Aukey SK-M13

Summer is here, and that means we are spending much more time outside. That’s right, the good times are rolling. Whether it’s hiking, biking, or volleyball spiking, we would like to have a little music to keep this party...going. Sorry, another rhyming word eludes me. For these activities, we don’t need to carry around a big set of speakers and certainly with some activities it’s not ideal to have the outside word muted out with headphones. A small portable speaker is ideal in these situations. With that in mind, here is one affordable option, Aukey’s Mini Rugged Bluetooth Speaker, model SK-M13. Design This cube-like speaker, technically it’s called an octagonal cube, is small and portable measuring 3.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches. Protecting the speaker is perforated metal that has some raised ridges along the front and back. This makes it less prone to denting. Its outer edge is made of a nice stylish rubber that makes it ideal in a rugged situation. The design of the rubber is best described as armor-like featuring several raised rectangles and squares. Four of the raised squares are your control buttons, power, volume/skip, and answer/hangup. Rounding out this speaker is a rubber cover on side protecting the microUSB and audio jack. All you can really do is step back and admire how cool this thing looks. Sound On the Amazon, they describe the sound as follows, “High-def streamed audio with crystal clear highs, fresh mids, and heart pumping bass.” We all know this is just a fancied up description wrote by some marketing person in a room, right? How does reality match up to the claim? I can absolutely say the highs are crystal clear. No matter the type of music you listen to, it’s the same across the board. I’m not super sure what they mean by fresh mids, but I best describe the mids as bright. They blend quite well with the highs. What about the heart pumping bass? Does this tiny speaker really put that kind of bass out? It sure does. You can feel the enhanced bass vibrating through the speaker. I was highly impressed with the sound that comes from this speaker. Other features There are two ways to connect to Aukey’s speaker: Bluetooth and the 3.5mm audio jack (cord provided). Both work flawlessly, with the Bluetooth range reaching 30 feet with no hiccups. Battery life is nothing to worry about as you can get 8+ hours out of this speaker. Once the battery runs outs, it quickly recharges with the microUSB cable that’s included. Summary If you’re in the market for a Bluetooth speaker and you want to save some money for other things like...I don’t know...beverages, then this $25 speaker is one you should consider. It’s tough, affordable, and sounds amazing. Buy Aukey's Mini Rugged Bluetooth Speaker

Though it reminds us of Altec Lansing's Lifejacket II and has the same mounting hard point, this larger weatherized, Bluetooth speaker has the same clarity with more bottom end.