We’ve already seen Scosche’s BoomBottle in three different variations over the past three years, and the company has gone back to the well once again, releasing the BoomBottle H2O+ ($130). As you might surmise by its name, BoomBottle H2O+ is somewhere between 2014’s short boomBOTTLE H2O (which we liked) and the larger boomBOTTLE+ (which we didn’t like as much). The new BoomBottle H2O+ has an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating and Scosche claims the speaker’s battery can run for 11 hours on a single charge — a micro-USB cable is included for recharging, as is a carabiner clip. BoomBottle H2O+ currently comes in four different color combinations.
BoomBottle H2O+ is about 6” x 2.8”, about the same as the original boomBottle, and it weighs a bit more than a pound. The speaker is covered in rugged rubber, and it feels sturdy. It floats, and of course, it fits inside a standard cup or bottle holder.
Buttons on the front of BoomBottle H2O+ control playback, volume, power, and Bluetooth. A flap on the other side of the speaker can be removed to reveal the charging port, an aux input port, an EQ button, and a dual pairing to link two units together for stereo sound. On the bottom of the speaker is a 1/4” thread for mounting to a tripod or another standard mounting system.
BoomBottle H2O+ uses one 12W 50mm driver, paired with a passive subwoofer. Overall, the sound is good, not great — it’s mostly what you’d expect from a speaker this small. While the sound quality is generally acceptable, BoomBottle H2O+ doesn’t get too loud, and you shouldn’t expect much bass, either. Basically, this speaker is designed to a rugged portable speaker for close personal listening. On that level, it works. If you’re looking to bring it to an outdoor party, there are certainly better options. You can pair two BoomBottle H2O+ units for stereo separation, but we didn’t have an extra unit to test. (You’d be better off getting a speaker in the $200-$250 range at that point, anyway.)
The main appeal to BoomBottle H2O+ is its waterproof, compact design. It’s a good speaker for nearby listening, and the speaker’s form factor makes it easy to take anywhere. That being said, there are a lot of good Bluetooth speakers in the $100-$150 range now that are better sound performers, and a lot of them are pretty compact, as well. BoomBottle is still a good performer in this H2O+ iteration, but consumers need to weigh the nice design against the price, which could be a bit lower.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Scosche
Model: BoomBottle H2O+
MSRP: $130
Compatibility: Bluetooth-compatible iOS devices
