MacroBoom - Rugged Speaker with Poor Sound Quality
SOS PowerBank designed the MacroBoom to be an ultra-rugged portable bluetooth speaker that produces great sound, is waterproof and can be solar charged. While it is definitely the most rugged speaker we've tried, it fell flat on sound quality and other advertised features. This speaker is not for us.
Durable
The most impressive aspect of the MacroBoom is how durable it is. If you're looking for a speaker that can take a beating, then this may be for you. The prism-shaped MacroBoom has a solid weight to it, with rubber bumpers around all the edges. Built like a wrecking ball, it won't flinch if dropped or accidentally thrown against the wall when you get frustrated with the subpar sound quality.
Waterproof
The MacroBoom is advertised to be IP67 certified - which means the waterproof housing enables it to withstand submersion for 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1 meter. Also, the MacroBoom has a floating feature allowing it to play music even when in the water. Only problem is, mine didn't float at the surface, but rather sat a few inches under the surface. I can see this being a problem if dropped in murky water, so you may want to attach a floaty to it just in case.
Battery & Solar Panel Charger
The MacroBoom is advertised to have 15 hours of battery life that can be charged with the built in solar panel. This was a huge reason I initially bought the speaker. I was excited to be able to listen to music for a good amount of time and easily recharge when away from an electric outlet. SOS PowerBank over promised and under delivered on this one. My battery consistently gave me only 4.5 hours of life at 50% volume. No bueno. As for the solar charging, it takes 35+ hours to fill the battery in full sunlight. In my opinion, that is way too long and makes this feature obsolete.
Sound Quality
This speaker had multiple sound issues. The least important one was the announcement. You know, the sound a speaker makes when you turn it on or off. When starting the MacroBoom, the announcement is entirely way too loud, with no ability to turn it down. Not a big deal, but quickly became annoying.
Now here's the kicker...or lack thereof. The sound quality of the MacroBoom is subpar. It gets loud, but has little to no bass with the mids and highs totally overpowering the music. That was the deal killer for me. At this price point, the quality of the music is important, especially when advertised as a speaker for audiophiles. Every time I played the speaker for a friend, the first comment would be about the lack of bass. So it wasn't just me being a music snob. I actually sent the speaker back and requested a replacement to see if this was an isolated issue. Sadly it wasn't. I returned the second speaker and got a refund. At least the customer service a SOS PowerBank was good.
My Take
If you want a portable bluetooth speaker that is super rugged and you don't care about sound quality, then you may like the MacroBoom. If sound quality is really important to you, then don't waste your time.
Price: $139.00 (speaker only); $159.00 (w/ action package)
Dimensions: L - 17cm, W - 8.1cm, H - 7.5cm (6.7 x 3.2 x 3in)
Weight: 0.72Kg (1.6 lb)
Waterproof: Yes – waterproof rating of IPx67; Will float in water
Battery Life: 4.5 hours (Advertised to be 15 hours)
Solar Charging Time - 35 Hours
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