Scosche’s BoomBottle lineup has returned with another new portable Bluetooth speaker, building on its 2015 BoomBottle+ with a slightly smaller version the incorporates the company’s MagicMount technology and throw in a bottle opener while providing IP67 waterproofing and the same signature cup-holder-optimized design that is the lineup’s namesake.
BoomBottle MM — the initials presumably standing for “MagicMount” — comes in at 7.3 inches tall, shaving over an inch off of its “plus-sized” predecessor, while maintaining the same 2.8-inch diameter. Unlike prior BoomBottle speakers, however, the top edge of BoomBottle MM is slanted at about a 20-degree angle; this is designed to allow you to set an iPhone on top of the speaker while listening to it, which is held in place by a MagicMount magnet system. While there’s enough magnetic force to hold an uncased iPhone in place, Scosche includes a metal plate in the package that can be used by those with cases, or if you simply want a stronger hold. The package also includes a USB-A to USB-C charging cable (although you’ll need to supply your own power adapter), a carabiner, and a round metal plate that can be attached to a non-metallic surface for mounting the speaker itself.
This metal plate actually makes up the second aspect of BoomBottle MM’s MagicMount feature — the speaker includes a magnet on the bottom that will allow it to attach to any metallic surface, and it’s strong enough to hold the speaker in just about any orientation. Users who want to attach BoomBottle MM to something like a car dashboard can use the metallic plate, but you won’t need it to just stick it onto the side of a refrigerator, or onto your vehicle or boat when using it on your outdoor adventures. Like Scosche’s prior BoomBottle speakers, BoomBottle MM is also IP67 waterproof, so it will survive a dunk if you’re out on the lake with it or using it poolside. There’s also a 1/4-inch mounting thread on the bottom.
An opening on the top of BoomBottle MM serves as a place to attach a lanyard but also doubles as a bottle opener — an interesting inclusion for a speaker, but something that we actually think kind of fits the name in a rather whimsical way. It doesn’t detract from the overall design, so you an easily forget it’s there if you have no interest in using it. Buttons on the rear of BoomBottle provide standard power, track navigation, and volume control, and the waterproof flap can be lifted up to expose the actual buttons as well as a USB-C charging port and an auxiliary in jack. Missing from prior BoomBottle models is a USB output port, so you won’t be able to charge an iPhone or other device from BoomBottle, but with only a 4,000 mAh battery included, we can’t say we’re particularly concerned about this omission. BoomBottle MM promises up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge.
Under the hood, BoomBottle MM packs in two 45 millimetre, six-watt speakers and two passive subwoofers, for a total of 12 watts of output power, so it manages to get pretty loud for its size, and we don’t think it will disappoint those looking for a good portable outdoor speaker. In terms of sound quality, it’s a notch up from BoomBottle+, which is to say that it’s pretty good, but still falls a bit short in some areas. Bass is solid but a bit unrefined, and some songs still get a bit muddy at peak volumes, but the clarity if definitely better than we experienced with prior models. There’s also still an indoor and outdoor equalizer feature included, but Scosche now claims it’s “automatic” and we were left a bit unclear on exactly how that’s supposed to work. Dual pairing is also supported, allowing you to configure two BoomBottle speakers to work together for a larger sound stage, but we weren’t able to test that as we had only one speaker to review.
BoomBottle MM offers slightly above average sound quality, and while it’s only an incremental improvement over BoomBottle+, BoomBottle MM also comes in at a much better price, which puts the sound quality about on par with what we’d expect in that price range. However, the standout features of BoomBottle MM are really Scosche’s inclusion of the MagicMount technology, which adds to the versatility of an already rugged outdoor speaker. With BoomBottle MM, not only can you take it anywhere, but you can now much more easily attach it with a minimum of fuss. It’s convenient and clever enough to make us wonder why we haven’t seen more speaker manufacturers offering this kind of an attachment feature. BoomBottle MM is a solid choice if you’re looking for a speaker primarily to take on your outdoor adventures.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Scosche
Model: BoomBottle MM
Price: $130
