"Real" wireless bluetooth audio for the van and campsite.

[IdahoDoug]

So one of the issues with having a nice audio system is the draw on the house batteries it creates while camping. Big amps, speakers, etc. Another thing for me is that when I'm sitting next to my Vanagon, I have to have the volume up a bit to listen to it since the speakers are all in the van and I'm outside. And I don't want to annoy anyone else out there, so would rather have something right next to me quietly playing. So I have been looking at the compact wireless bluetooth boxes. Most of them sound pretty tinny. Nice in the stereo shop where you are listening to them, but outside of that dead silent listening environment, many of these are hardly a step above a cheap little radio when you have them outside. Notice also that most of them are solidly glued down to a display that has a backboard and base and a material all designed to make them as impressive as possible. Under the influence of these ideal accoustical reflective and resonant displays, they sound OK.

They are all priced at about $90-$200. Then my 15yo son helpfully pointed out a larger category. They are know as "block rockers" and are about 18" on a side or so. Because of their size and that they appear to have arrived on the scene to compete with these mini little bluetooth systems, they have stout handles, abundant rubber protective strips and even wheels and luggage-style pull out handles.

For me, it was all over when I heard one. Same no-wires setup. Same weatherized and ruggedized construction. Same price point. But the sound difference is HUGE. I auditioned a half dozen of them and one stood out, so I bought it. It's called the Ion Block Rocker Max. It has two rows of LEDs you can make any color which I thought was cheesy when I first saw it. Now, I kinda like it as it helps me remember its there when I come home, or hop in the van. And in a darkened room the red LEDs make for a cozy feel. Who knew I'd like that feature, eh? It can be turned off, of course but I haven't yet...

We bought it at Costco a couple days ago for $159 I think. It is the perfect garage wrenching music. We got home and before I finished a lap inside to put the keys away and grab a jacket, my son had the thing cranking shop tunes like I've never had in the garage. I've driven the van around with it for several hours now, and it fills the van with sound easily. I was in a quiet warehouse the size of a high school gymnasium and for fun brought it in while I worked on something for an hour and it ROCKED the huge room - long enough for 4 semi's to park and 20 foot ceilings.

It has its own internal battery and can play for 100 hours. Another model bragged about 10 hours! It has a strong bluetooth link advertised as working for 100 feet, and I think it does better than that - I can walk to my mailbox which is much farther. It also has am/fm built in so I can get my talk radio dose in the garage. It has a pair of USB outlets to charge a couple phones from its battery if needed and also a 3.5mm output and outputs to add additional speakers (wired).

I can watch a movie in the van on my laptop and have big theatre sound - without touching my van's battery - it has an 8" sub. Yes, it even has a microphone so you can do Kareoke if you get THAT bored.

Anyhow, it's big, but makes a perfect footstool and I'm thinking of making a small table with fiddles around it to keep stuff from sliding off and using it underway. The models that were waterproof had seriously compromised sound, btw - every single one. I suspect its hard to put quality speakers and protect or eliminate bass ports etc and have quality sound.

So, if you are looking at those little bluetooth things they meet a need too. But like the tiny micro driving lights we've all been led to believe work as well as the biggies - this thing blows all the little stuff away and is a reminder not to have convenience compromise your sound quality. Be sure you include a "block rocker" category unit before you get something you may regret after 10 hours of listening. This thing impresses!

Doug
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[jimf909]

I like it! Can you link to the unit you bought? Thanks.

Is this it?
https://www.amazon.com/ION-Audio-Block-Rocker-Blue...ock+rocker
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- Jim

[IdahoDoug]

Mine looks like the 2015 model, but the Costco version I bought has 100w vs the 50w in your link and is called the "Max" model. So I think mine is more powerful, and it has a 100hr battery in it, that link says only 50hr. Costco often gets mfrs of thing they sell to add things and this might be the case. My son thinks we only paid 139 also. Your link is 148. So I'd check the Costco version if you have them. It would suck to get this Amazon version you linked and not be impressed. This thing really rocks a room and is powerful enough to overcome road dynamics in the back of the van.

I'm getting a picture of the box for you guys now that I see there is a lesser version not labeled "Max".

Here ya go:

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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[syncrodoka]

I have a JBL charge 2+.
It is splash proof so I don't have to fret about it getting destroyed while camping, compact enough to live in the jump seat tray but has big enough sound that you could bother the neighbors easily, can charge the phone that is streaming music to it, can charge the unit from the car easily through a USB power port, it has dual bass radiators so it looks cool and puts out much more bass that you get from other models in it's size range(and larger ones) including Bose.

I love going to Costco and throwing Wu-Tang clan on the block rocker and turn it up, my kids hate it and run away every time.
That thing can get loud.

[IdahoDoug]

Using it in my office now. Another thing I like is that at low/respectful listening volumes, it has that "I'm a powerful system." sound where you can hear the sub gently rumbling and the songs feel very full. Nothing drops out at very low volume. With the smaller units I felt like you couldn't tell one from a cheap radio until they were cranked. At that point they impress - for their size. But this is playing at a sound level I can make phone calls and its sitting there gently rumbling and thumping in a subtle way. I also love that when I get a call while rocking, it goes silent for the call just like if I am in the car with a linked audio system.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[dlb154]

[VanAllen_84]

I have the Bose Soundlink Mini and I personally think it sounds amazing and LOVE IT!

I did compare it to the JBL Charge, which I thought sounded pretty good, but I do like to hear a little more bass with my music, which I found the JBL did not produce as well as the Bose.
The one advantage that the JBL has over the Bose, is the ability to charge your device, but the downside of doing so is less play time since you are essentially draining the JBL's battery.

The Bose has better sounding lows, while the JBL does better with the highs. But that's my personal opinion.

I listen to old skool punk and ska so I think the Bose is better for my type of music. But it really depends on the type of music you listen to. Either way you really cant go wrong since they are both really good and are compact and portable. I suggest getting both and doing a comparison between the two.
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1984 VW Vanagon Westfalia 1.9L Water-cooled (aka "Osmo")

[IdahoDoug]

I just checked the reviews on the Bose and here was one comment: "This is a great indoor speaker but if you plan on using it outside for a bbq or a pool party, this speakers are awful. I don't know what it is, but once these speaker go outside they sound hollow. I think mainly because these speakers are designed to work with the walls in your house where as on the outside, it is wide open. I recently purchase the UE Booms instead mainly for the outdoor use. I think they sound much fuller outside."

I agree. And before you buy one of those tiny units, be sure to listen to it when it is NOT attached to a factory display that's actually cleverly an acoustically matched surface. It won't sound the same sitting on the sand by a fire.

I reviewed about a dozen of these small units and they all are remarkable for their small size. But those auditions tell me that if you want all your music, get something bigger. Those little things are like eating at Taco Bell and calling it "great Mexican food." Uh, no.

Sure, most of you aren't going to cart this around with you on trip to the park to play frisbee. But now that I have one, I would - it's got handles, wheels and I have lugged it to several locations already and each of those locations was enjoying some great quality music - mine! One of the many advantages of a Vanagon is you can carry more than your buddies with Kias. So take advantage of that and get some MUSIC, not music........
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[kbeefy]

Thanks Doug!

I've been wanting some tunes for my shop. This looks like it can provide BBQ, Park and Camp tunes as well... I'll check it out!

And I like Costco!
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86 syncro CHC, NorthWesty subbie 2.5, decoupler, locker, custom interior, 225/75r16 Duratrack's on CLK's, Toyo cabin heater, ARB fridge, 300w Zamp Solar, Gowesty bumpers/skid/rails, Fiama awning

'86 Syncro Westy. Stock for now.

2000 F350 7.3 CC LB 11' Northland Cabover

2006 Subbie OBXT

2002 Tacoma DoubleCab 4x4

1969 Mustang Basket Case 351c/FMX/9

http://kbeefy.blogspot.com/

[MaineRich]

I have a DemerBox. They sound great. Good low end. I was talking to them the other day and told them it would be great if the DemerBox could somehow daisy chain with other boxes. More sound over a wider area!! They are working on that.

https://demerbox.com/

They are made from a Pelican Box.

Disclaimer, James is a friend of mine.

If there are enough people, maybe I can get a group discount?

Rich

[Jon_slider]

the contenders:
BlockRocker Max Ion 25 pounds, $175, 100 hour battery, $6 per pound
JBL 2 pounds, $90, 12 hour battery… $45 per pound
DemmerBox 5 pounds, $399, 45 hour battery $80 per pound

And the Winner Is?:
Vote with your wallet now!
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco

[IdahoDoug]

I love the Demer product - great idea. As a business guy, tell your buddy he needs to have specs on his website though. Generally, people who are gonna drop north of $400 while shopping would want to see specs like the range of the speakers, the watts of the amp, the weight of the thing, the size of it, etc. It is cool. I personally love startup products and think the world is a better place because of them.

On my Block Rocker, it finally ran out of battery life last night after 4 days of very heavy use. I plugged it in and I should have been watching but it seemed like the next time I walked past it the guage was full. Less than an hour. Nice. The Demer doesn't have a guage so you don't know the charge. I like the comparison of the cost per pound above, but it's worth noting I paid a lot less than the 175. An interesting further broad brush comparison would be the dB per $, cause you're gonna have to go a looooong way to be louder than this thing.

This evening for fun my wife and I are going to watch one of the PBS "Indian Summers" series. Like a lot of people, I have a hard time hearing dialogue if the sound people didn't edit the track for TV watching. My hearing is really good but it happens now and again and this show was poorly sound edited but is fantastic in all other respects. For fun, I just plugged it in to the big screen TV. You guessed it - the thing sounds amazing. The clarity of the audio means you can hear people drawing in breath. So we will use it for tonights entertainment. I have not yet hooked it up to my laptop to watch YouTube videos of Syncro's rocking offroad but I see it coming soon....

I think I'm going to hide it in the bushes next to the front door on Halloween and use the microphone to scare the crap out of people.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[WLD*WSTY]

It sounds like a great unit, but I'd have to leave the potty behind to fit it into the Westy. Mama says no...
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'82 SyncroWesty, the first ever conversion.'06 Subaru 2.5L

[flomulgator]

Here's a trick: if you have a smaller one like the UE Mini Boom, a Jambox (the original) or the JBL, throw it in a 5 gallon bucket or empty cooler. It will sound huge and the bass will deepen significantly. If you really want to get creative you can create a large U of large corregated drain house and have stereo thumpin
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She's built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro!

[IdahoDoug]

Interesting. I suspect that's the trick the manufacturers are using with their displays - a deliberate display mount that makes for ideal sound output from the small bluetooth units. This thing I got came with its own optimal reflective surfaces - the large case of the product itself! Heh...
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[TopBud]

I have a big Jambox
https://www.amazon.com/Jawbone-JAMBOX-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B006AXRR3Y
I love it. I use it as my sound system in the van. When I am outside and I want sound, I put it on my front wheel and it has a huge sound. I listen to lots of reggae and bluegrass type music. It suits my needs well. I am hard on things, it is dented and has been dropped many many times. It still keeps kicking. I am sad to see that they are discontinued.
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86 bostig SYNCRO
66 convertible Karmann Ghia

[MaineRich]

Doug,

I did forward your comment onto James.

Rich

[eeebee]

I have 3. My ION is a great outdoor loudspeaker for the pool. I have a Bose mini for indoors. Both recommend and use regularly.
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Eric

1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg Special Edition
GoWesty 2.3

Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.

[dprendergast]

I agree with TopBud. The big jambox is great and I use it camping all the time. Great battery life and sounds great for it's size (I'm a recovering audio engineer so it has to sound good ). Highly recommend.
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David Prendergast
Greensboro, NC

[danfromsyr]

remind me not to camp with you guys,.
my definition of camping is listening to my own music much less that of the camper next to us.. which happens too often in populated campgrounds.
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