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Ecoxgear Ecorox Rugged Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

8
£119.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Compact speaker that's as good on a ride as it is in the shower afterwards
Weight: 
328g

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The Ecoxgear Ecorox speaker is about as tough as you can get in a bluetooth mountable speaker. Whether you want to attach it to your bike or not is down to personal preference.

The Ecorox is a decent size, measuring at 3.0 x 5.3 x 2.5 inches. I found between a bell, lights and a Garmin I was pushed for mounting space on my handlebars.

However, I got it on there with a 'standard camera style' screw based mount, bought separately as the speaker only comes with a carabiner clip to hang it elsewhere. Weighing in at 328 grams it's not too heavy for handlebars, and for the power of sound you get, the weight is very light.

Connecting your smartphone to the speaker is really easy. Bluetooth technology means it's an almost instant connection once you have paired the devices initially. You can control music via your phone or shift songs on by pressing the buttons on the speaker itself.

The speaker claims to not be just water resistant, but waterproof. Of course there is only one way to test this, so I dropped it in the bath. It kept on playing its music. Safe to say you can listen to what you like in all kinds of weather. Not to mention the fact that it floats too. Ecoxgear have tested the waterproofing for up to 30 minutes in three feet of water, I never quite tested it to this extreme.

The sound you get from the 6W stereo speakers is very good. I could hear (and feel) base notes from it. The sound is produced from a speaker on the front and one on top so whichever angle you listen to it at, you hear music. This works particularly well on a bike when you factor in wind and so on. You can still hear your tunes when on the move.

Because it uses a wireless hookup from your phone, you can also answer calls via the speaker. There is a button on top of it allowing you to answer calls. It works reasonably well. The sound quality is decent and you can hear the person you are speaking with. Although it does leave you feeling exposed and everyone can hear your conversation.

The battery life is faultless. You get 10 hours from the lithium-ion battery which will be plenty for a whole day out. It charges via a standard micro USB cable that can be plugged in or charged on a laptop. Plugged in to mains, charging takes around two and half hours and this is spot on with the manufacturer's claims.

The unit has a small LED light that flashes every 30 seconds when the battery only has 30 minutes of play left. Once charged it will turn from red to green to let you know it's good to go.

There has always been a debate on whether cyclists should wear headphones or not and this speaker offers an alternative, but it also means sharing your tunes with everyone around you.

Verdict

Compact speaker that's as good on a ride as it is in the shower afterwards

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road.cc test report

Make and model: ECOXGEAR ECOROX Rugged Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The speaker is aimed at those with an active outdoor lifestyle, whether it be on a bike or a beach. The manufacturers say "The ECOROX by ECOXGEAR is a unique portable audio system combining Bluetooth, Lithium Ion Battery & Waterproof Technologies. ECOROX is a shock resistant, floating, waterproof, full-range rechargeable wireless speaker system. Do everything from streaming & playing your music from your Bluetooth enabled Smartphone / audio device, to answering your calls over the built-in speaker phone!". It lives up to all the claims made and functions really well as a speaker.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

IPX7 Waterproof. Fully submersible in Water

Rugged, Waterproof and Floating Bluetooth Speaker

Integrated Full Range 6 watt Stereo Speakers

Top Mounted Bass Radiator

Connects to your Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops

Top Panel Control Buttons: Power, Bluetooth Pairing, Volume +/-, and Speakerphone Answer

Built in Battery: Lithium Rechargeable, 10 hour play or talk time (actual time varies)

Aux-In

Mounting Options via 1/4"-20 threaded Camera mount screw post

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

A very solid speaker that feels very robust and it's totally waterproof.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

The speaker hits out some great sound for music. It acts as a speaker-phone as well, but the sound quality diminishes a little here. This can be down to a number of factors like a bad connection or wind rather than the speaker itself being at fault.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

"Rugged" by name and by nature. It will take a spilled drink, a dunk in the sea as well as a tumble and still work.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

I feel the speaker is light for everything it offers and is great for general use. Some people may find it too much extra weight on their bike.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

The RRP is £119.99 and it's pretty steep for a speaker. Yet this one will hold up against the elements really well making it pretty decent value. And a little shopping around means you can get it a fair bit cheaper.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The speaker is designed to be outside and it works really well in this environment. It will be great on camping trips, beach trips and bike rides.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I liked the fact that I never had to worry about it getting wet.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The bulk on my handlebars looked too much.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

I think this speaker is a great one for outside. Whether you want to mount it to your bike is an entirely up to you.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 34  Height: 158cms  Weight: 61kg

I usually ride: Giant defy  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Add new comment

24 comments

Avatar
MKultra | 9 years ago
0 likes

I can actually see a use for this on paramedic and police mountain bikes.

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nortonpdj | 9 years ago
0 likes

Surely the Keepers of the Cog will add a rule to ban this.
It is, in my opinion, worse than white shorts.

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antigee | 9 years ago
0 likes

recent "ride the night" midnight to dawn in pouring rain appreciated the music from some who had rigged up their bikes
has a place

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Phil T | 9 years ago
0 likes

For all the reasons listed above I couldn't imagine using this whilst actually riding.
However, I could definitely see a potential use for this on a long tour for occasional use in camp at the end of the day.
Of course this would probably only work if you were camping alone!

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kitkat | 9 years ago
0 likes

it's all I need to know...

Quote:

Compact speaker that's as good on a ride as it is in the shower afterwards

Avatar
bikebot | 9 years ago
0 likes

Hmm, thinking about it a little bit, the review is fine.

I recently criticised a review for a bell, because the reviewer didn't appear to think much of bells. We had the same for a minipump review before that.

The right thing to do, is to review the product as is. The merits of sticking a speaker on your bike shouldn't be reflected in the score. It won't change what I might think of anyone that actually does that though.

Avatar
phazon | 9 years ago
0 likes

Nothing wrong with the product, rugged tech has plenty of uses. But using it on a bike? Seriously? Are you trying to make the non-cycling public hate us even more?

Not what I would expect from road.cc

(And if you insist listening to music while riding, just use one side from some in-ear headphones. You can still hear what's going on around you, and traffic. Not my bag but better than this)

Avatar
barbarus | 9 years ago
0 likes

Hilarious. While riding the Devon coast to coast last summer with my sons and friend we passed a large lad on a very flashy carbon bike with something like this strapped onto his saddle. He insisted on demonstrating it while laughing at me because my bike was "too heavy".

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Gennysis | 9 years ago
0 likes

What is the sound quality like underwater?

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Ush | 9 years ago
0 likes

I don't want to hear your music.

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bikebot | 9 years ago
0 likes

Quite surprised to find that the reviewer is 34. I was expecting it to say 15.

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handlebarcam replied to bikebot | 9 years ago
0 likes

The only people I ever see who have speakers on their bike also have all their other possessions attached to it as well, because they are homeless people. There's one who perpetually circles around my local shopping district, missing an eye, music blaring out, but looks tough enough to be ex-military so you wouldn't cross him. Why anyone would want to pay 120 quid to emulate a bum is beyond me.

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handlebarcam replied to bikebot | 9 years ago
0 likes
bikebot wrote:

Quite surprised to find that the reviewer is 34. I was expecting it to say 15.

I was expecting it to be a ...28 years old joke.

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LarryDavidJr | 9 years ago
0 likes

There needs to be a new rule for this.

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

I would rather peeps used this rather than wearing headphones.

A guy round here has a massive system on the back of his bike for commuting, its quite fun.

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BertYardbrush | 9 years ago
0 likes

No No No No NO NO NO

Take this review down. Awful Awful

There is an ethos and this product isn't part of it.

Not for any cyclist anywhere.

Ghastly.

Avatar
farrell replied to BertYardbrush | 9 years ago
0 likes
BertYardbrush wrote:

No No No No NO NO NO

Take this review down. Awful Awful

There is an ethos and this product isn't part of it.

Not for any cyclist anywhere.

Ghastly.

Give your head a wobble.

What 'ethos' do you think your adhering to? Is it an ethos so laden with small minded thinking and rampant arrogance that you can speak on behalf of all cyclists?

Throwing a little hissy fit and demanding a review be taken down because you don't like the product, how embarrassing, you tart.

Avatar
PaulBox replied to farrell | 9 years ago
0 likes
farrell wrote:

Give your head a wobble.

 24

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kwi | 9 years ago
0 likes

How to make friends and.....

Actually can't imagine anything more annoying than hearing other peoples music, and imagine others don't want to hear mine.

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FullGas | 9 years ago
0 likes

On a bike this is useful as an ashtray lol. Seriously, I've been looking for a small bluetooth speaker to take on travels, this might be it.

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edd23 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Sorry, but why the fu$k would you want a speaker on your bike  7

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picko | 9 years ago
0 likes

Look forward to seeing that on the club run  24

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crikey | 9 years ago
0 likes

I don't have the vocabulary to be sufficiently disparaging about this product....

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Nick0 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Ye gods

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