The sub $100 Bluetooth speaker market has grown in a seemingly exponential way in the past few years, arriving at the point where a speaker needs to have something special if it is going to distinguish itself. The Divoom Voombox Ongo Bluetooth Speaker actually has that “something special”, and it makes this $69.99 speaker worth a second look.We’ve looked at a few different speakers from Divoom, but none that are quite as rugged as this one. It is, in fact, designed for use outside and on the go. More specifically, this speaker was built with bike riders in mind. Let’s take a closer look at why that’s the case.
The company describes the speaker this way:
Light weight rugged and weather resistant the Voombox Ongo is designed to Go with you. Take it hiking, biking, climbing, camping, to the beach. Well you get the point. If you enjoy listening to your music non-stop without the hazards of earphones you need the Ongo today. The Voombox Ongo also features a built in microphone so you can take your calls or conference calls without ever stopping.
Inside the package you’ll find:
- The Divoom Voombox Ongo
- A Bike Clip
- A Micro-USB Charging cable
- An Auxiliary Connection Cable
The first thing I noticed when I took the speaker out of the package was just how dense it is. This speaker is made for the outdoors and its build quality and weight speak to that immediately. It has a rugged look thanks to the exposed bolts around the face and it has a rugged feel that allows for marrying a creek when you press down on any part of the device. Honestly if you held it without looking at it you would think that it was simply a solid brick. That’s a good thing in this case.
Because the speaker is designed to be used outdoors it is a weather-sealed audio device that carries with it an IPX water resistant rating. No, this is not a speaker that you’re going to be able to submerge but if you are out side riding bikes or simply having a picnic and the sky opens up the speaker will be just fine. Beneath the almost-waterproof flap is the micro USB charging port and the auxiliary connection into which a 3.5 mm cable can be plugged if you want to use a wired connection. A connection loop on one side means that you can easily connect a carabiner clip or hang it from a hook somewhere outside.
The standout feature of the speaker of course is the ability to place it on your bike and have it held securely on your handlebars. This is accomplished by having a threaded screw in the bottom of the speaker as well as including a handlebar mount in the package.
You can connect the speaker to a tripod or anything else with a similarly sized thread! There’s nothing really all that exciting here but the mounting system does work quite well.
Video Review of the Divoom Voombox Ongo
It all when the company states that this is, “Truly a life proof speaker built for all of your portable Gadgets and iDevices.” They know what they are saying. The speaker is designed to go with you and add a soundtrack to your adventures and it will do just that. Best of all it will do just that for under $70. Learn more here.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample of the Divoom Voombox Ongo
What I Like: Impressively solid build; Good sound; Almost all the features you expect in a BT speaker; Tripod mount and included handlebar mount for use with a bike; Water resistant
What Needs Improvement: No NFC
