T3 - UK (2021-07)

Superb rugged speakers

JULY 2021 T 3 59

Heading into the great outdoors and want a soundtrack? You need

speakers that won’t quit on you. Let us test three leading contenders

Superb rugged

speakers

Words: David Nield, Matt Bolton, Yasmine Crossland Photography: Phil Barker

f you’retaking yourmusic on the
go with a portable speaker, then
you needit to last – and there are
a growing number of quality,
well-protected outdoorspeakers on the
market now, including models from high-end
audio brands better known for their indoorkit.
With leading manufacturers including
Bang &Olufsen andSonos joining the likes of
JBL inmaking battery-powered, wireless
speakers, youcan get yourself adevice that’s

protectedagainst the elements andthat’s

going to broadcast your music in high fidelity,

whether you’re on the beach, the campsite, or

yourpatio.

Besides the audioquality of your portable

speaker,there are a number of key specs to

look out for as well, not least battery life– you

wanta device that’s going to beable to live

away from a mains connection for as long as

possible, otherwise youroutdoor party might

be drawn toa premature close.

ere’salso waterproofing and

dustproofing to consider:if you’re going to be

using yourspeaker nearthe pool or out on a

windy, rainy mountainhike then makesure

the hardware you’re buying isdesigned to

survive the conditions.

Connectionsto portable speakersare

typicallydone via Bluetooth from yourphone

or laptop,but other standards(including

Apple AirPlay)are sometimes supported too.

So let’s see what’sout there.

I