Braven claim the 405 bluetooth speaker “fuses style and function”. It is part of an Active series that means it is designed for outdoor use, such as the robust and waterproof casing.
Features include:
- 24-hour playtime
- Speakerphone
- Shockproof exterior
- Waterproof
- Made slim for take-anywhere travel
- Kickstand for standing upright
- Nearly seamless polymer housing
- Two HD drivers and one passive radiator for sounds
- Buy from Amazon for £69.99.
Handy sized speaker.
On test: Braven 405 portable speaker
This is a robust speaker that has good to fairly good sounds. At moderate to upper volumes the sounds are a bit tinny and fuzzy. This isn’t helped when travelling in a campervan but if you keep the speaker on something solid, like a wooden bench, the sound improves a lot.
Saying all this, the quality of sound is better than most other portable speakers I have tested.
The design is simple and portable. It is slim enough to fit into a large pocket and is easy to carry around. It is 15cm wide, 9.2cm long and 2.9cm thick and weighs just 0.28kg.
The style is basic and while the black is a bit boring the other colours are really funky.
Speaker submerged in water.
There is a useful stand if you want to place the speaker more upright but I found this distorted the quality of sound. It would be good to have a hanging loop or something to secure it to a surface. I find I need a way to keep a speaker in place when driving my campervan. The idea of a speaker that fits in the drinks holders is brilliant.
The controls are straightforward. There is a start, stop and volume control. A silicone cover at the other end of the speaker houses a charger input (cable included), aux in door that seals away a USB port, microUSB charging port and an AUX IN port.
I tested the seal of this cover when I submerged the speaker in water. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t survive but it did, admirably. Apparently you can keep it under water to a depth of 1m for up to 30mins.
The waterproofing means you don’t need to worry if you take the speaker to the beach, on a rainy camping trip of simply want to have a bath while listening to music.
The speaker connects with you smartphone via Bluetooth. First time, it took a wee while for the phone and the speaker to connect but after that it is almost instant.
I have been playing the speaker a lot and for at least 12 hours without need to recharge. I have not been playing it too loudly and I think that if you did the battery charge duration would be compromised.
For the price, this is a well designed speaker that feels like it is good quality and has adequate speaker output although if you are a music buff you will find the sound quality a bit tinny.