Monster SuperStar BackFloat
A semi-amphibious Bluetooth speaker that, unfortunately, doesn’t quite cover all the bases
$169 Manufacturer Monster, monsterproducts.com Features Waterproof, 7-hour battery life, speakerphone, USB and Bluetooth connectivity
It’s still rare that a Bluetooth speaker ever gets the chance to take a full-on dip with you in the water. Monster is the latest to fill that gap with the SuperStar BackFloat. As the name implies, it floats on its back in water, pumps out a loud sound, and offers support for calls, too. This aquatic ability is due to its lightweight build, and the silicone that wraps around the unit as a lifejacket of sorts. This coating also protects from drops, and gives it a slick, unibody appearance.
On top, a panel of buttons perform a fairly standard set of functions; the Bluetooth connect button also picks up calls with a single press, with volume buttons to its right, and finally a power button. Each button responds with a tactile click, and bright LEDs hugging the panel provide status indicators. To the left is a microphone for taking calls on your iOS device.
Sound performance is a strength of the BackFloat, up to a point… As you’d hope from a Monster audio product, the dual tweeters and passive radiator team up to push out a sound that is powerful. However, the focus is on gutsy mids; highs and lows are still present, but they each represent a fragile limitation of the BackFloat.
The one key area where the BackFloat falls short is battery life. If you’re taking this speaker out to use in the water, you’ll probably be away from an electrical source for a while. With that, the seven hours of advertised battery life isn’t really enough. But it does float well!
the bottom line. This speaker’s high asking price, average battery performance and limited range in sound cast a shadow that its cool ability to float can’t quite escape.