Published on August 21st, 2017 | by Sunit Nandi

iClever IC-BTS11 Slambox Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Review

Introduction

Bluetooth speakers come very handy in a variety of use cases. During heavy mental work, while exercising, being outdoors on a picnic, at a home party, you name it. Music has the power to light up anyone’s mood. Today, we have with us the iClever IC-BTS11 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker for review sent to us by iClever. This speaker intends to make your water sports more enjoyable and listen to music in the shower or go surfing listening to party anthems. We took this device out for 2 weeks of extended use and tried our best to make a detailed review.

About the product

The iClever IC-BTS11 Slambox is a portable Bluetooth speaker that is IPX7 certified to be waterproof, shockproof and dustproof. It is rugged and is made to survive extremely harsh conditions. The major highlights of this speaker, according to the Amazon product page are:

TINY SPEAKER, TITANIC SOUND: Pump out crystal clear highs, tight mids, and warm bass in any environment from the highest iceberg to the dustiest desert
IPX7 ELEMENTAL PROOFING: Take on any terrain with IPX67 water, snow, dust and shockproof design. For a speaker that can take a battering and still bring out the beats
BATTERY THAT NEVER BACKS DOWN: Set, rise, and set the sun again on your next party with a full day of continuous play time. For a lifestyle where portability is king
NEAR, FAR: Wherever you are! BoostSound has a Bluetooth range of up to 20m. So you can set the soundtrack on your next adventure from across the campsite
A WARRANTY YOU CAN BANK ON: 18 month warranty, 30-Day Money Back Guarantee, and Lifetime Support Guarantee for all the curve balls and collisions life throws at you and your speaker

So what do we think of it? Read on to know more.

Unboxing

The iClever IC-BTS11 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker comes in a brown cube cardboard box. It has a speaker outline illustration on the top of the box. There is an iClever logo on one of the sides. The other sides have SKU number and the manufacturing date, “WATERPROOF WIRELESS SPEAKER” text. The bottom of the box has the homepage URL of iClever as well as certification logos. The pictures of the box are given below.

Opening up the box, the speaker is right there, staring at you with its suave and slick grille and “ICLEVER” label on it.

The top side of the speaker has the power button, the multi-function call button as well as the volume buttons.

There is also a hanging strap on the top right.

The bottom side has the speaker specs in brief as well as certification logos.

The left side of the speaker has a AUX input as a USB charging port, both protected by a flap.

The back side of the speaker has a similar grille design as the front, albeit without the “ICLEVER” label.

Putting the speaker aside, we open the bottom floor of the box packaging. The packaging contains a USB charging cable, an AUX cable, a hanging hook, a user manual and a iClever warranty card.

Now that we’ve unboxed the product, lets move on to the usage.

Usage and Experience

The iClever IC-BTS11 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker is very easy to use. To play music on it, you need to perform the following steps:

Power on the speaker using the power button on the top side of the speaker. A blue LED at the left top corner will blink indicating it is ON.
To put the speaker in discoverable mode, press the multifunction call button once. Enable Bluetooth on your phone or computer and select the speaker.
Press the multifunction call button to accept the pairing. Once connected, the LED will turn to steady blue.
Open any music app and start playing music.

Compatibility

The speaker is compatible with all devices and platforms I use. Whether it is my Moto G5 Plus, YU Yureka, iPad, or my laptop running GNU/Linux with KDE, the audio streams without any hitches. There are no stops or stutters even when used at a stretch for several hours. The buttons integrate well with the device it is connected to. The volume up and down keys are linked with the volume control on the connected device. The multifunction call button allows one to answer/reject calls as well as pause/resume playback. Long pressing the same key on iPad brings up Siri, and Google Assistant on Android. So far I have never seen any issues related to compatibility. All work fit and fine.

Battery Life

I haven’t been able to fully and accurately test continuous battery life as I don’t listen to music 24×7. I only listen in 4-5 hour stretches. One full charge lasts lasts 6 or 7 such sessions. The battery life apparently seems a bit higher than the rated play time of 24 hours.

Audio Quality

Audio quality can be best described as average to above average for this Bluetooth speaker. The sound quality is pretty close to an entry level Logitech or Philips PC speaker. I seriously felt iClever could have put in a bit more work to design it better or source a better OEM product. I have noticed two major flaws:

There is only one speaker. The other side only has a grille look. The lack of a second speaker means there is literally no perception of soundstage.
The audio begins to stammer and stutter if the speaker is falls flat on its back in audio tracks that have heavy bass. This does not happen if the speaker is placed upright.

If we ignore the waterproofing and shockproofing for a moment, we can see that at the price range of this speaker, there are a lot of others with better audio. Nevertheless, it is still good enough for the average user.

Treble

Treble is clear with will formed hisses, shrieks and whistles. However, bells and whistles do not have a lasting resonance. Overall the treble levels are balanced, i.e. they are neither underwhelming nor overwhelming.

Mids

The mids are level throughout the spectrum. The vocal frequency range can be heard loud and clear but it does feel that a spark is missing. The rest of the spectrum having stringed instruments sound clear and lucid, but they feel rather dull. Overall, the mids have a warm undertone to it.

Bass

Bass seems to be the speciality of this Bluetooth speaker. The sub-bass is strong as solid. The mid-bass and high-bass sound warm and punchy and complement the treble and mids very well. However, as I mentioned before, if the speaker falls flat on its back, the bass thumps start to mess with the sound.

Overall this Bluetooth speaker has a bias towards country and pop music as its major issue with bass can be crippling for bass-heavy songs.

Build quality

Build quality is where the iClever IC-BTS11 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker excels at. The body is make from shock- and shatter-proof metal alloy with rubber coating, which makes it nearly invulnerable to drops, falls and scratches. I was also able to test the waterproofing by playing music on it while walking in heavy rain. The music played loud and clear even in the downpour and when I reached back home, a wipe with a towel was all it needed to continue using it. No functionality or buttons were affected and it worked as good as it was previously. Overall, I am more than impressed with the build quality.

Getting one for yourself

The iClever IC-BTS11 Slambox Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker can be purchased from Amazon for $29.99. Click here to buy it.

Summary

Pros

Great build quality.
Waterproof, shockproof and dustproof.
Long battery life.
Compatible with a lot of platforms and devices.

Cons

Sound quality could have been better.

Conclusion

I found the iClever IC-BTS11 Bluetooth Speaker a great fit for people who play a lot of water sports or do activities that involve swimming. It is also suitable for people who work in harsh and dusty conditions. However, I feel that audio quality could have been better.

Rating: 6/10

Tags: bluetooth, IC-BTS11, iClever, slambox, speaker, waterproof

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.