LifeProof - AQUAPHONICS AQ11 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Obsidian Sand

This Bluetooth Speaker plays LOUD & is built to appeal to the rugged outdoor enthusiast. It excels at pool parties & boating activities, as it floats & is drop proof. The recyclable packaging is aqua, suggesting the speaker is at home near water. At $300, there are BT Speakers that offer slightly superior sound, but NONE that are ready to play outdoors like the AQ10. TOP 10 LIKES: 1- Water Resistance (rated to be waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes), 2- Drop Resistance (Rated to survive drops from 1.2 meters) 3- Extended Battery Life (Rated 15-Hour). The 12 Volt 2.0 Amp charger is required to charge this beast of a battery. This battery / power source is the secret to achieving premium quality sound at high volume for 15 hours. 4- Buoyancy (It floats!) 5- Hidden Storage (Dry box built-in) 6- 2 Color Options: Obsidian Sand (as shown in my photos) or Laguna Clay 7- Very Good Musicality at HIGH Volume: music sounds GREAT cranked up! Average mid & deemphasized high frequencies produce acceptable voice clarity; strong bass & mid bass response, as you would expect from a speaker this size make your Tunes ROCK! Output is a BLASTING 100 Decibels!! Easily heard over the pool party & revelers. It plays LOUD! 8- Easy Connect Bluetooth (Just press & hold the BT button & connects up to 8 devices) 9- Make & Receive phone calls with the built-in mic. Callers confirm clear audio, so this is another plus 10- Extreme Solid Look & Feel (Rugged, leaves no doubt about the durability). Sealed construction (protects from snow, water, dust & dirt) DISLIKE: (This turned out to be a LIKE!): Use of a dedicated charger is unfortunate for convenience (because it is something else to take with you on vacation, for example), but is REQUIRED because it delivers 12 Volt at 2.0 Amp to charge the built-in hefty battery (12V X 2.0A = 24 Watt). A USB charging jack would have been more convenient, but USB delivers 5 Volt, so the same power (24 Watt) / 5 Volt would require 4.8 Amp output. That is IMPOSSIBLE because 4.8 Amp exceeds the power available via USB. A large tablet charges at 5 Volt / 2.0 Amp (10 watt), for example. To achieve the sound output & battery life described in Benefit #3 listed above, this dedicated charger is not only appropriate, but is ESSENTIAL. LifeProof could have designed a BT Speaker with a smaller power amplifier & smaller battery that could be charged on a 5 Volt USB plug. But they chose to prioritize PERFORMANCE, thus requiring an external 24 Watt power supply. This design choice elevates the AQ11 to a High Performance Class by itself & the "dislike" for inconvenience is surpassed by "WOW!" sound quality, extended battery life & extreme design integrity. VERY IMPRESSIVE!! COMPARISON TO AQ10 BLUETOOTH SPEAKER: 1- The AQ11 plays MUCH LOUDER! AQ11 is rated at 100dB; AQ10 is rated at 94dB. In real tests, the difference in playable volume is dramatic! The AQ11 projects further, has 2) larger drivers & more powerful amplifier. It sounds 50% louder than the impressive AQ10! 2- AQ11 Battery Life is rated at 15 Hrs; AQ10 Battery Life is rated at 13 Hrs. Both speakers fulfilled their respective promised ratings. 3- "Dry Storage" compartment on the AQ11 just holds my iPhone 6S Plus without a bumper case. The AQ10 storage compartment just holds an iPhone 5S. 4- If space is a consideration, i.e. backpacking or a camping trip, the AQ10's diminutive size & weight will make it a better choice than the massive AQ11, which weighs in at a whopping 4#. 5- If playing loud is not a priority, but voice & prominent high frequencies are paramount, the AQ10 may be a better choice. The AQ10 emphasizes cymbals; you clearly hear every drum stick as it taps the hi-hat & the crack of the snare drum. The AQ11 emphasizes the floor tom & bass drum. You really have to listen for cymbals to hear them on the AQ11. Bass & Mid Bass frequencies are prominent on the AQ11; High and Mid High Frequencies are prominent on the AQ10. 6- See 2) photos that show BOTH the Massive AQ11 & the Impressive AQ10 in Outdoor Venues. CONCLUSION: AQUAPHONICS AQ11 is the KING of RUGGED, OUTDOOR WIRELESS SOUND!! It is a "PARTY IN A BOX". Add Friends & CRANK IT UP!!

This is a whopper of a Bluetooth speaker and it is EXACTLY what I was hoping for! It’s a loud proud portable Bluetooth beast of a speaker that’s good enough to replace the outdated radio in my outdated car that doesn’t have Bluetooth of its own. Next car I guess… but until then the AQ11 will do to make my old car feel a bit more modern; and it’s nice that i no longer need one of those ancient cassette-tape adapters to play music from my phone in the car at a jam-worthy volume. The AQ11 uses its size to its advantage -- instead of packing one large monaural speaker it packs two drivers side-by-side on the front “Lifeproof” grill for stereo sound, and it sounds great when you’re using it at your desk or wherever else you’re pretty close to it. When you’re further away, like outdoors across the yard, the left-right channels pretty much blend together which is to be expected. I found that if I placed the AQ11 on a solid object then it sounded pretty rich and full with good bass production. But if I placed it on a shelf or something not directly conductive to the floor then the fullness of bass was noticeably lessened. If I placed it directly ON the floor then it could at times even get a bit TOO bass-ish and muddy, so just to say that placement appeared to affect the fullness of sound quite a bit. Being waterproof and weatherproof and dustproof (when properly battened down) the AQ11 is impressively rugged and durable. It floats as advertised and keeps items in the watertight compartment nice and dry. The watertight compartment is also respectably large -- large enough to hold my Nexus 6p if I take the case off. The AQ11 is suitably flexible for audio input as well -- there is Bluetooth of course, and actually TWO 3.5mm inputs; one under the outside port protector, and one inside the watertight compartment. There’s also a USB port for power in both locations as well. Neither charged my Nexus 6p at its “rapid” rate, they did manage to positively charge it even when playing music. The AQ11 battery was impressive on duration as well. I played 10 hours of non-stop background music volume and it had dropped only one-bar (25%) on the indicator, which you can check by giving the AQ11 power button a quick tap, even when it’s “off”. It’s worth noting that the AQ11 cannot be CHARGED by USB, it has to use its own included power supply, and given it’s size and power needs that’s unfortunate but probably makes. My only gripes on the AQ11, and why I mark it down one star, is that I wish it was a little louder and that the power button and external ports weren’t on completely opposite ends of box. I say this because I found it natural and convenient to often stand it on one end or the other when I was putting it down, but this meant that either the power button or the power/audio/USB ports weren’t directly accessible. Personally, I would rather them to have either been all on the same end, or at least not on total opposite ends. Of course, if I set it down “normally” then that’s not an issue, but then the AQ11 becomes very “wide”, especially with power and audio aux cables coming out of one end. I’m still very happy with it, but a better poweron/port arrangement would have earned it 5 stars in my book.

I’ve been waiting for a portable speaker to use by the pool, at the lake, and during all of my outdoor trips here in Arizona. While there are some compromises in sound quality, LifeProof has designed a speaker that truly delivers a complete package. Here’s my take: PROS: - Lightweight and easy to handle. Don’t be fooled by the heavy box that houses the speaker. This thing feels lighter than it looks and the handles on each corner make it very easy to pick up and carry around. - Sturdy and rugged build quality. LifeProof claims that the speaker can survive drops from almost 4 feet, and I believe it. There is no flex anywhere on the speaker’s body and the buttons on top are a thick, dense rubber that won’t wear out. - I absolutely love the waterproof and buoyancy features. The drybox on the bottom easily fits my iPhone 7 Plus. I tested the buoyancy in my pool, and sure enough - it floats! During a long afternoon of being splashed and submerged in the pool, the speaker powered through it all and kept playing all of my music —- from my iPhone which was in the drybox. There’s even an auxiliary port and a USB charging port in the drybox. - Long battery life. LifeProof claims 15 hours. After 6 hours at the pool, 3 of the 4 battery indicator lights near the power button were still illuminated, indicating about 75% of battery remaining. Couldn’t ask for anything better than that. - With the built-in microphone, this speaker can act as a speakerphone if you get a phone call while connected via Bluetooth. I tried it once indoors and it seemed to work well. COULD BE BETTER: - Honestly, the sound quality isn’t perfect. It’s rather hollow-sounding at times and could use some more oomph when it comes to lows/bass. That being said, it still sounds good and the volume gets very loud. Considering that this is going to be used mainly during outdoor activities, it’s more than acceptable. - The charging cable is a proprietary wall plug. You can’t charge this via USB, so if you’re outdoors without easy access to a wall outlet, this could be a challenge. OVERALL: For anyone who wants to bring their music with them during outdoor adventures, LifeProof has delivered an excellent speaker that will survive almost anything that you throw at it. Sound quality could be better, but I didn’t get this speaker expecting studio-quality sound. The versatility and durability of the speaker more than make up for any shortcomings. Highly recommended!

I really love the sound out of this speaker. There is a deeper bass it sounds clear. I have not had any distortion when i have had it turned up all the way. The cool thing about this speaker is you can charge your phone off of it. It does have a dry compartment under the speaker for you phone or cash. It does stay dry i dropped it in the pool it floated right back to the top. The one bad thing is the speaker portion of the unit floated face down in the pool so you could just have it floating in the pool and listen to it. It does have a 15hr battery life on it i don't know how long it will last if you charge your phone off of it. The size is nice not to heavy. There is a lock on the side so it will lock the controls on the speaker volume power. I did drop it from 3ft it still works just fine.Overall a very cool speaker good to take out and not worry about it. 15hr battery Submersible Sealed from Dirt Dust Snow and Water Survives Drops Bluetooth Built in mic Charge out---Charge your phone from speaker Floats Dry Box Keep phone Cash in box to stay dry Button Lock

Over the past few days I have had immense FUN using this Aquaphonics Lifeproof AQ11, wireless, portable, waterproof speaker. I didn't have to worry if it got wet or even fell into the pool or hot tub, since it is waterproof, ruggedly-built, and is tough enough to take a 'drop' by a toddler or, Grand Child from approximately four feet height. This makes it perfect for outdoor FUN activities with my Grand Children (Grandma also loves it too). So, I want to share my experiences from this past weekend enjoying this FUN speaker. The day I received this unit my three Grand Kids were over, and, in our pool. Since it arrived mostly 'charged', I immediately Bluetooth-connected it to my Smart Phone and played toddler kinds of music through Pandora. The kids absolutely loved it. How much more FUN can it get playing and dancing in the pool enjoying FUN kids' music? The AQ11 was the heart of our pool party. Unfortunately, it soon started to rain, and, we had to go inside, but the musical party did not stop because of the rain. We found kids' sing-a-long music to go with our pizza-feast Grandma provided. It was great FUN, and we continued varieties of kids' music through indoor play, and bath time 'till it was eventually bedtime. Nice! The next morning we headed out to a local water park, where we joined a birthday celebration a of a friend's child, who just turned five years old. I took the AQ11 with us. Since I still had the kids' sing-a-long music playing, several of the older kids came over to ask me to turn UP the volume so they could sing along too over the sounds of the splashing water (see pics). The AQ11 has the volume to be heard over a large area, and interfering noises – it was fantastic. Some of the parents sang along with the music too – what FUN. AQ11 did an outstanding job of providing musical FUN and 'kid-rhythm' into the birthday party. WooHoo! Later that day, and after the party, while the Grand kids were asleep, Grandma and I enjoyed thirty minutes of relaxation in our hot tub with the AQ11, featuring Easy-Listening selections. It was quiet, bubbly, and soothing. Does it get any better then this? YooHoo! How many ways can you think of to use this AQ11 with a gathering of your family and friends? When I received this complimentary, AQ11 Aquaphonics Speaker, I was immediately impressed by its rugged-ability construction, simplistic controls, and spacious waterproof housing for personal 'stuff', ID cards, Smart Phone, Money, Keys, etc. But, as they say, “The Proof Is In The Pudding” - the AQ11 has phenomenal sound quality and clarity. What is really amazing, increasing the volume level, which this baby has plenty of, does not distort the level of delivered, mid-range sound quality. There are no 'user' adjustments, similar to an equalizer, but I found that facing this unit close to a wall or corner increases the bass level due to a reflected, 'bounce-back' resonance. The topside controls are very simple (My Grand Kids can operate them): Volume can be increased or lowered by touching the + or – button located at the very center of the controls. A Back < and Forward > is also on topside. At either end, is the Bluetooth Pairing Button. And, the Source Button, to switch from Bluetooth to whatever you connected to the 3.5mm input jack. At one end of the unit is a waterproof door containing a USB charge-out port, a 3.5 mm audio input jack, and a 'Power-In' for recharging, which includes a 120v, proprietary, wall charger. On the other side of the AQ10 is a surface mount 'On/Off' switch along with the 'Lock' and 'Unlock' switch. Just above the 'Lock' switch are four LED, charging indicator lights. Each one that is lit, represents twenty-five percent of charge left. NOTE: the 'Lock' switch must be 'Unlocked' for Bluetooth pairing and, or, switching from 3.5 mm to Bluetooth, or visa versa. Another neat feature is that you can receive phone calls through the AQ11 while it is ON. However, it must be 'Unlocked', and you have to press the 'Play' button to receive and to end your phone calls. Also, as you place your hand near the topside controls – the individual controls light-up, which is cool and helpful, especially in dark conditions. Please note that you can download the 'Owners' Guide' from the 'Inside Lifeproof' link at their product website. It is highly detailed with pics and a User's Manual with lots of functional information. The included information is not comprehensive enough. So, why do I think the AQ11 is outstanding? The sheer quality of reproduced music at much higher volumes is probably the best attribute. Being rugged and waterproof makes it Grand-Kid-Friendly, Teen-Friendly, and Senior-Friendly, IMHO. Did I mention the fifteen hour battery life? The enclosed USB port allows you to 'Charge-Out' your phone, tablet, I-Pad, E-Reader, etc.. How convenient is that? YooHoo! I highly recommend the purchase of the Aquaphonics Lifeproof AQ11, if you enjoy outdoor activities, and especially with the folks you love . . . . I love good quality sound, and the AQ11 delivers. Surely, you can find less expensive kinds of waterproof speakers, but you will be tasked to find the versatility and QUALITY of sound the AQ11 provides. You can take this baby with you on your boat, in your pool, hot tub, water park, beach, lake, river, camping, washing your car, watering your garden, anything involved with water – no fear of damage because it is waterproof following the included instructions to a depth of approximately three feet. The AQ11 is specifically made for large gatherings and large areas – it is a Party Machine.

I am not an audiophile but the speaker is very loud without loss of sound clarity but does lack deep bass. But the overall clarity is fantastic even at max volume levels. The unit is well built, feels very sturdy and is indeed waterproof. The 4 grab handles make carrying the 4 pound speaker with your fingers a pleasure and feels very secure when carrying by the handles. I immediately paired with my Samsung S6 Edge Plus and iPad Air 2, that took less than a minute for both. A nice feature is that once paired, there is a button to make the unit cycle through its list of paired devices. You can pair the speaker to 8 devices. Once paired, I walked around and found the Bluetooth connection was stable in an open area for a good 40-50 feet but inside of my home (which has many walls) that range dropped to about 18-25 feet. I dropped the speaker into my pool and held my breath...indeed it floats. I submerged the unit at a depth of 2 feet for a few minutes and discovered the lock box area to be bone dry! Would I put my phone in there, yes but would try and not submerge the speaker but let it just float. The ability to be out by the pool and receive calls using the speakerphone and microphone is a nice plus. You can make calls using your cell phone and use again the speaker's own microphone/speakerphone to continue your conversation. The lockbox has a USB out charging port but rated at 0.5amp which might not be sufficient for certain devices. The other USB out charging port is located on the side but rated at 1.0 amp. The speaker is designed ruggedly and held up well on a short day trip to the beach. Because it is waterproof, cleaning and maintenance is very easy. While the speaker lacks a very deep bass I think this is due to the waterproof protection but given all the other features, that is an acceptable tradeoff. You have a well built speaker, moderate weight, easy to carry, great sound clarity, easy to clean, quick pairing, excellent Bluetooth range, excellent battery life and easily accessible controls. Get it.

This bluetooth speaker is the size of a loaf of bread, that being said it will probably take up a lot of space in your gym bag or backpack. In the bottom of the speaker is a "dry box" its large enough to put my Samsung Galaxy S7 but didn't fit my friends Iphone 7 Plus so that should give you an idea of how big it is. Aquaphonics states water won't go in if you lock it. I haven't tried it but you can be the judge, at your own risk. You can also charge your phone inside the dry box which is a cool feature. You would just need your usb charger cable. The right side of the speaker has the option to lock the dry box, it looks similar to a switch, once you lock it the water resistant option is activated. Now to the bad things about the speaker: To start, it's not loud enough for the size of the speaker. It's loud enough indoors, for example, i could still carry a conversation with my friend, we just had to raise our voices and the speaker was in the middle of us, but i think outdoors would be a different story. I will try it outdoors soon. Another(and major part) would be the lack of bass. It doesn't have any bass at all. It's flat and it kind of takes away from the songs themselves. I did not like that and for that i am taking away 2 stars. You would think for the price of this speaker it would pack more punch but it doesn't, big disappointment. I think it's a nice rugged looking speaker, but can't get over the bass part and for that i would not recommend this speaker.

This is one of the larger and heavier bluetooth speakers I have come across. I placed a phone next to it in one of my photos to show its size. That size comes with a few benefits including: -A dry box large enough to fit your phone, money, credit cards, etc -A long battery life, advertised at 15 hours When setting this speaker up I could not find the instructions. What I thought was a packaging spacer was actually an envelope that contains a very nice guide that identifies what all the buttons and ports are for. The guide is important, as there are more ports and buttons than most bluetooth speakers you will find on the market. There are two USB ports to charge your devices and 2 AUX ports if you wish to connect your audio that way. The packaging was very nice for this speaker. Very high end worthy. I have not (and probably will not) test the advertised waterproof and drop-proof claims, but this device seems well built and very sturdy. Finally, the audio quality is fair. Not great...not poor. Bass and clarity could be better. But with all of the other features this unit has, I’m OK with that. It is plenty loud and will entertain a group of people at the pool, at the beach, etc without a problem.