Sensport Rave Model 1 – Drop me in the Water

So the last few months I’ve had the freaky enjoyment of testing IPX6 Bluetooth speakers. That’s an electronic device which can get wet in the shower or beach without harming the speaker. Today, the nice people at Sensport sent the Rave Model 1 Outdoor Speaker which is rated at IPX7 (1 meter underwater for 30 minutes). I’ve gotten past my wet device fears so let’s take a deeper look and get this baby wet!

Boom Boom

The Sensport Rave Model 1 is a very sporty looking Bluetooth speaker with a design that echoes the old school boombox combined with some great features: IPX7 waterproof, Bluetooth, micro SD card capable, and a handy carabiner attached so you can connect to your backpack, belt, or even your tent. It is clearly made for outdoor use: With its rugged good looks and metal mesh exterior the Rave Model 1 looks like it can take a beating. And a bit of washing. The Rave Model 1 is dust proof and shock absorbing demonstrating that Sensport has taken outdoor usage to the limit while supplying a solid sounding speaker. Two front mounted 8 watt drivers combine with a rear bass resonator to make this reasonably sized speaker supply 16 watts of full range stereo sound. It’s a handful at 6.3 inches x 3 inches x 1.7 inch inches and weighs in at just over 3/4 of a pound. That makes the carabiner very handy when attaching to your backpack, belt or when clipping to your soap rack in the shower. The Rave Model 1 Waterproof speaker comes with a 3600mAh rechargeable battery which takes about 4 hours to charge and at 60% volume can last up to 24 hours. Like most BT speakers you can use the device to not only play music, but it also operates as a speakerphone when connected to one’s phone. It was easy to make, answer, or reject phone calls with the Rave Model 1 speaker: Like most speakers made to reproduce music, the phone calls sounded great, and my voice sounded boxy or hollow.

In the Box

The Sensport Rave Model 1 is packaged in a bright colored box which contains all of the goodies. The box also has a clear chart featuring the specifications for the speaker. Being a BT speaker, I went through every tablet, and phone in the house. Every single device was easy to pair while in BT mode: look for Rave Model 1 when pairing to your device. Contained within the colorful box is the Rave Model 1 waterproof speaker, the attached carabiner, a USB charging cable, and a 3.5mm aux cable to connect non BT devices. The Rave Model 1 speaker has a waterproof panel covering the Aux port, the USB charge port, and the micro SD card slot. I used my usual 16gb music chip which I set up with folders to organize my music. That’s not so important with this device as it has been in the past, but this device does play all the songs in folders entirely then moves to the next folder. The top of the Rave Model 1 is the control surface with in order from left to right: Power button, Play/pause, M or mode button, – button and lastly + button. With the exception of the power button, all control buttons are multi purpose. Let’s go deeper:

But But But

Starting from the power button: The play/pause button is used to play/pause your music or video source. The M or mode button works to select source from BT, Aux, or SD card and it is also used to answer or reject phone calls you might get while using the Rave Model 1. The – button with a long press lowers volume and with a quick press goes to the previous track, either on BT, or the Micro SD card. The + button works in the opposite manner: long press volume UP, and short press plays the next track. Unlike other BT speakers I’ve tested: the Sensport Rave Model 1 does not allow you to skip through the folders in the SD card, just the tracks in each folder. For some people that might mean creating one enormous folder full of music. The Model 1 speaker uses audio prompts to indicate power on/off and when using the mode button, changing source. The prompts are musical and not intrusive. Like many similar devices the Rave speaker also uses a sound prompt to indicate BT connection and disconnection. The speaker beeps when you reach maximum volume. When on BT mode the speaker will shut down after 15 minutes if there is no BT device connected. Next I will test the Sensport Rave Model 1 waterproof speaker IPX7 rating. Will I leave it at 1m for 30 minutes? Let’s get in the pool.

Slippery When Wet

Actually, the Rave Model 1 is very easy to grip, wet or dry. And I got it really wet. I threw the speaker into my hottub and let it float for a half hour. I had the speaker on SD card mode and it just kept playing the blues. I made a short video where I got the speaker to sit at the bottom which is approximately 1 meter deep.

I could still hear the music playing while submerged. Because the Sensport speaker does float, it returned to the surface within a few minutes. In the video I sink the Rave Model 1 speaker, then retrieve it and demonstrate the controls are still functioning 100% the same. I don’t suggest you go diving with this BT waterproof speaker, but white water rafting, a day at the beach, in the shower, or in the rain, the Sensport Rave Model 1 waterproof speaker is going to keep the party going for a long time, wet or dry.

This Speaker Won’t Soak

The Sensport Rave Model 1 waterproof speaker is a very solid unit at a very reasonable price. The Rave Model 1 lives up to it IPX7 rating within the limits my simple testing process. I could sink it to the bottom with a weight, but it seems that without a doubt this waterproof speaker will eventually float to the surface. The speaker easily connected via BT to all of my various devices, tablets, and phones with no problem. When you fire it up, the default is BT connection. Insert the included 3.5 mm Auxiliary cable to activate the Aux mode. Remember: when the cover is open, the Rave Model 1 is no longer waterproof and take all appropriate caution. When you are done using the Aux cable to connect to various non BT devices, inserting or removing a micro SD card, or just charging the unit with the included USB cable: carefully replace the cover and ensure it’s properly seated. It sounds great and is more than loud enough with rocking highs and mids and a thumping low end whether the Sensport Rave Model 1 is connected via the Aux cable, a BT device, or using the SD card for any genre of music. The controls are easy to operate: every single control does what it’s supposed to do. Note: when using the Aux input play/pause, mode button, and next/previous track are inoperable. I think this device is an excellent choice for the outdoor enthusiast, hiker, backpacker, or beachgoer who wants to bring the party everywhere they go. The Sensport Rave Model 1 is waterproof, dust proof and shock resistant, sounds good for a long, long time before recharging, and this speaker is easy to carry or use the handy carabiner to clip onto your gear. The Model 1 flexible enough connections for almost anyone and you can play a lot of music using the maximum 32 gig Micro SD card. Had the Rave Model 1 used some sort of folder indexing and if the speakerphone microphone sounded more natural it might have been my very first 10 out of ten. 9.5 out of ten for all it does, and how well it works wet or dry. Thanks a lot to the nice people at Sensport for bringing a real gem of a product to our attention here at POC and I’m hoping to see a lot more in the future.

*Average price is based on the time this article was published

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