If you, as the band Kiss might put it, want to rock ‘n’ roll all night and party
every day, Braven has designed the wireless accessory speaker for it.
The Braven 850 claims its battery can play music continuously for up to 20 hours, although in a test, playing the speaker at a modest volume, it sailed past the 24-hour mark. At that point, the speaker’s battery indicator still showed two-fifths power remaining.
Larger than some of the previous Braven products — at about 10 inches long, 4 inches tall and 3 inches deep — the 850 has a nice, balanced sound, with ample bass and clear highs. It also has a DTS bass-boosting sound enhancement, which is controlled by holding volume up and down together for two seconds.
The silver cabinet is of aluminum with clearly marked controls on top, including one that turns the speaker into a speaker phone (when paired with a phone by Bluetooth, of course).
A single 850 is loud enough to support a living room dance party, perhaps because of the built-in 20-watt amplifier. But it can also be paired with a second 850 to, as the band Marrs might put it, pump up the volume. The pairing also allows for true stereo sound, as one speaker plays only the right channel, the other one, the left.
These weigh more than three pounds, so you might not want to tote a pair of them on a hike to the beach. And if you are considering it for some reason other than portability, you might also consider the price. At $300 each, you’re looking at $600 for a pair. For that same money you could buy a respectable stereo receiver and bookshelf speakers. Or, as the band the Brains might put it, money changes everything.
The Braven 850 claims its battery can play music continuously for up to 20 hours, although in a test, playing the speaker at a modest volume, it sailed past the 24-hour mark. At that point, the speaker’s battery indicator still showed two-fifths power remaining.
Larger than some of the previous Braven products — at about 10 inches long, 4 inches tall and 3 inches deep — the 850 has a nice, balanced sound, with ample bass and clear highs. It also has a DTS bass-boosting sound enhancement, which is controlled by holding volume up and down together for two seconds.
The silver cabinet is of aluminum with clearly marked controls on top, including one that turns the speaker into a speaker phone (when paired with a phone by Bluetooth, of course).
A single 850 is loud enough to support a living room dance party, perhaps because of the built-in 20-watt amplifier. But it can also be paired with a second 850 to, as the band Marrs might put it, pump up the volume. The pairing also allows for true stereo sound, as one speaker plays only the right channel, the other one, the left.
These weigh more than three pounds, so you might not want to tote a pair of them on a hike to the beach. And if you are considering it for some reason other than portability, you might also consider the price. At $300 each, you’re looking at $600 for a pair. For that same money you could buy a respectable stereo receiver and bookshelf speakers. Or, as the band the Brains might put it, money changes everything.
