From backyard entertaining to tailgate parties to time working in the garden, the great outdoors feel even greater when there's musical accompaniment. All you need is the right speaker — or speakers, depending on how much open space you're hoping to fill.
Bluetooth Tailgate Speaker - $44 at Walmart
A surprisingly good Bluetooth speaker for the money, the iLive ISB380B makes a great first impression with its retro LED display and control knobs and modern color-changing lighting effects. It's also a karaoke machine: Just plug in a microphone (not included) and you can turn your tailgate into a sing-along.
There's unmatched portability here as well: Like a carry-on suitcase, the ISB380B has an extendable handle and a pair of wheels, so it's easy to move around. It's also surprisingly lightweight (a little over five pounds) if you end up needing to carry it, and there's a convenient handle on top for that purpose.
Why so light? Small battery, for one thing: The wireless speaker runs on a rechargeable that iLive says is good for anywhere from 2.5 to 6 hours depending on volume, with a total charge time of 4-5 hours. That's not great; every other rechargeable model here can play considerably longer. (Note: The ISB380B shown here has a micro-USB charging port; there's a newer version with a USB-C port and slightly different control layout, but otherwise they're identical.)
In addition to pairing via Bluetooth to your phone, the ISB380B can play songs from a USB drive or microSD card. I'm not sure those are widely used options these days, but they're nice to have. There's also an FM tuner built in, though you'll need an audio cable (not included) to serve as the antenna.
Given how light this outdoor speaker is and how low the price, I didn't expect great sound quality. But you know what? It sounds pretty good. There's not much bass, and it doesn't get super-loud, but it didn't distort at maximum volume (a fairly common issue with budget-priced speakers). I found it a welcome companion during a fall garage clean-out.
My only real complaint is with the warranty, a relatively short 90 days. That aside, the iLive ISB380B is a nifty-looking outdoor speaker that feels like a steal at this price.
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