When I first received the Archeer A106 Waterproof Bluetooth speaker for the purpose of this review, I thought to myself: “Hey, that’s a cute little thing, but it’s so small. What can it do?” But the moment I connected it via Bluetooth to my music collection and hit play, I was hooked!
The little square box that is the A106 has a pretty small footprint. It is well-designed in a rubber and plastic casing that provides the splash-proof feature, and the build itself is very solid.
At the top, you’ll see rubber-covered buttons for power, volume up/down and another with the symbol of a phone handset. The speaker is also equipped with a mic so you can take calls right from there. I found that to be really useful because you won’t have to switch back and forth from your smartphone to the Bluetooth speaker when you’re enjoying some music in the tub or the shower and you get a phone call.
Archeer A106 Key Features
The Archeer A106 packs a lot of features for such a small device. The device footprint is about 88 x 88 x 47 mm, so it’s small enough for a handbag. It also has a lanyard that comes with the speaker, and it’s super easy to attach it when you need it. Also very easy to take it off, but it won’t come off accidentally.
The IPX-5 rating means it can handle a 6.3mm jet of water (about 12 liters per minute or 3.17 gallons per minute) for up to 3 minutes from any direction. That’s pretty good because you can actually use it in the shower without having to worry about water getting in. You can also use it right next to the pool and not worry about splashes, but make sure you don’t knock it into the water because it is not submersible. Rain is no problem, so it’s ideal for outdoors wherever you go.
The speaker itself is rated at 5W, but with enhanced bass, it’s pretty loud even at 80% volume, which is one step down from maximum volume. You have to hear it for yourself to feel how powerful it is despite its size, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
The controls are fairly simple. The volume buttons also control track skipping, and the phone button toggles between audio sources (Aux and Bluetooth). On the side, you’ll see a covered panel which houses the MicroUSB power port and the 3.5mm aux port for wired audio, and the cables are included, although I felt they were a little short. A slightly longer 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable and a MicroUSB to USB charge cable would have been good.
Once the Bluetooth speaker is fully charged, it runs for about 15 to 16 hours on full volume, and I tested this over a period of a couple of days. At 80% volume it lasts even longer, actually going past the 20 hours that Archeer promises.
Overall, at the price at which the Archeer A106 is currently retailing, I’d say it was a steal. You’ll find other great Bluetooth speakers out there, but the size, power and battery life of the A106 makes this quite an attractive option.
Check out the Archeer A106 on Amazon.com
Archeer makes some great audio products for the home and outdoors. Here’s another one of their bluetooth speaker products we recently reviewed:
Archeer A320 Home Speaker with Bamboo Baffle and Awesome Audio
For more cool products, please visit Archeer.com, where you’ll also see several other unique products like wireless surveillance cameras, mini USB car chargers, home air humidifiers and more.
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