Hisense - Bluetooth Speaker VoyageBoom with rechargable battery, ambient lighting, Auracast, FM radio, IP67 - Black

Being a music lover, I can’t imagine my life without music, so speakers are always a means of accommodating this enthusiasm. I own both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled speakers, and for each technology, I have my own pros and cons. Bluetooth speakers offer freedom from network issues, while they limit streaming flexibility from multiple devices compared with Wi-Fi speakers. However, Bluetooth speakers are still great to use because I don’t have to deal with network issues, and I can carry them around depending on the size of the speaker. That being said, I would like to share my experience with this Hisense VoyageBoom Bluetooth speaker. For starters, this speaker is a complete entertainment system designed to serve both indoor and outdoor settings. It definitely has a nice look and a powerful presence for what it offers. The speaker is large and heavy due to the size of the battery as well as its build quality. It has excellent build quality, and nothing about it feels cheap. Setup was easy: just plug in the power cord and open the rubber-sealed door on the back to connect the power and let it charge until the battery charging indicator on the front stops blinking, indicating that the battery is fully charged. It took between four and five hours to fully charge. It’s worth noting that the speaker also serves as a power bank through its USB-A port, which is housed on the back. The ConnectLife app is needed not only to connect to the speaker but also to access its settings. The speaker features deep bass and Auracast technology for pairing with more speakers and synchronizing music across all compatible speakers. This is useful when you need to extend coverage or move from one area to another while keeping the music synchronized. The first thing I noticed when I played my first batch of music tracks was the sound quality. This Hisense speaker delivered powerful audio and punchy bass. The dual-bass-level feature is great, along with the powerful subwoofer. The onboard controls are ergonomic and easy to use. Even though the app offers complete control of the speaker, having physical control buttons is always good to have. I did not calculate the exact playback time, but I was listening to music for more than 10 hours, and the battery was still over 60%, with the ambient lights on. That is very practical and makes the speaker a joy to use. For outdoor use, the speaker offers great weather resistance. It has an IP67 rating, which protects it from dust, splashes, and rain. While the ambient lighting can be considered primarily aesthetic, to me, it adds more joy and character to the speaker. Beyond its sound quality, Hisense designed this to be a complete music utility. It has an FM radio, a built-in power bank, and microphone and guitar inputs. You also get a USB port for music playback and for charging compatible devices through its built-in power bank. These features make the VoyageBoom much more versatile than a typical Bluetooth speaker. If you are hosting a gathering, having the ability to connect to a microphone or guitar can turn the VoyageBoom into a small portable entertainment system. One thing to keep in mind, however, is its size. Due to its massive size and weight, this speaker isn’t something you can simply throw into a backpack. It is portable, but it is definitely designed more for moving between locations than for carrying around all day. One thing to focus on is its size; due to its massive size and weight, this speaker can’t be thrown in a backpack. One thing also to mention here, that startup/shutdown chime can’t be tuned off.

The VoyageBoom packs an absolute punch with more features than most other Bluetooth speakers. The Bass is rich and hits harder than any other Bluetooth speaker of its size, but this Boombox is HEAVY! When my wife lifted it for the first time she literally hollered out "OOOoof! I shouldn't have to engage my core!" Thankfully the build feels solid and the plastic handle supports all 15 pounds. The speaker is technically portable, but because it is deceptively heavy...you really don't want to carry it far. Both center speakers are close together - so it doesn't produce a particularly strong stereo effect. Audio is slightly flat, but the impressive bass and powerful volume fill any room and projects well during outdoor use. I am impressed at the number of features squeezed into this speaker, but disappointed by the implementation. For example, the VoyageBoom features an FM radio, but there are no dedicated radio buttons on the device. The FM radio controls can be accessed in the ConnectLife app, or there are options to press and hold physical buttons for a certain amount of time which provides a few seconds of radio control access...a process that will be quickly forgotten. Instead of the multi-speaker connect button should be a radio button. Multiple speakers will not be paired often...especially at this premium price. ...The Mic input on the rear of the device also has no dedicated controls. It should have a volume dial next to the input, but sadly - mic controls are also awkwardly shared with the front buttons. Uniquely, the USB-A input on the rear of the speaker allows for two functions: Phone/Device charging & Audio playback from a thumb drive / memory stick. Playing audio from a USB memory stick has been common place in other countries for YEARS, but has been rare in the US. I sincerely appreciate the ability to play music without pairing to a phone...which stays in my pocket as I frequently walk out of range of the speaker. Simply add a playlist onto a memory stick and continue to use your phone without interrupting the party. Battery life is phenomenal. The speaker takes over 6 hours to fully charge, but it can play music literally ALL day...apparently up to 24 hours. The huge battery really takes the stress out of using the VoyageBoom at a pool party or BBQ. Turn on the radio and let it play all day. I personally think that LED lights look pretty cheesy on Bluetooth speakers, but thankfully customization is super easy. With a steady glow the ambiance is actually pretty cool. The lights aren't particularly bright, but they would provide just enough light to use in a tent while camping. Hisense, if you are reading this review - please move the Auracast button to the back of the device and put a Radio button in its place right on the front. And, the Microphone needs a dedicated volume dial. The handle also needs some rubber on the inside to help with grip. This speaker is a bulky beast and I would hate to drop it. But kudos for killer bass, high volume, and I love the rubber grip on the bottom. Well done. Overall easy to recommend as long as you are okay with how insanely heavy this thing is. Did I mention that it's heavy? IT'S HEAVY )...I literally have to use an underhand grip like I'm curling a dumbbell.)

To be honest, Bluetooth speakers of all sizes and shapes are a dime a dozen. It's difficult to stand out from the crowd, but I'll say this one goes a long way down that road. Packaging: To start, packaging is simple, just the speaker, power cord and some literature. The power cord isnt even unique, so if you lost it, it's easy to replace. Use: Here's the fun part. It 'just works'. There's so few things these days that 'just work'. You dont have to download an app (yes it has one, but it's not needed). You just turn it on, pair it with your source and off to the races. There's no muddling with excessive settings, the buttons on the front are simple and straightforward. The most complicated one is the one that most people wont ever need, which has to do with pairing this speaker with other speakers of the same style, which is a cool feature if you need such a thing. Outside of that it's simple audio controls, FM radio and bluetooth. The sound quality is good without being groundbreaking, but it doesn't really need to be, it's a party speaker and it's designed to be loud and look fun and it accomplishes those things. It's portable with good battery life and has a USB port to plug in a device so it can be used as a power bank as well. The lighting has a few different modes, most of which are sound reactive and can be cycled through by pressing the simple lighting button. The speaker itself is a bit on the heavy side, but I'd rather that with long life and good sound than something that runs out of batteries quickly and doesn't have the quality or volume I'd hope for. I haven't tested this but it says it's waterproof also, so if you use it next to the pool or it's out in the rain it's not going to ruin it. Overall: It's a fun speaker, accomplishes exactly what it set out to, gets loud, looks good and doesn't require an app to use. It just works and that's great.

PROS Worked correctly 1st time out of the box Excellent Android App Convenient Carry Handle Built-in FM Receiver CONS Heavy Lacks Spaciousness Lacks LDAC & Spatial Audio Support Does Not Charge via USB-C HISENSE CONNECT APP I can find little fault with Hisense Connect app. It has worked great since installation. All app functions and changes are easy to find and make. It is laid out very logically and took next to no time to find all essential and non-essential functions. Well done, Hisense. The only quibble with the app is that it needs another layer of proof-reading. Not a deal breaker by any means, but noticeable. SOUND QUALITY Audio reproduction is pleasant enough. I do find the tweeters a bit bright and harsh. The Hisense does require different EQ presets that I typically don't use for my other wireless speakers. I look for EQ settings that dial back the upper octaves quite a bit and help squash that bright treble. Once dialed back, the Voyage Boom can be pleasant sounding. This is the exact opposite of the bass output. I find the VoyageBoom a little weaker in the bass output than the segment's best. However, I do like that the bass doesn't feel faked or overly bloated like some of the others' speakers in this segment. One thing that the Hisense doesn't do as well as some of my other speakers, is the spaciousness of its soundstage. Other competitors' speakers offer a much broader and convincing reproduction of a large, powerful soundstage. The Hisense is much more limited, and audio is substantial narrower and easier to pinpoint. This could partly be due to its lack of support for spatial audio. BATTERY LIFE Battery life has been excellent. Hisense claims up to 24 hours of playback. I've been using it for hours and hours and my speaker is still at 60% battery life. I don't think I'll get 24 hours, but I'm listening at above average volumes and maximum bass output. So, I don't think Hisense claims are unrealistic. The VoyageBoom is holding up well in battery life. A miss for me is the fact that this speaker does not charge via USB-C. It requires a dedicated 110V power source to charge. That is a HUGE miss in my books. Every other wireless speaker I've reviewed charges via USB-C. It is so convenient, and in the off chance a speaker does require charging, can be topped off with any phone power bank. Not the Hisense. CONVENIENCE The built-in carrying handle is beefy. It's very convenient having it a part of the speaker. Unlike my other portable units, I don't have to worry about a fabric strap coming loose at its buckle and potentially falling on the ground causing damage. It's a good thing that built-in handle is stout because this speaker has some heft. When I first picked it up, I was surprised at just how heavy it is. One thing that I think I really need to give a shout out for is the inclusion of built-in FM tuner. Yes, I know that FM may be outdated and is being replaced by whatever streaming service the user may choose, but I think the inclusion of an FM tuner is real win and Hisense deservers kudos for including a feature that sets them apart from the rest. Like other devices in this category, the Hisense ecosystem supports linking the VoyageBoom to another VoyageBoom, a FlexBoom or a WeBoom, to make a stereo pair. These speakers can even be linked via Auracast to transmit audio throughout a space. It's slick and it's a must-have inclusion to remain competitive in this saturated field. CONCLUSION The VoyageBoom is a good, wireless speaker. Audio quality is good and battery life is excellent. If you are already in the Hisense ecosystem, this would make a good addition. If you are shopping for a wireless speaker, the VoyageBoom has a lot to offer. RECOMMENDED

The Hisense VoyageBoom is a bold take on the bluetooth speaker with a few novel features that make it a little different from the BT speakers you're used to. But as ambitious as it tries to be, it still falls short in some key areas that prevent me from giving it a fully enthusiastic recommendation. Some key observations about the VoyageBoom: 1. The build quality is good, but the unit is extremely heavy for a portable speaker. There is a beefy battery and it also doubles as a powerbank for charging mobile devices, and the overall body is solid but still, this is a very heavy speaker. It is also large, but the weight still feels dense, like lugging a dumbbell around. There's a good solid handle which is important but you will tire of carrying this around especially if you are lugging around other things like a cooler or beach chair. 2. The sound is just average. This is one of the bigger disappointments about this unit. It just sounds a bit flat and the sides are the woofers for bass, but the center has a bunch of mesh and speakers that honestly just sound mono. I will play with this some more but my other BT speakers do much better with spatial sound and bass and they are smaller and lighter. 3. There's a bunch of inputs on this big huge IP68 shield on the back. Some problems here though, the powerbank feature is only USB-A, which means you need USB-A to USB-C cables instead of also including a USB-C connection for smaller devices. You also have some inputs for microphone and even guitar which could be interesting for impromptu party MC'ing or Karaoke, but I do not have a microphone to test with this. I do plan to pick one up so my kids can play with this. The power cable is a figure-8 style 2-pole connector which is nice as this tends to charge faster than USB-C input, and it is standard and not some wall wart and random pin style plug. 4. The styling of the unit is kinda schizophrenic. It wants to look boring/buttoned up but it also has some flair elements and party lights because its a party speaker.... I don't love how it looks honestly, it looks like something on the lower end of the spectrum. 5. The Hisense ConnectLife is actually excellent and the only way I would attempt to use some features, like the FM radio. It gives full functionality of the device without having to do the multi-clicks on the body of the VoyageBoom. You can change input source, volume, EQ mode (opens up custom). You can also try to use Stereo mode (with another Hisense speaker) or Auracast, which lets you link together all your Hisense devices??? Idk about you but I don't have a ton of other Hisense speakers, I do have their TVs which are excellent but I wasn't able to link those up. Also, fun fact, those 5 little lights on top are actually the power level haha. Took me awhile to figure that out and it only became clear once I tried to charge it and it showed the power %, each dot is 20% battery life. The VoyageBoom is a good BT speaker that has some good ideas, but needs some work on the basics, like portability and sound quality. It'll still be great for my kids and their friends and I can see them using this for their talent show to try and use it to sing with the mic functionality.