Music makes memories, which is why there’s a speaker for practically any occasion. If you plan on hanging out in a hot tub, bumming at the beach, or partying by the pool, your basic speaker may not make it out alive. For outdoor activity, waterproof is certainly the way to go. But if you like extra fun, the NYNE Aqua Bluetooth speaker can delivers tunes while floating around!

Design and Connectivity

The NYNE Aqua Bluetooth speaker looks like no other speaker out there, resembling a pontoon boat or smooth raft. Versus many of the manufacturer’s product photos, this speaker is smaller than one might expect. This ends up being a positive point in favor of less weight and greater ease of carrying. In terms of construction, the NYNE Aqua feels rather solid for its smooth matte plastic exterior. Although a bit more durable than your standard portable speaker, the Aqua falls shy of the ‘rugged’ speaker club. It can take some hits, but you’re likely to see marks for the effort.

The buttons along the center ‘spine’ are self-explanatory if you’ve ever used a speaker before. The icons for power, play/pause, EQ, and volume are slightly raised for touch and visibility. Turning the NYNE on/off requires a press-hold each way. A blue LED lights up and remains lit when the speaker is on and connected. A red LED blinks when the battery is getting low, typically after seven or so hours of uptime at moderate volume levels. 

Included with the speaker is a silicone hanging strap, a USB charge cable, and an audio cable for non-wireless device connectivity. Both the micro USB and audio ports are located on the speaker’s rear, guarded by a thick silicone seal. The edges of this protective covering are good and deep, and it takes deliberate action to pry it open (a bit of effort is required to close it up tightly, too).

The silicone strap is a welcome accessory, be it for carrying around or hanging from bathroom shower heads or outdoor patio umbrellas. It fastens securely and won’t even pop open if you swing the speaker around it. You can stand the speaker on its end or lie it down flat. It may seem like a minor thing, but the way you orient the NYNE Aqua makes a difference to how it disperses sound.

Bluetooth connectivity is quick and simple, with pairing mode initiated by holding down the play/pause button. The speaker beeps when it turns on or connects/disconnects from a device. There’s no telltale sound when it powers off (thankfully). The Bluetooth wireless range is average for the size and price of the speaker. With no obstructions, the Bluetooth connection maintains well up to about 6 meters or so before it starts to get a bit touchy. Walls and bodies passing through the signal can and will interrupt music, especially at distance.

Audio Quality

The NYNE Aqua gets respectably loud for its size, capable of filling a small- to medium-sized room with moderate volume. The onboard EQ adjustment is a nice touch if you want to tune the music through the speaker. However, you will experience better results from using your connected device’s EQ control (e.g. sound apps). In some cases, the NYNE Aqua’s built-in equalizer lead to music sounding a little worse.

Maxing the volume on the speaker is acceptable so long as you don’t do the same with the connected device. Most any portable speaker of similar size and power will distort from excess volume. The Aqua, by comparison, seems slightly below average in terms of maintaining quality at higher decibels. Too much volume on the NYNE Aqua leads to vocal consonants developing harsh, painful edges. The Aqua’s highs turn pale and brittle, and the mids muck up and blur. The lows don’t really change too much. In addition to these undesirable effects, the NYNE Aqua also gains a low hiss in the background, and the speakers will randomly spit and pop.

If you want to maintain the best sound, keep the connected device’s volume between 40 and 65 percent if the speaker’s volume is maxed out. All that messy distortion creeps in pretty quickly and trashes the music.

However, the modest soundstage does have perceptible left and right sides with a depth to match. I’ll give kudos, since the edges can be identified, and one can hear vocals preceding guitars preceding drum kits in the back. Not bad at all. Vocals, one major strength of the NYNE Aqua, sound pretty good. And this speaker delivers a surprisingly accurate tone. I wasn’t expecting to hear such level of realism to things like snapping fingers, clapping hands, or running water. It’s definitely another great surprise.

Overall, the NYNE Aqua performs as one might expect a speaker of its size and output. As such, it does miss out on subtle elements and small details within music. Maracas and tambourines in the background get lost and/or folded into the main body of sound. Instruments tend to overlap each other a bit. There isn’t a whole lot of separation between the front and rear of the stage, too. You’re going to hear a lot of hissy and tinny cymbals and hi-hats, which is pretty much par for the course. Even at good volume levels, the highs come across a little thin. Complex and/or fast-playing songs lead those notes to sound synthetic, sometimes with a light blur to the edges.

The mids are where the NYNE Aqua shines brightest. It’s easy to pick up on the energy conveyed through the mids, and the sound is definitely richer and fuller versus the highs. Not only that, but songs with more of a midrange focus sound cleaner, and the volume can be turned up a little more for added projection before developing distortion. You’ll know the volume has been pushed up too far when you hear the a grainier output as the speaker struggles.

Not much needs to be said about the lows except that they’re fairly consistent. You’re only going to hear the top-end of hits, and that’s about it. Just enough to hear where the bottom frequencies are to give shape to the music (there’s no mid- or sub-bass depth). The attack and decay speeds are close to moderate. But given the size and scope of the NYNE Aqua, I find that the lows deliver enough punch that’s appropriately balanced with the mids and highs.

Waterproof, Kidproof

Water resistance is quite common on portable speakers these days, but ones that float are still few and far between. Although the NYNE Aqua’s floating feature gives it some added fun, it performs best with calm seas. If you place the NYNE Aqua into a busy backyard pool, expect to hear some muffled music. Splashed water collects in the grille openings (it doesn’t take much), so someone will need to periodically shake the water out in order to keep the tunes from drowning. The speaker drivers aren’t powerful enough to blast the water clear at higher volumes either.

For audio playback, I find the NYNE Aqua to be better next to the pool as opposed to in it. When someone (e.g. young children, dogs that care less, etc.) inevitably knocks it over by accident, retrieval is simple. And it does float really well!

Overall Impression

The NYNE Aqua Floating Waterproof Bluetooth speaker is great for casual listening indoors or out. Whether you’re in a room, shower, pool, or campground, this speaker handles it all like a champ. Wet? Shake it off. Dirt? Wash it off. Kids? They’ll love playing with it in the tub or pool. Truthfully, it doesn’t even need to be blaring music to be fun. When a speaker can survive three energetic kids, you can check off that box for ‘outdoor summertime survivability.’

If audio quality is more important, then the NYNE Aqua may not be the best choice. This speaker isn’t able to get loud enough to project without adding undesired distortion. The soundstage is lean, and many musical details end up as lost. However, the NYNE Aqua does have moments of surprising richness and tone. But the overall audio output is mostly average, and the recharge time is too long for the hours of playback. Normally, a speaker would get (at least) double the hours of playtime as was required to charge. But the NYNE Aqua is closer to a 1:1 ratio with its 7+ hours to charge and 8+ of total playback.

Compare the NYNE Aqua to similarly-priced or less expensive speakers, and one can find options with better battery life and audio quality (some even supporting aptX Bluetooth). Many of these speakers are water-resistant, maybe also waterproof. But as far as my kids are concerned, this floating speaker is their favorite. There’s no arguing the fun factor, and the NYNE Aqua Bluetooth speaker totally aces it.

Product page: NYNE

Source: The sample for this review was provided by NYNE