The Nyne Rebel Review: A Portable Wireless Speaker and Power Bank That Works Everywhere

Spring is here, and that leads to more time spent outdoors. Whether you are working in the garden or enjoying a day at the lake with your kids, music can make the experience that much better. Want a portable speaker that can deliver great sound and handle splashes? Look no further than the nyne Rebel.

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Measuring approximately 15.5″ wide by 6.5″ tall by 10″ deep, the nyne Rebel is just as at home on a bookshelf as it is sitting on a picnic table.

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Included in the box are the Rebel speaker, a 3.5mm auxiliary cable (great for those of us who still use iPods that don’t have Bluetooth connectivity), an AC adaptor with four world plugs, a warranty card, and a user guide.

The nyne Rebel is composed of black soft-touch plastic. It has a striking right trapezoid design that appears to be all speaker grill on the front and sides; the built-in handle on the back makes it easy to carry around.

On the top, buttons include power, phone (it has a built-in microphone, so it also serves as a massive speakerphone), play/pause, back, forward, volume down and volume up buttons. The speaker has 40-watts of power delivered through a “2.1 system with two active drivers, two active tweeters and an active subwoofer.”

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The beauty of the nyne Rebel is its flexibility. The Rebel is IPX3 water/dust/shock resistant, so it is suitable for just about any outdoor or indoor environment. To play music, you can use the included auxiliary cable, but you can also stream via Bluetooth 4.0 (33-foot range) and NFC, and built into the back is a 1A USB cable to power whatever device is supplying the music.

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Note the rubber gasket around the door; when it is shut, it will keep out the elements.

Battery capacity is shown in 20% increments through 5 LEDs; they blink until solid while charging, and you can later check remaining power by pressing the “level” button to the left of the LEDs. In my testing, I found that the battery easily lasted 8.5 hours, but the battery lasted a bit less when I used it to recharge my phone — that’s to be expected.

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Music played through the nyne Rebel is impressively clear with little to no distortion or bottoming out, and — depending upon where you happen to be — quite loud. The Rebel can easily fill a room with music; outdoors it will be an excellent source of sound on a back patio or pool, but it won’t be “loud” unless you are within 20 or so feet — which is typical for any non-PA system. In other words, it’s louder and better than smaller wireless portable speakers, and it is outdoors-friendly.

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Interestingly enough, when I was testing the nyne Rebel by our pool (with it sitting directly on the deck), the Rebel’s subwoofer was strong to shake the desk.

The nyne Rebel is the speaker I will be using outdoors this summer; it sounds great, it’s loud enough for parties, it’s portable, it lasts all day, and it is dirt and water-resistant. Perfect!

The nyne Rebel retails for $229.99, and it is available from Amazon [affiliate link] and other retailers.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Rugged design made to withstand dirt, dust, and water; Portable; Sounds great indoors and outdoors; Long battery life; Can be used to charge your device; Can be used as a speakerphone

What Needs Improvement: Nothing

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.