What is it?
A Bluetooth speaker and the latest addition to Braven's robust Active Series.
Good Points?
Designed for use in outdoor environments, the Braven Stryde 360 does a fine job of adapting the sound requirements for open air output.
The bass is more understated and less booming which lends itself to a wholly pleasant experience when listening outside, while the 12 hour battery life should provide sufficient longevity for any occasion requiring quality audio.
An IP67 waterproof rating means that in damper conditions – such as around swimming pools or rivers – the speaker should be able to survive submersion in up to one metre (3ft) of water for as long as 30 minutes without incurring damage.
A rubber control panel allows you to operate the device with wet hands if required, although the smartphone compatible voice commands feature means you don't need to get up from your chair to play your favourite songs.
The neat cylindrical chassis houses a 2.5mm aux for older devices that don't support wireless communication such as record players.
The micro USB output allows the device battery to be charged, while a standard USB port gives connectivity to power your portable gadgets via a 2,500mAh Li-Ion power bank.
Bad points?
Bass sounds can distort quite significantly at ridiculously high volumes, particularly when listening indoors.
Best for ...
Those who crave a decent sounding audio against a backdrop of the great outdoors.
Avoid if ...
You are looking for a cheap alternative to Sonos for linked speakers. The Stryde 360 is purely a standalone device.
Score: 9/10.
Braven Stryde 360, £77 (braven.com)
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here