July 16, 2015

Scosche BoomBARS Review

We review the Scosche BoomBARS, a tiny, portable bluetooth speaker for bike handlebars.

Written by: David Niddrie

The Scosche handleIT bike mount, left, and the BoomBARS wireless speaker on the right. Photo by David Niddrie.

PRICE $39.99 USD
SEE SPECIFICATIONS HERE

FIND IT AT scosche.com

Scosche’s latest entry to the portable, wireless audio market is their BoomBARS Bluetooth speaker for bikes. The unit is tiny (2” x 2.5”) but packs a decent punch for solo listening on your bike, or for a small group at a quiet picnic spot. It has two settings for volume, and hence battery savings, along with an aux-in for hardwiring your device. The handlebar mount is included and works as promised with a true quick release.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

As portable as you can get and less than $40 retail. The dimensions approximate an oversized 35mm film canister, or for the millennials, a wide mouth shot glass. Easy to keep in your bag for travel, on your bike for cycling or simply on your kitchen counter as you start your day.

The BoomBARS are available in the Momentum Shop. Learn More.

Scosche | boomBARS

WISH LIST

It’s hard to ask for more volume or deeper bass in a package this small, so while the size gives you an indication of tone response, you will be surprised by the quality. The one thing I had trouble with was the Bluetooth connection. It should be wireless up to 30-feet as is the current standard, but interrupting the line of sight between speaker and device caused the signal to drop in some situations (ie. iPhone in back pocket, speaker on handlebars).

SUMMARY

The Scosche BoomBARS speaker is easy to set up, it keeps your last paired device ready to re-activate and the compactness of the unit can’t be overlooked. It is tiny and this is a major bonus, especially considering the quality of the sound – easily enough volume for your personal space and the tunes ring with crisp tones and vocals. If only the Bluetooth connectivity were more robust for my use, but by using one of Scosche’s mobile device mounts (like the handleIT pictured) you won’t experience this issue. For the price, it’s a smart buy, and much better than your built-in smartphone speakers.