$23 Roker Sound Cube Portable Bluetooth Speaker by Donald Burr

Roker®Sound Cube Portable Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Speaker review
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H3JTT30/?tag=otakunocast-20

The problem to be solved

• I like to listen to podcasts while doing chores, relaxing in the poul, etc.
• iPhone 5 has a fairly loud speaker, but it’s not quite loud enough to cut through the noise when doing certain chores (washing dishes, laundry, yard work, etc.)
• Needed an external wireless speaker, because I tend to need to remain mobile while doing chores, so can’t be tied down by a wire.
• In the case of the pool, I have a waterproof case for it, but you can’t hear the speaker through the case, meaning you have to wear earbuds. I know they have waterproof earbuds but I’d just rather use a speaker.
• There are a plethora of Bluetooth speakers on the market. Prices have come down a lot, and decent ones can be had for around $100. Unfortunately that’s a bit over my price range at the moment.
• While browsing Amazon I found these Roker speakers at $22.99, and since they were Amazon (i.e. no-hassles return policy) I figured I’d roll the dice.

Describing the unit

• This is clearly a ripoff of the Jawbone Jambox Mini
• Almost identical styling, even down to the box it comes in
• Same general size and shape as the Jambox Mini
• Square, about 6″ x 2″ x 1.5″, weighs 8 oz.
• Top and bottom are made of a rubber-like material
• Speaker grille is metallic
• On the top are controls for previous, play/pause, next, and phone
• On the right are the power switch, mini USB connector (used for charging only,) an Aux In jack, and what looks to be a Micro SD card slot
• Red and blue LEDs to indicate the status (power, pairing mode, etc.)

Features

• Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR, up to 33 feet range
• Built-in 800 mAh LiIon battery
• two 40mm speakers, total 6W
• Has an Aux in port, which means you can use it as speakers for other devices (including your laptop, etc.)
• Supposedly it can play MP3 files on a Micro SD card that you insert into the slot, but I didn’t have a chance to test that feature

Pros

• Build quality is surprisingly pretty good
• Feels solid, doesn’t creak when you squeeze it, etc.
• Pairing couldn’t be easier. Turn it on, a voice announces pairing mode, open Bluetooth on your device, and you’re done.
• Amazingly good sound quality
• Clear, not mushy
• Can get really loud without noticeable distortion
• Decent battery life. Got about 4 hrs. Takes about 3 hrs to charge using an iPhone AC adapter.
• Comes with all the cables you need (mini USB to regular USB, and 1/8″ aux audio cable)
• Price! (You get a lot for only $22.99)

Cons (maybe)

• Although the sound quality is good, there are limitations

• Lack of stereo separation. Two speakers, but they are close together, so you don’t get effective stereo separation.
• Weak bass – If you’re getting these just for music, or if you like bass-heavy music, this is probably not for you
• For my use case (mostly podcasts/audiobooks with some music) the sound quality is quite acceptable.

• Poor speakerphone sound quality

• Listening to the other caller sounds okay
• However my voice comes out somewhat muffled and hard to understand
• Not a deal breaker for me, since it’s not really what I intend to use this item for.

Not dust/waterproof

Range

• Advertised range is “up to 33 feet”
• In my testing I have found only about 10-15 ft, and that’s outdoors, no obstacles, etc., before Bluetooth started cutting out
• But my iPhone was in my pocket, and since we humans are “ugly giant bags of mostly water” (Star Trek reference!) I was probably blocking some of the signal
• 10-15 ft is more than enough for my use case, so I’m okay with that

“Okay” battery life

• Amazon description lists two battery lives, 4 hours and 8 hours
• The actual battery life was about 4 hours, so maybe a typo?
• Seems to discharge very quickly, i.e. if you leave it off its charger, but not use it, it will still discharge at a fairly quick rate, requiring you to plug it in and recharge it.
• Given my needs and the low cost of the unit, these are acceptable to me, but may not be for you.
• Less than stellar On-device battery indicator

• There is no on-device battery indicator, only a voice that comes on when the battery is low
• Bluetooth battery indicator: It sends battery life information over Bluetooth, which appears as a very tiny battery bar next to the Bluetooth icon on iOS devices.This is very unreliable; sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it shows bogus values (i.e. almost empty when I in fact just charged up the unit)

Flashing blue light

• Some reviewers found it annoying; I didn’t
• One reviewer said that it is annoying when being used in a car at night; I don’t drive so I wouldn’t know about that.
• Another said it makes it impossible to use in a bedroom. I don’t really see that as being a problem, since I would very rarely, if ever, use it in this kind of situation.

Lady’s voice announcing “In pairing mode”, “pairing successful,” etc.

• Some reviewers found it annoying; I didn’t.
• It is awfully loud though!
• This is something that only happens once when you first pair it, and once every time you turn on the speaker, so no big deal.

Can only be paired/used with one device at a time

No way of triggering voice control/voice dialing/Siri/etc.

• Phone button can only answer, reject, redial

Does not come with a power adapter

• Use your Mac (slower), or your iPhone/iPad charger (faster)
• Takes about 3 hours to charge from empty using a AC adapter

When starting playback, the first second or two of audio gets cut off, but that might be a Bluetooth thing

But bear this in mind when reviewing these cons: the price is only $22.99!

The Verdict

• Very good performance.
• A few cons but not deal breakers, especially considering the price of the unit.
• A definite Buy!