What is it?
A stylish portable Bluetooth speaker. With the advent of streaming music services such as Apple and Amazon we are rarely far away from a banging beat, but nothing ruins the moment more than limited smartphone speakers.
Braven have released the 405 as part of its Active Series which is said to allow more flexibility. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of technology incorporated into something the size of a large smartphone.
Good Points?
The sound quality stacked favourably against similar audio products when running my usual bass tests. Making out individual instruments was easy even amid the hubbub of crowded spaces and made the listening experience more enjoyable.
With a simple but effective kickstand and a 24 hour battery life the Braven 405 outlasts most other wireless gadgets by a significant margin.
The IPX7 rating means the speaker can be submerged in up to a metre of water for up to 30 minutes. Another neat aspect is its ability to float and still output with the same clarify as on dry land.
It comes in seven colours (if periwinkle isn't your thing).
Bad points?
Although not a drawback I thought I'd note that an additional step is required when pairing with your device. I had expected it to start the connecting process immediately when switched on but this had to be initiated manually.
The lack of a remote is not so much a flaw than a minor inconvenience.
Best for ...
Any environment where you want great sounding music.
Avoid if ...
You are looking for a housebound speaker as this has so much more potential.
Score: 9/10.
Braven 405, £63.95 (available for pre-order at amazon.co.uk)
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