Braven unleashes a monster of a Bluetooth speaker at CES with the BRV-XXL

By Kris Wouk January 5, 2016

braven brv xxl announced ces 2016 brx — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The last time we looked at a product from Braven it was the BRV-Pro, which at the time we called the Swiss Army Knife of speakers for its litany of features. That product wasn’t the first from the company to take that approach to a Bluetooth speaker, and it doesn’t seem that it’ll be the last either.

Today Braven announced the latest of its many Bluetooth speakers, the BRV-XXL. It features the rugged build that we’ve come to expect from the company, while also packing in a few novel new additions that certainly seem to lend credence to the firm’s claim that the new model is “the tailgater’s dream.”

“The BRV-XXL is the perfect party starter with an impressive sound that is bigger than its size,” Braven’s Andy Fathollahi said in a statement. “This is the heavy-duty Bluetooth speaker that every fun seeker has ever dreamt of; it even comes with a built-in bottle opener on the carry strap.”

As the name implies, the BRV-XXL is the company’s largest yet. The speaker housing is built out of aircraft-grade aluminum, so there should be no worries about the occasional drop. And with an IPX5 waterproof rating, which means the speaker is rated to protect against spraying water, there should be no reason to worry about a rain shower ruining the party.

In addition to the more unusual features like the carrying strap with a built-in bottle opener, the BRV-XXL also features more standard features like NFC and onboard controls for playback and volume, and even controls to adjust bass and treble. The speaker even features a 3.5mm microphone input that allows the speaker to be used as a (comparatively) tiny public address system.

The BRV-XXL packs in a 15,600 mAh battery that provides up to 14 hours of playback time. It can also be used to charge mobile devices on the go. We haven’t yet had a chance to listen to the speaker in person, but given the built-in side-firing subwoofer and large build, it should pump out at least as much bass as any other Braven speaker.

The Braven BRV-XXL will sell for $350, and will be available for purchase sometime in the first quarter of 2016. The company will also be showing off the BRV-XXL at its booth at CES all week.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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