Formerly known for their tinny sound, unreliable connections and bulky designs, Bluetooth speakers have come a very long way in the past two years – now, and for a fairly reasonable price, you can walk away with full, rich sound that can easily fit in a small bag and connect to your phone and tablet with little to zero interference. The future of mobile audio is here.
One such product is the Fugoo Style (Amazon), a compact and beautifully designed speaker that produces some seriously impressive audio. It fits six proprietary acoustic drivers, dubbed the Core-X, into a slim body that’s just 7.4 inches long and weighs 1.1 pounds. And what’s remarkable about the Style is that it’s not just beautiful, but durable as well – it’s IP67 rated to be dust proof and waterproof for up to one meter for 30 minutes. Not only will it survive being jostled around in your bag, but it’ll also survive wind, sand, moisture, and more.
The Style can be paired with your Bluetooth-enabled phone, tablet or computer (so, just about any device on the market today) in just a click of a button. The Style will remain connected to your device up to 33 feet away without losing fidelity or quality.
The Fugoo Style is capable of producing loud, vibrant sound with remarkable clarity, even at long distances. And unlike some other Bluetooth speakers, I never noticed interference or any sort of drop in quality due to poor connections (though feel free to use the 3.5 mm input for a wired connection). The microphone also performed well, thanks to its noise reduction processor, which is great for taking calls and accessing Google Now and other voice commands.
Things are very, very good – the Style is attractive, portable, easy to use, and lasts for up to 40 hours on a single charge. But it’s quite perfect – bass is fairly shallow, which is typical for a system of this size, and I found that despite how loud the system is capable of getting, I always wanted just a bit more. For most this isn’t going to be a huge problem, just because of how great the quality is otherwise, but real audiophiles will definitely be able to nitpick.
Another of the Fugoo Style’s flaws is its $199 price tag. Sure, most of the competition isn’t quite as rugged and durable, but a lot of it, including Bose’ SoundLink mini, is capable of producing slightly richer sound at the same price point.
In short, for those outdoor fanatics who need reliable and quality portable audio, the Fugoo Style is a stellar choice. It sounds great, looks even better, and can withstand just about anything you throw at it. If you’ve got $200 burning a hole in your pocket, the Fugoo Style should definitely end up on your short list.
