Last summer, we reviewed the compact Eton Rukus Boombox and were quite happy with the performance. It was great having a wireless boombox at the beach and listening to some tunes around the camp fire. Today, we are going to have a look at an even more compact boombox. This time, it’s the Turtle Shell by Outdoor Technology. What’s neat about this speaker is that it actually started off as a Kickstarter project and was successfully funded. The product has now made it to the market place, is quite popular, and competing against the heavily advertised Jambox.
The Turtle Shell Wireless Boombox may be small and able to easily fit in the palm of my hand but don’t judge this bad boy by its size as it packs quite a punch. On the aesthetics side, it is probably one of the more unique looking speakers out right now and it’s available in some “fun” colors such as Electric Blue, Sea Foam Green, Neon Pink, Neon Green, Red, White, and Black. The polygon like shape is definitely unique but it’s not over the top different and attention grabbing.
Turtle Shell Boombox Review
Other reasons why your should pick this up in time for the summer includes the fact that the Turtle Shell Wireless Boombox is dust, water, and shock resistant making it ideal for taking along hiking, camping, and beaches. This is also the perfect boombox to take with you while you go riding your bicycle as the company offers an optional accessory called the Turtle Claw which allows you to mount the speakers on the handlebars of your bike.
When fully charged, the Turtle Shell can provide 9-10 hours of Hi-Fi sound or talk time while the standby time is 700 hours. Your phone or bluetooth device should be a maximum of 30 feet away from the Turtle Shell before you start to lose connectivity. To fully charge the Turtle Shell, it needs to be plugged in for 2.5 hours. The device comes with a charging cable and a wall adaptor. I should also point out that the Turtle Shell uses a proprietary connector instead of the micro-USB we’ve become so accustomed to. So, be careful and don’t lose the charging cable.
Once charged, connecting the Turtle Shell Wireless Boombox to a bluetooth device is pretty simple. Switch device one, enter pairing mode by holding down the Multi-Function button for six seconds (until on switch blinks red and blue alternately), and simply connect your device once it finds the Turtle Shell on its list. Once you are connected and playing some tunes, you can use the three control buttons for various tasks as each button has multiple functions depending on how long they are held. The arrows are used for volume and track controls while the center button is used for play/pause while media is being played and it also acts as a call button when there are active phone calls.
For indoor use, the Turtle Shell is plenty loud and fills a large living room with plenty of good quality sound. Comparing the size of the Turtle Shell to that of the Rukus Eton, this is definitely a better bang for the buck. I only had an opportunity to use the Turtle Shell as a speakerphone a few times indoors and I was quite happy with sound quality and lack of distortion.
Outdoor Technology’s Turtle Shell Wireless Boombox is available for $150 and very comparable to competitors who have similar performing speakers but at prices around $200 such as the Jambox.
Where to Buy:
$129.95 at Outdoor Technology
