Soulra Rugged Rukus
A solar-powered sensation?
Rugged Rukus is built for the outdoors. It’s splash-proof and drop-proof, and features two loops so you can attach it to your backpack or tent. Connectivity is through Bluetooth or a 3.5mm AUX port, so it’s ideal for your iPhone or iPod.
The Rugged Rukus’ lithium rechargeable battery gives up to eight hours’ playback time. You can also use it to recharge your mobile devices using the USB port at the back. It boasts enough juice to give an iPhone roughly one full charge. You can charge the Rukus from the mains in around two and a half hours, and it also has a solar panel.
Solar-powered gadgets can often prove disappointing, especially in the UK where we get little sun, but the Rukus’ panel is a good size, and Soulra claims it can charge the battery in around five hours. In our tests, outdoors in direct sunlight on a sunny June day, it reached three quarters full in this time. Given the unpredictable British weather it’s probably unwise to rely on solar charging, but it can provide a decent power boost when you’re using it outdoors.
Sound-wise, Soulra’s Rugged Rukus can best be described as ‘acceptable’. It’s a little thin. The sound spectrum isn’t as complete or detailed as we’d like, though it has a clean, crisp midsection that really shines through. Bass is a little lacking and vocals a trifle flat, and there’s not a huge amount of stereo separation, though that’s something you’d expect from a device of this size.
In our tests, we found better encoded MP3s made a huge difference to the overall sound quality. The Rukus proved intolerant of heavily compressed rips, but when a higher bit rate was used, the tracks came to life with a decent amount of detail and better audio shaping. It has a fair amount of volume for its size too.
Rugged Rukus won’t please the more demanding listener, but as a solid, lightweight, reliable speaker with a decent (if not outstanding) sound, it’s fine for taking on holiday. Just make sure your MP3s aren’t too heavily compressed. Ian Osborne