Up for review today I have another Bluetooth speaker, but this is one of the better ones I’ve reviewed, it’s bigger and it works great. The speaker is from KitSound and it’s called the BoomBar and it’s a bar type speaker about nine inches long with dual two watt speakers inside of it. One of the better features of the BoomBar is the fact that the battery is user replaceable with one that costs less than ten dollars. The sound is decent and the battery life is excellent at about ten hours on a single charge. Read on to learn more..

 

 

Unboxing

We’ll start with a video unboxing for you, and then the standard one after that..

 

 

The box is nice looking with a picture of the BoomBar on the front and then some info on the back for you.

 

 

Inside of the box you’ll find the speaker, case, user guide, audio and USB cables along with a battery and stand.

 

The small plastic disc that’s included is actually the stand for the BoomBar. The battery is removable and it’s 1120mAh in capacity and it’s replaceable. I checked over on Amazon and it sells for only about $10 or less as it’s a common cellphone battery.

 

The included cables are a miniUSB style cable for charging and a 3.5mm audio cable so you can use the BoomBar with other audio devices that aren’t Bluetooth equipped.

 

I was surprised to find a case for this speaker and I was more surprised when I found that the speaker and all the accessories fit in the case. The case zips all the way around and it is lightly padded and here’s a net compartment on the top half for the accessories.

 

 

The front is mostly covered with a metal grill and behind that are the two 2watt speakers and a subwoofer.

 

On the right side of the BoomBar are some basic controls and an LED at the bottom. The top button is volume up and skip track forward, the second button is play/pause and mode and the bottom button is for volume down and skip track backwards. The paly pause button is also used to answering and ending calls but it’s not labeled for that.

 

On the right side you’ll find the 3.5mm auxiliary jack, the power switch, USB port for charging and the microphone.

 

On the back you’ll find the battery compartment an a slot below that for the plastic disc stand.

 

 

The BoomBar has a rubberized finish to it and it feels well made but yet lightweight. Sure it’s not exactly small and it’s not supposed to be but it is still very portable.

 

Specifications and Features

KitSound BoomBar Portable Rechargeable Bluetooth Speaker – Black

Bluetooth and line-in connectivity so you can connect with any audio device
The BoomBar comes with built-in Bluetooth connectivity which allows you to pair the speaker with your music playing device quickly, easily and without wires. It supports any music playing device which features built-in Bluetooth and all you have to do is turn the speaker on.

However, the speaker also features a 3.5mm Aux in port which allows you to connect any non-Bluetooth music player to the speaker quickly and easily.

Passive radiator for great bass reproduction
Despite the small size of the KitSound BoomBar, it features a passive radiator which extends the bass response of the two existing full-range drivers, providing you with impressed sound, whatever genre of music you’re listening to.

Hands-free functionality with a built-in microphone for taking phone calls
The built-in microphone on the speaker acts as a speakerphone and with this you can take calls easily and without picking up your phone but just pressing the hands-free calling button.

Rechargeable battery gives 10 hours of continuous music playback
Fully loaded with a 1000mAh rechargeable lithium battery, the speaker provides you with 10 hours of continuous music playback which is enough time to enjoy your music all day.

Charging time of just 3 hours
If the battery does die, it only takes 3 hours to fully charge the BoomBar so you can go back to listening to your music in no time.

Stylish, modern design
The BoomBar is designed so that it can either be lay flat, which gives it great all round sound, or you can position it at an angle to give it more of a directional sound. The speakers simple and modern design is aesthetically pleasing and it’s soft touch, black finish looks great in any environment. It also comes complete with a carrying case which features pockets for the cables and makes the speaker ultra-portable for your convenience.

The BoomBar comes with a stylish and tough carry case, instruction manual, audio cable, USB cable and stand.

Price: £24.99 / $41.55

The BoomBar was provided by GearZap for review where you can find speakers and MacBook Accessories and just so much more.

 

 

Testing and Usage

The first thing to do is charge the BoomBar and that’s done with the included USB cable. Charging only took a little over an hour for me so I guess there was a charge in the battery already as the user guide says charging should take about three hours. Now for that three hours of charging time I’m not sure how much playtime you should get as the user guide KitSound website say 20 hours but GearZap says 10 hours in their description. Either way, 10 or 20, both are good, for me 10 hours a playback would be just fine for three hours of charging, and ten hours would last me quite a while, several days I’m sure as I wouldn’t be using it constantly anyway. I guess it all depends on how much you it and what you use it for.

When you’re charging the BoomBar, the LED lights up red and then when you’re using it the LED will light up blue and blinking for pairing.

 

The plastic disc that was included is the stand that just goes into the slot below the battery compartment. The stand works very well actually, I’ve never seen anything quite like it and it’s unusual but it works.

 

 

The great thing about the stand is that it’s basically the same size as a US quarter or 25 cent piece so if you lose the stand you can just use a coin.

 

To test the speaker I used it with my HTC One, PS Vita and my ZuneHD.

The Vita has decent speakers but they aren’t loud at all, at least not loud enough for me so I like to use speakers like the BoomBar with the Vita since it has Bluetooth.

Gaming using the BoomBar is excellent, the added bass really makes the games more enjoyable and it’s clearer when compared to the Vita built-in speakers. I have PlayStation Plus and I recently got Unit 13 and it was really more enjoyable playing it with the BoomBar. It connected to the Vita over Bluetooth with no issues at all.

I then tried the BoomBar with my HTC One and again it connected easily with no issues.

I played music through the BoomBar and it sounded very good, but it did get slightly distorted at higher volumes especially with music that has a lot of bass in it.  The trebles or highs were there but not as much as much as I would have liked, so it’s a little light there but overall it’s decent.

The controls for play and pause and skipping worked just as expected and they worked for taking calls too.

Next I used the BoomBar with my ZuneHD and that required the 3.5mm audio cable and you have to press the mode button on the BoomBar to switch between Bluetooth and auxiliary modes.

Same thing here, the music sounded very good except at max volume with bass heavy music and there was distortion.

Every speaker I’ve owned or reviewed has the same issues at high volumes, no matter the price of brand, it’s just how it is, no surprises.

 

Conclusion

The KitSound BoomBar is one of the nicer inexpensive speakers I’ve seen in terms of quality and sound really.

It’s priced at under $50 and I think it’s well worth it as it’s just a great speaker.

The battery being replaceable is just something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a speaker of this type and it’s a big bonus for sure especially since the battery costs under $10.

The little stand works very well and holds the speaker up just fine.

The carrying case is excellent, it’s well made and it will protect the speaker and you can keep everything together.

 

  

Pros:
+Decent sound
+Simple to use
+User replaceable battery
+Nice included case
+Inexpensive
+Well made overall

Cons:
-Some distortion at high volume levels

 

 

Grades:	9 out of 10
Overall
Design / Aesthetic
Value / Price
Performance / Usage

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