Text of Review
Subject: Understand IP67 vs IPx7 - 6: No ingress of dust - 7: Immersion, up to 1 m - X: untested - no rating
Review:
I have three of these portable environmentally resistant speakers, the Anker Icon, Bose SoundLink Micro, and (discontinued) Oontz Angle 3 PLUS. The Icon is the latest and is prompting this comparison/review.
As mentioned in the headline knowing what IP ratings represent is critical for what the Icon is as a product. IP6 - No dust ingress means drop it in the sand at the beach or out in a baseball infield and it will not permeate the cover and damage the internals. IPX is not a 0 or low rating of no resistance but a choice the manufacturer made to not test. This means no obligation to warranty the product for this condition. Icon is IP67, Bose is IPX7, and Oontz is IPX5. Looking at the Bose it likely has a high dust resistance but the chose to not test which given the price ($100) seems odd. Oontz has down firing bass and likely has a low dust rating and given the price ($25) I did not expect a dust rating. If you need something that you can use and gentle “abuse” the Icon is it of the three.
Next is likely concern about battery and the Icon states 12 hours, Bose 6, and Oontz 30. This number depends on what type of music and at what volume. Having used the Icon and Bose at 2/3 volume streaming 90’s Alt Rock I can say that their number as likely accurate when the product is new. Lithium Ion batteries loose the ability to hold a charge over time so expect the number to drop after day one. I used the Bose while gardening for 4 - 5 hours and from full charge it went to 30 per the self reporting feature. The unit talks to you and relays information which is cool but more on Bose cool features later. The Icon from full charge for the same amount of time seemed to be about 70 charged, but I can only say based on how long it took to return to full charge. I will not comment on the Oontz except to say 30 hours in standby not playing music maybe.
I am not an audiophile and do not claim that streaming Amazon music over BT is accurate or conclusive reproduction of the source music so this is going to be my personal and subjective opinion. All three sound good with the Oontz and Bose being at the top with a caveat. The Bose has a carry strap and Oontz does not so when you carry the Oontz the down firing bass looses some of its punch while the Bose sounds great in any position and the Icon sounds the same as well regardless of orientation. The Icon has a sound that is not muffled or muted, but just a little “less clear” then the other two. I believe this is a requirement/result of the IP6 dust protection and well worth. If you drop the Icon at the beach on on the infield of a baseball diamond you can be assured the device will not be damaged. This might be true for the Bose but without a rating you cannot say. I would not trust the Oontz to be exposed to dust or sand at all but again without a rating you cannot say again.
The Oontz and Icon both can pair with multiple devices as long as a paired device is not present when you want to pair a new device. The Bose is a very different device, you have to use an app to connect to the speaker since it uses BT Low Energy (BTLE) to basically be on all the time but consuming almost no power. Open the app and select the Bose device and drag to connect. Speaker will announce the connecting device and the current charge level. This is a cool feature since it means the device can be nearby and you can start using it without having to touch it at all. The Bose app will let you have more then two devices linked but only two active at a time so if you deactivate one and then that is the only one present you cannot connect. You can reset the device and pair again but that would wipe the other devices out.
Random comments: The Icon and Bose can do “stereo” mode by linking two units together while the Oontz does not. The Icon and Bose have a strap that you can use to connect to “things” - see video for Icon on my trailer hitch (not truck nuts) playing some 90’s Alt Rock.
Final thoughts, the Icon is the best price to value ratio of the three based on the IP67 capabilities, the sound, and the battery. The Bose has some unique features and maybe the price is supported by the sound quality that I cannot hear. The Oontz is discontinued but similar models exist and they sound good and have a bargain price.
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Picture from video review plus some more at bottom,
