Last Christmas my kids bought me a small, waterproof bluetooth speaker so I could listen to music while in the shower. It worked as advertised however, the sound quality was lacking (it didn’t have much bass) and the battery didn’t last very long. It seemed like I was recharging it about once a week or so. It also didn’t have much of a range, requiring my phone to be within 10 feet or so for a good connection. You may have seen this type before. They look like this one:
They don’t cost much, around $10 to $15 on Amazon, but you do get what you pay for.
A Better Option
I wanted better sound quality and a longer lasting battery. I found both in the Hydra, a water and shockproof, bluetooth 4.0 portable speaker from Photive.
The Good
The Hydra has good bass, mid-range and highs for a small, portable, wireless speaker. It’s waterproof so you can keep it in the shower or bring it out on the patio and not worry about it getting wet. The battery must be pretty big because the it weighs more than you’d expect which to me means that most of the weight is the battery. That’s good because the battery lasts a really long time. I use my Hydra every day for perhaps 10 to 15 minutes at a time and I literally can’t remember how long ago it was that I recharged it. I’d say it lasts at least a month but probably closer to two months.
Pairing the Hydra to your smartphone or computer is simple since it shows up as discoverable device. Once you turn the Hydra on, there’s a button on the back that will connect it to your device quickly. Just a single press and you’re ready to go. There are also buttons to increase/decrease the volume, skip to the next track or go back to the previous one. These buttons, despite being on the back of the unit, are easy to reach as the unit is designed to point upward with both the front and back at 45 degree angles.
When you do need to recharge it, the unit comes with a USB cable that connects to a port protected behind a rubber cap on the right side of the unit.
The Bad (well, the somewhat bad)
There are two downsides to the Hydra. First, the on/off switch is also behind that rubber cap which means you have to remove it to turn it on and again to turn it back off. I can’t imagine why they didn’t make the on-off switch a pushbutton like the rest of the buttons. This isn’t a huge deal as it only takes a few seconds to pop the cap off, press the on/off switch then pop the cap back on. Still, it’s one thing they could improve. Second, some wireless, waterproof speakers allow you to answer a phone call. The Hydra doesn’t have this capability. If this feature sounds good to you, I’ll tell you that in reality, it’s not. I tried it with my the small, round speaker my kids bought me. It’s not that easy to hear the other person because of the noise your shower makes and it’s not all that easy for them to hear you. It’s also, believe it or not, a little awkward once they realize you’re talking to them from the shower.
The Hydra is not inexpensive. It’s $146 on Amazon compared to only $15 so for the small, round ones. However, the difference between them can’t be overstated. You really do get what you pay for. If you want quality sound from a speaker you can get wet and won’t need to be charged weekly, the Photive Hydra is a great choice.
Update: March 9th, 2017
After about 10 months the screws that hold the front speaker screen on began to rust. I contacted Photive and they offered to replace them if I sent them the speaker. I asked if they could just send me the screws and they did so at no charge. It look me a total of 5 minutes to replace them. I appreciate their customer service.