Braven 600 HD Wireless Speaker Review

Braven’s line of portable speakers is among the best in the market.  Compared to most of the speakers in the same price range, Braven’s speakers sound better, not to mention they are built better.  I recently reviewed the Braven 570 which I gave a 9/10 rating.  I was impressed with how the portable speaker sounded and when the entire feature set is considered, it is arguably one compelling product.  The other product I had the chance to review is the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speaker, a product with mainly the same set of features as the Braven 570, save for a very few differences.

Braven 600 – Design and Features

From the outside, the Braven 600 looks like the Braven 570.  The shape and dimensions and the same and even the location of the buttons and ports are the same.  When placed side by side, one could think that one is the same as the other and only the color coating is different.  They are of course different and Braven 600 is obviously the better of the two, it being the more expensive product.

There are essentially only two main differences between the Braven 600 and Braven 570.  While the Braven 570 has a moulded plastic polymer casing, the Braven 600 has an aircraft-grade aluminium enclosure.   It’s therefore heavier, but not by much, and honestly, the difference in weight is negligible.

The other main difference is the battery size.  The Braven 600 packs a bigger 1400mAh battery which is bigger than 1200mAh battery on the Braven 570.  In terms of features and functionality the Braven 600 and Braven 570 are practically the same.   Apart from being a wireless speaker, the Braven 600 is also a speakerphone and can also charge mobile devices.

Braven 600 – Performance

Setting up the Braven 600 is easy.   After charging the speaker, you only need to turn on the power and press the Bluetooth button, which also happens to be the phone answering button.  Then on your mobile device, you just turn on Bluetooth and the Braven 600 immediately appears in the available devices.  Only one tap is needed and the devices are connected, no password required.

The Braven 600 can be used wired or wireless trough Bluetooth 3.0.  In wireless mode, the effective range is quite good, with the speaker able to maintain connection up to about a hundred feet, without the line of sight being blocked.   The connection is good up to this range and anything beyond already causes a decline in audio clarity.

If the Braven 570 impressed me, the audio performance of the Braven 600 is even more impressive.  The sound quality is noticeably better and I attribute this to the aluminium casing on the Braven 600.  The plastic casing on the Braven 570 somewhat limited its bass response but on the Braven 600, bass response is more robust and punchy.  Of course the highs and mids are still crisp on the Braven 600.  I’ve tried almost all kinds of music and almost always, the Braven 600 delivered.  I had a good time listening to rock, R&B, electronic, acoustic, pop and even classical music.

The Braven 600’s battery life is decent.  It is better than the battery life on the Braven 570 but this is expected since the Braven 570 has a smaller battery.  On a single charge I was able to get about 10 to 12 hours of playback from the Braven 600.

Braven was able to achieve a lot of things with the Braven 600 and was able to put almost all essential features in a very compact package.  For a price of $139.99, the Braven 600 is easily one of the best choices when it comes to portable wireless speakers.  If you’re looking for one, you can’t go wrong with the Braven 600.

In the Philippines, you can buy the Braven 600 from Astroplus, Astrovision, Digital Arena, iCenter, iGig, iStudio, Odyssey, Quicksound, SM Appliance and Switch.

Rating: 9.2/10