Insignia™ - Medium Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker with LED Lighting - Black

This portable speaker is an absolute bargain, especially when picked up on promo! The sound is good, the Auracast feature works seamlessly, making it incredibly easy to link it up with there party speaker for even bigger sound (sorry neighbors). One of my favorite features is that the sound and lighting effects sync with the other speakers on the Auracast bradcast and can be controlled directly from the host speaker. so everything works together effortlessly without having to fiddle with each speaker. It also links via Auracasts to other brands, but it took a little know how to navigate. Some Auracasts enable devices are transmitters and receivers, while others are just receivers or transmitters or they only work through an app (eww). This one is both, so if the other brands speaker doesn't link to this one, then start the broadcast with other speaker and this one will very likely pick it up. Fantastic value for money, easy to connect, and packed with great features.

## Design The speaker has a round, water bottle-like design and a convenient carrying strap on the back that you can also use to hang it up. There are LED light strips on both ends of the speaker that show in 6 different styles, or can be turned off completely. I like that there are smooth fading options that are not distracting and do not flash with the music. On the front of the speaker is the play/pause button, as well as volume (single press) and skip/rewind (double press) controls. On the back of the speaker, you'll find the power button, Bluetooth pairing button, lighting mode button, and an Auracast button (that allows you to link it with other Auracast speakers). The speaker weighs about 1 pound and the dimensions are 6.5 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches. ## Performance This speaker has a budget price tag, and the sound quality seems to be in line with what you would expect from a budget speaker. Sound quality is OK, but lacks bass and sounds "tinny" at times. It's not terrible and is fine for casual listening or playing at a small get-together. However, if you like a lot of bass for your music, this speaker may leave you wanting more. On the flip side, this speaker is great for spoken content like podcasts and audiobooks, where you actually want it to favor highs and not make the voices "boomy." The speaker handles voices well and could work great as a podcast speaker for the shower as it is also IPX7 water resistant. It can typically survive accidental submersion up to 3 feet for a short period of time. Occasional splashes from the shower should be fine. The manual mentions that the speaker can play back music from a USB-C drive connected to the charging port. I tried this feature, but could not get it to work reliably. To be fair, I didn't have a "pure" USB-C flash drive: I had a USB-A flash drive and tried to use a USB-C adapter with it. Some adapters required too much power and would not work at all. I did eventually find one that started to play, but the music skipped and would frequently garble, so I assume it didn't quite have enough power to function fully. Therefore, I would not buy this speaker specifically for USB playback. ## Battery Life The Insignia Medium Bluetooth Speaker can last up to 12 hours (on a medium volume with the LEDs off). The speaker charges with a standard USB-C cable. A USB-C to USB-C cable is included in the box. ## Summary The Insignia Medium Bluetooth speaker has OK sound quality, but can sound tinny at times and lacks bass. However, it should be fine for casual listening, podcasts, and audiobooks. The LED lights are cool, and it is water-resistant.

This Bluetooth speaker is so easy to use. It was easy to pair with my iPhone and iPad. The battery life is very good. I’ve used it several times and haven’t even thought about charging it again yet. It can be paired with another Insignia speaker for stereo effect with the Auracast™ button. I only have one speaker so I can’t tell you any more than that. The speaker is IPX7 rated and is waterproof up to 3ft deep, falling in the pool or left in heavy rain, etc. for up to 30 minutes. The light effects are fun and all but for regular use I don’t need that. It’s easy to turn on or off with the Dynamic Lighting mode button. The light effects will take up some of the battery life, so that’s something to consider. The speaker can stand on one end, or it can be situated horizontally on a surface. There’s also a nylon rope loop that you can hang it from. The audio is not as clear as some name brand speakers that I have, but for back yard pool parties it sounds fine. The volume doesn’t go very low, but it does go very high. The speaker pairs to two devices, as in, to one iPhone and one iPad. Sometimes I like this, sometimes I don’t. When I’m working out with an exercise class on my iPad, I don’t like it because if someone calls me I will usually ignore the call. IYKYK. If you have both in the same area while pairing it will connect to both, if you don’t want it paired to your iPhone just disconnect it at Settings>Bluetooth. For the price point I think this is a really good speaker. I would definitely recommend it to a friend!

This speaker packs a nice little punch. It's not huge, but for its size, it's quite audible — something I've had issues with in some smaller speakers. The best part about this speaker, though, is its size. I've gone through a few small portable speakers over the past few years, and while bigger usually means louder and better, they can be a pain to lug around — either because they're oddly shaped or just bigger than what's convenient. This one could even fit in my pocket if I wanted to. Not comfortably, but it makes the point that it's that small! The controls are straightforward — everything was self-explanatory except for the Auracast button, which I eventually figured out. I like that the USB-C port is uncovered and waterproof as well, so there's one less thing to fumble with when trying to charge your speaker. On top of that, the waterproof rating is IPX7! Not many speakers in this price range offer that level of water protection, which is great for pools, floating on rivers, the lake, or — in my case — a good shower speaker. We also live near the lake, and when lake season returns, this is the perfect companion to bring out and listen to music on the water. With a 12-hour max battery, I'd expect 6–8 hours playing at around 75–80% volume. It's durable enough to bring on the jet ski or bounce around in a golf cart. And if it's not loud enough, pairing a second speaker is a very reasonable cost to double your sound or act as a backup. I'm really impressed with the quality of this small speaker for the price. I'm not a big fan of the lighting, but it does add a nice ambiance and would be good for nighttime music outdoors. Don't expect the high-quality sound you'd get from an expensive premium speaker, but as something to carry with you, this is a great option at a great price point — especially on sale. Insignia is a brand I've felt comfortable buying for quality products. I'll definitely recommend this, especially as a Christmas present.

Hard to complain, especially if you get on sale but the sound quality is not good. From the moment you turn it on, you’re given an idea of the quality to expect with a low quality voice saying “power on.” The low end definitely lacks and there is no equalizer. The speaker itself looks nice, the lights are neat, and the battery life has been good so far. Some small gripes I have: it announcing “power on”, “power off”, and “Bluetooth disconnected”, having to hold the power button to turn it on rather than simply pressing it, and lastly the fabric material that can trap debris. I’d say this is fine for podcasts and audiobooks but not so much for music.