When Braven got in touch and asked us if we wanted to review their XXL speaker I knew I had to say yes. Why was that? Well, truth be told I had heard this unit about a year back at a garden party and remember seeing it and thinking what an absolute beast of a portable speaker it was. As most of the long-term readers here know I don't tend to feature a lot of Bluetooth speakers on this site as for the most part they are much the same. I get sent a lot of speakers and most of them get a quick listen and passed to the no thanks pile. They simply aren't worth writing about. Good yes but not significantly different or better than the majority of speakers on the market.

Where I do make the exception is when it comes to speakers that manage to stand out. We are massive fans of the Minirigs speakers and there ability to play some crazy loud music in an ultraportable setup but what if you have a little bit more space for your speaker and what if you want to fill a whole party, not just a room? Well, we just got done with the review and for its size, the XXL packs a hell of a punch.

Packaging and accessories

The packaging is pretty cool. A nice big box with the speaker mounted in styrofoam to keep it safe. Despite that the local post office did manage to put a small dent in the grill, I'm not going to hold that against Braven as the local post service has managed to damage 3 items due for us this week. Additionally, this speaker was sent all the way from the US to Europe so it would take from that what you wish.

The Box is full of information and covers all the features and design aspects of the XXL speaker.

On the inside, you get quite a few extras which is a bit of a rarity with Bluetooth speakers because really how much can you add on. Well, they covered the basics with charging cables coming in EU UK and US flavors so wherever you are in the world you should be able to charge the unit without the need for an external adapter.

You also get a user manual which is refreshingly straightforward and concise in its operating instructions. This is in stark contrast to some of the Asian brand speakers which require way too much work just to know how to pair the damn things.

Finally, there is a carry strap which has the effect of turning the Braven XXL into a modern version of the mid 90's ghetto blasters. The unit is quite heavy and I wouldn't want to be carrying it with just the integrated handle for too long. The strap length is easily adjustable via a slider mechanism and feels rugged with high tensile nylon and metal construction.

Build Quality and Styling