Portable bluetooth speakers are kind of a niche market offering. Despite that, manufacturers are trying their best to keep innovating and providing better experiences to the customers. The Rocker Armor XL from ZOOOK is one such product and we take a look at the device in detail to see what it provides the users.
As the name suggests, the Rocker Armor XL is a rugged speaker. It is intended to provide entertainment while being able to withstand being thrown around. The Armor XL has a tough look on its exterior. The all black colour scheme seems to add to its rugged look and the exposed screw too enhances the industrial design. It is one of the larger portable speakers that you will find. Certainly one that won’t slide into your pocket no matter how baggy it is but it should be able to find a cozy spot in your backpack.
At the front, you find the speaker grille along with the ZOOOK branding. That is probably the only part of the speaker which feels like a “DIY” (Do It Yourself) solution rather than an elegant solution. We feel that a more subtle branding at the top or sides would’ve made the product design more appealing. The edges at the front and back are made of tough plastic. The speaker griller at the front also houses a multi-colour LED that gives the different statuses as well as indicates the battery life of the speaker.
At the top and sides, you’ve a rubber grip that prevents the speaker from slipping and sliding as well as gives protection from drops and bumps. At the top, you get the various controls such as the power button that also acts as the Bluetooth pairing trigger, track seek/skip, volume up/down and call accept/play/pause button.
The speaker also has a set of ports at the back that are protected by a rubber flap which hides the microUSB port and the 3.5mm audio jack. The rubber flap is attached to the speaker casing itself which is good since you don’t have to worry about losing it. The flap is what makes sure that the speaker is waterproof and gives it an IPX5 rating. Waterproof is a relatively loose term since the rating mentions that the speaker is splashproof and not properly subject-able to immersion underwater without causing damage. It may survive to tell the tale but we didn’t want to risk it as it wasn’t our property to do so.
Audio quality is surprisingly good. Being a rugged speaker, we expected there to be some sort of tradeoff when it comes to sound quality but that wasn’t the case. The speaker is really loud without sacrificing on clarity. The bass too is really thumping thanks to the bass radiators and can be an ideal music source for parties or picnics. Also combine the ruggedness factor and you’ve something that can withstand some of the elements on a picnic or the mishaps that could potentially take place at a party such as someone spilling a drink over the speaker. There are 2 50mm dia subwoofers and a 45mm high frequency speaker giving a 2.1 channel output with a total of 30 Watts. The speaker also has a built-in mic that can be used to make or take calls even if your phone is far away. The play/pause button can be used to accept an incoming call and the call quality is quite good.
Users can either connect to the speaker over Bluetooth 4.0 or using the 3.5mm AUX input. However, using the 3.5mm audio jack means that you no longer have the waterproof capabilities. So its better to use bluetooth in case you are using the device near any water body for example. Bluetooth has a range of around 33 feet according to the specs sheet but that number will reduce in case you have any obstacles, walls or other signals in the same area. There is a large 4400 mAh battery powering the device and the company claims that it offers upto 8 hours of battery life. This again will depend on the volume you set it to as well as the bass levels and other factors. In our tests, the speaker lasted for over 4 hours on a single charge even with maximum volume and that’s good enough in our opinion.
Another neat trick of the speaker is a silicon handle or hanger as ZOOOK describes it. This is an optional attachment and is quite useful when you want to use the speaker on the go or your know to leave it out to dry after you’ve had fun pouring water on it. Overall, the ZOOOK Rocker Armor XL is a really neat product. If you are someone who loves to have music on the move and would like to start a party wherever you go, then this speaker will do the job for you. The MRP is a bit steep at Rs 5,499 but you can get the device for as low as Rs 3,499 on certain online retailers which makes it really worth your money.
