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Fat Tunes – Boombotix Review

8979032004_0660ca4143_cA couple of years ago, I spied, ace mechanic, and all around cool cat, James T. Huber, wearing some sort of cartoon alien with a speaker for an eyeball that we all probably now recognize as a Boombotix ultra portable speaker. After I heard the sound that came out of the boombotix, I ordered a Boombot Two, in battleship gray. I clip that little speaker to the shoulder strap of my Camelback and solo ride my fatty to music fairly often. Coupled with a smart phone, the boombot brings Pandora, satellite radio and MP3s to life via a bluetooth connection or an accessory cord. Since the speaker is only a few inches from my ear, the volume can be set very low, so it’s less obnoxious for other trail users. I’ve never been the kind of kid that is really gentle on their toys. I like to ride in foul weather and do a fair share of water sports. The boombot two has taken it all in stride and kept on playing those good ‘ole funky time beats. It reminds me of the transistor radio that I had growing up in the 1960’s. The Boombot allows me to have music just about anywhere that I go. I’ve used the speaker flat water kayaking on the dozens of lakes that dot the landscape around my house, gravel riding and rail trail miles. I’ve brought it along on rainy beach rides and even used it for music at last year’s Global Fat Bike Ride after party. I used the Boombot 2 for over a year and during that time several of my amigo’s bought them as well. This means when we all get together we can link our speakers together for like total shared quadraphonic melodies. My only complaints about the Boombot 2 is the way that it syncs with my iPhone. Sometimes it would sink on the first try, but most of the time it took three or four attempts to get it to actually play.

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In steps the Boombotix Rex!

Soon after the new upgraded Boombotix Rex came out, I plunged in and ordered one. Gone was cuteness of the alien Boombot 2 and in were the Borg industrial looks of the Roombotix Rex! The Rex syncs first time – every time – with my iPhone five. The sound produced on the Rex is a bit more potent than the Boombot 2 and the clip that holds the speaker to my pack is wider and more secure. The ergonomics of the control buttons on the Rex are not as easy to use for my big fat fingers. The Rex’s volume controls are wedged into the space between the clip and the power switch. I have to take off my gloves to do anything with the Rex, where with the Boombot 2, I could leave them on. The improved sound and the easy sync, more than make up for the loss of ergonomics on the Rex, when compared to the Boombot two. The BB2 reacquainted me with the joy that my transistor radio brought to the table 40 years ago and the Rex made it simple to sync to my phone and kicked up the high fidelity a notch.

Rex on a Solo Beach Ride

One other significant difference between the BB2 and the Rex is that the Rex has an integrated microphone and can be used with Siri. I should also mention  the durability of the speaker grill on the Rex. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not shy about subjecting my cameras, phones or speakers to the weather. My digital camera graveyard is full of units that puked, for one reason or another. The Rex hasn’t skipped a beat when it comes to the sound that it produces, but the metal speaker grill has started to show signs of rust. Rain, mist, snow and sweat are probably the culprits that produced said rust. Boombotix sells replacement grill kits for the Rex on their website, so I ponied up for a spiffy new faux-carbon fiber unit to spruce up my Rex (picture with the two speakers on my camelback).
If you like to bring some toonage with you and you don’t want to shut yourself off from the world with earbuds, the Boombotix Rex, might just be your huckleberry. I recommend this great little speaker after using both the BB2 and the Rex over a period of almost two years. I bought these suckers with my own cash and I would buy from Boombotix again.

Click the link Below for more info on Boombotix Ultra Portable Speakers (and free shipping).

Free shipping for a limited time only! Boombotix.com

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6 Responses to Fat Tunes – Boombotix Review

  1. Katy October 31, 2013 at 12:12 pm #

    Are they (or are they advertised as) weather proof, or weather resistant? Neither?

    • Gomez October 31, 2013 at 1:07 pm #

      From their web-site – Boombotix portable speakers are built for adventure. The DNA found in every Boombot is built for the active lifestyle. When you take a spill, the high impact ABS housing can take the beating. Chill out in the rain or snow, and the weatherproofed speaker design will be up to the test. Push a Boombot too far and our No-Matter-What One Year Warranty guarantees free repair/replacement, as well as a lifetime Exchange Program.

      The drivers are made of aluminum.

    • Lief Storer November 4, 2013 at 5:31 pm #

      Hey Katy, the Boombots pass an IP53 rating which makes them ok for rain/snow exposure. You can’t dunk these guys…. yet.

  2. Ernesto October 31, 2013 at 2:14 pm #

    Awesome! I should have gotten one of these instead of the blue iHome speaker ball I got earlier this year. I dropped it and now sounds like meh!

  3. djonnymac October 31, 2013 at 3:17 pm #

    how’s the bass for all us friends of the low end?

    • Gomez October 31, 2013 at 4:03 pm #

      better on the rex than the BB2 – pretty amazing sound for such a small package

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