Eco Extreme Waterproof Speaker Case
They say that there is no place that the Eco Extreme waterproof speaker case will not go. Their motto: "If you can get there, it'll follow you." The Eco Extreme waterproof speaker case by Grace Digital Audio was built with a rugged rubberized protective body, which is shock resistant and produced to withstand just about anything you can throw at it. Designed to play nice with all audio pumping devices equipped with an universal 1/8" headset jack, the Eco Extreme appears to be a modern solution to peace and tranquility. It's about time!
Recently we were given the opportunity to test, review, and totally abuse the Eco Extreme for ourselves on a camping / kayaking trip. The testing took place over 3 days in the harsh Michigan wilderness. There was no power, no women (sadly), and plenty of beer (thankfully). Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, here's a few images of the unit itself to inspire you...
Available in a variety of pleasing colors including: Jet Black, Lime Green, Lemon Zest, Orange Peel, Cobalt Blue, and Petal Pink.
The Review:
Design: (9 out of 10) Grace Digital Audio pulled out all the stops to make this bad boy rugged, eye appealing, and functional. It's one of the few audio / storage cases you'll find on the market that will take a beating and continue to function as designed. A few key design elements that stuck out to us were the integrated carabiner and the push button locking arms. The carabiner allows you to quickly and simply attach the Eco Extreme to just about anything. On our trip down the White River I hooked it to the bungees near the front of my kayak where it was loud enough to hear, but not blasting in my face. The push button locking arms secure the case firmly closed and make it almost impossible for the case to accidently open. If we alter the design we'd only make one change, and that would be to add an button or someway to pause, fast forward, and skip songs without having to open the case completely.
Durability: (10 out of 10) After gently soaking the Eco Extreme without anything of value in it to start, I finally began to trust the unit enough to insert my phone (my baby!) and give it the plunge. I was nervous, but I queued up some classic rock anyways, chucked it into the river, only to scoop it up a few moments later. To my relief the unit was still blasting music! And better yet, when I opened the case it was bone dry, phone and all. After running this simple waterproofing test we were quickly emboldened and that's when the Eco Extreme started to take some serious abuse! We submerged it, dropped, threw it, and kicked it. Moments later, someone reminded me my phone was still in the case, so I momentarily freaked out, opened the case and realized nothing was damaged. Neither my phone or the case! If there were questions of durability with this speaker case to begin with, I no longer have any!
Battery Life: (10 out of 10) Running on 3 AA batteries, the Eco Extreme has an advertised battery life of up to 30 hours. We didn't have a chance to test it for a full 30 hours unfortunately, but on our recent kayaking trip, the sound was pumping for over 14hrs and didn't show any sings of weakness.
Audio Quality: (8 out of 10) At 100% volume the Eco Extreme's single speaker often sounds distorted. By dialing it back to 80% the clarity increases wonderfully and still remains quite loud! Typically it's hard to run bass, music, and voices through one small(ish) speaker, but the engineers at Grace Digital Audio have good job here. The unit is designed to be used either open or closed, but from our experience the unit sounds better when fully closed. Likely having something to due with the air pressure surrounding the speaker.
Value: (10 out of 10) After testing the Eco Extreme surrounded by friends, the unit received many complements. When we asked those friends what they'd expect to pay for an Eco Extreme, several answered $20 to $30 more than the $50 retail price, which tells us that it's value out weighs it's asking price. Something that is rare in the consumer electronics market!
The Bottom Line: If you're an audio buff who enjoys trips to the beach, kayaking, climbing, backpacking, or generally spending your days outdoors, we highly recommend the
Eco Extreme Waterproof Speaker Case from
Grace Digital Audio. It's compact, waterproof, and truly rugged. We trust it with our audio devices and think you should too!
