Bottom Line: The [easyazon_link identifier=”B01IOXSGN2″ locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″ popups=”n”]Ion Block Rocker[/easyazon_link] provides significant sound without being confined by wires all at a great price.
Back of the retail box
With small groups I like to orient my theater so that the screen is visible from the lanai. The lanai offers a lot of advantages; our patio furniture is very comfortable, the ceiling fan helps keep us cool and the bugs away, and the Vizio soundbar I installed provides great sound. However, my seating is a bit limited on the lanai and when we have large parties we have to take the setup out to the lawn. I have gotten pretty good at the alternative setup, the tiki torches help keep the bugs away and folding chairs are comfortable enough for the length of a movie, but sound continued to present an issue. I can move the soundbar out onto the lawn, but since it relies on the sound bouncing off the walls, when put in a big open space it leaves something to be desired. We were hosting a pizza party for about a dozen people to include a showing of Angry Birds and I knew I needed to make sure the kids could hear all the dialogue if I wanted to keep them engaged. Remember, good sound is one of the keys to hosting a successful backyard movie.
List of features on the box
These were the factors driving me to find a sound solution that was both affordable (I really only needed this for showings on the lawn) and that provided me some flexibility with my setup.
The [easyazon_link identifier=”B01IOXSGN2″ locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″ popups=”n”]ION Block Rocker[/easyazon_link] excels at meeting all of these criteria.
Size:
As I have often lamented here, space is at a premium in Hawaii, so I don’t have the capability to store something really large. The ION Block Rocker is approximately the size of a small guitar amp. It isn’t very heavy at all and can easily be carried by a man or woman, but it is heavy enough I wouldn’t want to carry it a long distance (I could still easily carry it the 100 yards to the beach and further is I absolutely had to). Fortunately, it comes with a pullout handle and two wheels, so you can move it like carry-on luggage. This makes it a great solution if you need to frequently move it, like if you were perhaps running an office field day or family reunion picnic.
Features:
Face of the speaker
The speaker has a nice LCD display on the front with clearly labeled knobs and buttons that make operation fairly intuitive. The speaker comes with a wired microphone that has its own jack and volume control. The microphone isn’t the highest quality mic, but it is certainly acceptable for backyard use. The speaker has an auxiliary jack, which is how I connected my projector to the speaker. The speaker also has Bluetooth capability, which will pretty much be a requirement for any portable speaker I buy from this point forward. The Bluetooth capability allowed me to setup the theater ahead of time and stream music from my phone, while still keeping it on my person (I wanted to be able answer the phone if we had a guest that was lost). The range on the Bluetooth was very good, I didn’t test it for a specific distance, but there wasn’t any break in connectivity as I moved around the backyard. The speaker also has a digital AM/FM receiver built in with retractable antenna. Finally, the front of the speaker features two LED lights that can put on a light show for you. The lights are cool, but I don’t know how or why you would ever use them, and they seem too small for dramatic effect. That being said, you can turn them off, I didn’t want them to distract from the movie.
Battery:
The speaker contains a rechargeable battery which is a huge plus in my book and was one of the biggest deciding factors in my decision. The manufacturer suggests the battery will last up to eight hours. I haven’t tested that claim, but easily got four hours out of it during our longest use to date. The speaker recharges fairly rapidly too. There is a small indicator on the LCD display that will tell you what your current battery strength is.
Sound:
Speaker and box with the lights on
I am not an audiophile, but I think the speaker sounds great! It is a little Bass heavy and there is NO way to adjust your levels. The volume was more than adequate for our backyard theater and I think it would be more than adequate for any entertaining/BBQs/beach parties that we would host. Everyone was able to hear the dialogue from the movie clearly and the sound was well balanced between dialogue and effects. It is a single speaker though, so it doesn’t provide surround or even stereo, so if these are important to you, this speaker will not be a good choice.
I kept the box and all the packing materials so that I could send this speaker back if I was unhappy with it. I had used another model ION speaker at work (which is going on several years I might add) and was pleased with it, but I had never used it for the backyard movie theater. It is official now, I can throw the box away! We are totally keeping this speaker, just minutes into our showing I was so happy with the sound I knew it was a keeper. All in all it is the best sound solution I have tried for the theater so far, I think if you pick one up you will be very happy with it too!
If you have had an experience with this speaker or questions please leave me a comment below.
Pros:
Great Volume
Rechargeable Battery
Bluetooth Capable
Fun Lights
Wheels on the Base
Small Footprint
Microphone Included
Speedy Charging
Affordable
Cons:
Flat Sound (single speaker)
No Equalizer
Cheap Microphone
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B01IOXSGN2″ locale=”US” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]
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