The standout features:
- Bluetooth 3.0 and aptX codec compatibility
- 20W amp
- 20 hour battery life (!)
- 3.5mm aux input
- USB outlet for powering your other devices
- speakerphone


I'm not affiliated with anything. I've just learned so much from you all here and received such great advice over the years (all the way back to the S&V days) that I wanted to give a little something back. Hope someone finds this useful.

 

[Flint]

Looks good, but one HUGE problem for someone who spends lots of time on the road... the power supply is not compatible with the standard micro-USB connections used by phones and most modern devices.

When I travel my suitcase and computer bag have 9 separate devices which could require charging. The laptop requires its own charger, but all the rest (including my Dell Latitude 10 ST2 tablet) charge from a standard phone-style microUSB charger, so I have a couple of multiport 2A (per port) USB chargers I can use with any of the devices. I also carry around a bunch of USB charging cables. This simplifies the entire packing issue with electronics.

If you don't mind managing a unique charger for your portable speakers, the Braven 850 looks pretty good. Otherwise, I'd recommend a speaker with a microUSB charger port. I carry the JBL Charge bluetooth speaker which also has a HUGE battery capable of charging my phone while I listen to music. I sounds REALLY good and costs less than the Braven product.

 

[Towen7]

I wonder how many people move their portable speakers around. The people I know tend to set them up on their desk or their bathrooms and never move them. Sure, road warriors like Flint have different needs but I wonder what percentage of the market fall into that category.

 

[Flint]

Good question.

The first time I ever considered buying one was when I went to a picnic in a park with another couple and they were playing music using a small Jawbone speaker. It worked, was really portable, and made our lunch a little more pleasant. I haven't noticed my friend or coworkers using BT speakers as fixed appliances. Most of BT speakers I see in my life are out on the move.

 

[Towen7]

So maybe "never move them" was an overstatement. For example, I have a BT speaker on my desk where it'll spend >90% of it's life. Once a month or so I'll toss it into my briefcase and use it for a presentation. That couple you had a picnic lunch with... Do you suppose they have frequent picnics and take this speaker or is that something they do only infrequently?

Maybe the difference in your observations and mine are due to how we interact with people. Most of my observations of "the public" are when me or my team are in their homes/businesses servicing the products we sell. If we were meeting at conventions or social gatherings I'd expect my observations would be the same as yours.

 

[jomari]

Thanks BrianZ for the suggestion, man that looks like a beast of a speaker! give us your opinions on it later on, hoping that it sounds as awesome as it looks.

I actually have the Creative Roar, bought it after i heard my sisters Bose Mini Soundlink that was given to her as a gift. It had some hefty bass in it! too much for my liking, but i was amazed by how efficient those drivers where in such a small package. it was on the hefty side, so you know its got some great quality in it.

The reason why i went with the Roar was because it had a microsd card, and love certain aspects of it. We all have our priorities, and what we want in our appliances. Mines been moving around in the house, but i dont travel either.

 

[BrianZ]

yeah, the 850 is definitely a bit large to be truly portable. not the best for small luggage, to be sure. but it's right in the wheelhouse of what i need - i gladly chose sound quality over portability. it will be used all over my house (kitchen, front stoop, anywhere my main system can't easily reach), and i can also see it being great for taking to the park. hell, i might even pack it in a larger suitcase when going to visit my mom because she doesn't have any kind of system i can plug into (one Xmas visit i even went to the BB near her and got one of the Bose units to use during the visit and then returned it just before heading home ). and considering the low quality of BT streaming i'll most often be plugging my Zunes into it via the aux jack (wma lossless files). the Zune's radio will be used rather often as well. i wish there were an equivalent portable system at this price point that has radio built in - that would be truly ideal for me.

anyway, yeah i'll let you all know what i think of it.


jomari, i also listened to the Bose Soundlink while at BB and i agree: too much boom. and when you face the speaker directly it also had too much brash top end. signature Bose sound, I guess. so how do you like the Roar? this is the first i've heard of it - looks amazingly awesome. kinda wish i had known about it before pulling the trigger on the Braven, though it's not all that much smaller really. and the 850's battery life looks significantly longer. but i wonder which one would please my ear more, hmmmm . . . . .

 

[BrianZ]

so a month or so in and i really like this little thing! very good clarity and balance for what it is. nice, prominent mids and the low end drops off where it should for the size (no unnaturally bloated eq). my only complaint is in the very high end: a bit too much sizzle and air. things like "S" sounds and cymbals can pierce too much. is this what we all call "sibilant"? i'm sure they did this to give it more liveliness and a broader appeal. but i'm sorta nit-picking here. overall i'm very happy and can't imagine any of the competition being any better. highly recommended.

 

[Flint]

There is plenty of research on perception of audio quality in humans which suggests that a balance between bass and treble extension is preferred. So, when a speaker is lacking in deep bass, it should equally lack top-end treble. As the bandwidth gets limited in the bass it should equally get limited in the treble. Ideal audibility for humans is in the 200Hz to 7kHz range, So, if you add an octave to the bass (100Hz), you should equally add an octave to the treble (7kHz). In all things, a slight roll-off from about 500Hz to the highest frequency of about 0.5dB per octave also enhanced perceived sound quality.

 

[jomari]

jomari, i also listened to the Bose Soundlink while at BB and i agree: too much boom. and when you face the speaker directly it also had too much brash top end. signature Bose sound, I guess. so how do you like the Roar? this is the first i've heard of it - looks amazingly awesome. kinda wish i had known about it before pulling the trigger on the Braven, though it's not all that much smaller really. and the 850's battery life looks significantly longer. but i wonder which one would please my ear more, hmmmm . . . . .

so sorry brianz for not responding earlier. its been hectic hectic hectic all around on my end.

so, yes, i agree, the sound of the bose can get a tad tiring so to speak, sort of how some people get exhausted (hihihi!) listening to horns (no pun intended)...

The only thing i think that gets to me about the roar is that at times, i think i run out of juice in about 8 hours plus or minus. other than that, i keep it plugged in. soundwise, i am definitely in love with it. you do have to angle it at a good spot tho, the edge has to be at a 'lip' and pretty much follow the rules of omnidirectional speakers. nothing really complicated, thats the beauty of these things. its more or less just a decent set of speakers. do they sound like 20 dolla ones? nope, are they as 'deep' as the bose soundlink mini? nope. but thats the thing, its well balanced enough for my needs, and quite frankly, is putting my ht to a bit of dust when it comes to playing some jams for my morning coffee and/or dinner cooking time. i cant put out too much money on these, nor have the luxury of losing it if ever i did. but ive carried it to work at times, sometimes, if not all the time, get some great compliments. i dont even jack up the sound and people do notice the sound is balanced well.