If you’re looking for a brand new Bluetooth speaker, you may have missed the newest offering from Leeron, but you may want to look again. Leeron isn’t the biggest name in electronics here in the States and that hurts them in search results, but when you compare the quality of its build, they stand up to anyone else on the market.

Build and function

The Leeron Bluetooth Speaker is cylindrical in shape, but also sports some very modern and stylish straight lights. The front grill is tapered near the center and remains wide on the ends, almost appearing like a cynical grin. The soft plastic and TPU adorn the outside and give the speaker a tough exterior that won’t get beat up, but also adds some grip. I really enjoy holding the speaker in my hands due to the texture and feel comfortable knowing that when I put it down, it won’t slide off a slightly inclined surface.

On top of the speaker sits four buttons, M, Play, Minus, and Plus. The M (which stands for “mode” is not only the power button but also switches it between Bluetooth and Aux mode. The plus and minus buttons, as you might expect, raise and lower the volume with a short press and skip tracks with a long press. The play button pauses and resumes music as well as answers calls.

Around back is a flap that covers the power port, aux bus, and a micro SD card slot. The slot MUST stay closed to keep your speaker waterproof (IPX7) so make sure that you’ve taken a look at it whenever you’re around water. The inclusion of the micro SD card slot is a nice one that you don’t normally find on speakers.

The internal battery is rated at 1800mAh and Leeron claims that gives you about 16 hours of battery life. The company must have tested this at very low volumes because I only got about eight hours of battery life out of mine. I do leave room for error here, though. I believe that the battery was completely charged, but since it charges so slow there is a possibility that even after hours on the charger it wasn’t completely full. Still, eight hours is a pretty decent battery life for a Bluetooth speaker and should definitely get you through whatever party you’re hosting.

Sound

So, what does a $30 waterproof Bluetooth speaker get you in terms of audio quality? Well, as long as you aren’t expecting top tier performance, you won’t be disappointed. After roughly 20 hours of listening to Leeron Sport speaker, I can honestly say I enjoy the sound signature.

First, let’s start off with the negatives. The Bass isn’t the greatest in the world. This will, by no means, start rattling around or vibrate itself off a table due to an abundance of bass. You will get some of those sharp kicks you get in the lows, but that deep rattling bass is absent. Listening to electronic and rap can still be enjoyable experiences, but you will make a sacrifice in the lows.

The highs can feel a bit muddy, too. It’s not horrible and certainly not enough to take me out of the experience, but I have heard other (much more expensive) Bluetooth speakers that offer better highs.

Where the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker really shines is first and foremost in overall loudness. When I pair my phone to the speaker and leave the volume on my phone at 100%, I have to turn the speaker all the way down to get it at a sane volume. If you’re looking to bring a speaker to an outdoor party where there are no walls for the music to bounce off of, this is a really good option due to how loud it can get.

I’d rate the audio quality about average speakers in this price range. You’re not going to be blown away by the audio quality, but you certainly will be by how loud this thing can get.

Summary

So, what sets the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker out from its competitors? I think the fact that it’s the complete package really makes it stand out from other speakers. Sure, the audio quality isn’t the best, but I don’t think it holds the speaker back in any way. When you’re tubing down a river, you don’t care about hearing each individual instrument or how much the bass kicks.

Leeron added some nice features like the ability to use the speaker as a speaker for calls, which is great for conference call situations. I love the included carabiner for hooking onto a backpack too. Due to the construction of the speaker, I would have no qualms about carrying it around in this manner. You certainly don’t need to baby it.

And, you can’t say enough about the waterproofing. That opens up such a huge world of opportunity to use this speaker. I found the speaker clipped to our shower caddy one morning because my wife took a bath the night before and wanted to listen to some music.

If you’re interested in picking up the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker, head over to Amazon (Amazon UK too!) where it can be had for $29.99 with free Prime shipping.