review – Finally after a seemingly never-ending winter, the season of spring is in the air, and it’s almost warm enough to sit on the deck at night, warmed by a fire pit again, and relax with my favorite smooth contemporary jazz playing in the background.For the past few years I have been using very small Bluetooth Speaker or mine is much heavier JBL 300 speakers. So I think this iLive Bluetooth tailgate party speaker will be a nice and convenient compromise of size, sound and weight.
What is it?
The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a full-range speaker with Bluetooth connectivity, a microphone input, a USB port for adding a music driver, a line-in for playback from external audio devices, and LED lights for effects, as well as an ergonomic fit Engineering retractable handle and wheels.
what’s in the box
1 x iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker
1 x USB cable
1 x User Guide
Design and Features
feature
- Color changing LED light effect
- Voice prompt announces speaker function
- Retractable handles and rollers for easy transport
- Play/Pause/Pair/LED light button
- Power/Source button
- Rotary volume control
- LED power/charging indicator
Specification
Support Bluetooth v5.0
Wireless range: 60 feet
8-inch full-range speaker
FM scan
Auxiliary input (3.5mm audio input)
USB interface: support audio file playback
microphone input
Built-in FM wire antenna
DC battery power supply: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery life: about 6 hours at 50% volume
Charging time: 4 hours
Dimensions: 9.84 x 9.25 x 16.93 inches
The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is lightweight, with controls on the top of the front and speakers on the rest of the front. The bottom has wheels on the back and a retractable handle on the top, both designed to make the device very portable.
Performance
Once fully charged, the speaker is ready to use. Pairing with Bluetooth is simple and easy.
Once paired, you can play music from your mobile device. As you can see from the controls on the front, you can play from a USB flash drive or select a line input. I tested the USB to play music and it didn’t have any glitches. I also tested the mic port and it works fine, although the voice output is a bit small. Echo works like any echo. I’m not a fan of that type of feature, but I do understand the fun factor. The volume is more than enough for an outdoor gathering, and the full-range sound does deliver bass, mids, and highs, but it’s hardly critical listening in any way.
The video below is just a quick demonstration and description of some of my favorite controls and built-in FM radio features.
Overall, the iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a portable, practical, convenient, and adequate entertainment system for summer barbecues, beach visits, and more.
what do I like
- Features
- Lightweight build
- Telescopic handle
- wheel
- Built-in FM radio
- Ease of use
- Ability to use external music sources other than Bluetooth connectivity
what would i change
- Better audio performance, albeit at the cost of heavier speakers
final thoughts
The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a lightweight and relatively compact portable speaker that provides a relaxing listening experience on the go. While it’s more like listening to a full-range speaker, it gets the job done as long as you’re not expecting excellent audio separation and clear and incredible bass, mids and highs. It also has a built-in FM radio and a USB port, allowing you to save battery power on your mobile device if your music selections/playlists are on a flash drive. Overall, I like it.
price: $69.99
Where to buy: iLive e-Site and Amazon
source: Samples for this review provided by iLive
