REVIEW – Finally after what seems to have been a never-ending winter, the Spring season is in the air and it is almost warm enough to sit on the deck at night again warmed by the firepit and relaxed by my favorite smooth contemporary jazz playing in the background. For the past couple of years, I have been using really small Bluetooth speakers or my much heavier JBL 300 speaker. So, I think a nice and convenient compromise for size, sound, and weight will be this iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker.

The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a full-range speaker that features Bluetooth connectivity, a microphone input, a USB port for adding a drive with music, a line-in for playing from external audio devices, and LED lights for effects, and an ergonomic retractable handle and wheels.

1 x iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker 1 x USB Cable 1 x User Guide

Supports Bluetooth v5.0 Wireless range: 60 feet 8″ full-range speaker FM scan Aux in (3.5mm audio input) USB port: supports audio file playback Microphone input Built-in FM wire antenna DC battery power: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Battery life: ~6 hours at 50% volume Charge time: 4 hours DIMS: 9.84 x 9.25 x 16.93″

The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is lightweight and features the controls on the top of the front face and the speaker on the rest of the front surface. On the bottom back there are wheels and on the top a retractable handle, both designed to make this device very portable.

Once fully charged, the speaker is ready to go. Pairing to Bluetooth is straightforward and easy. Once paired, you can then play music via your mobile device. As you can see from the controls on the front, you can play from a USB flash drive or choose line-in. I tested the USB for playing music and it works without any glitches. I also tested the mic port and it works albeit that the voice output is a bit tinny. The echo works like any echo. I am not a fan of that type of feature, but I do understand the fun factor. The volume is more than adequate for an outdoor get-together, and the full range sound does deliver bass, mids, and highs but not nearly in any manner for critical listening. The following video is just a quick show-and-tell of some of the controls and the built-in FM radio feature which I really like.

Overall, the iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a portable practical, convenient, and adequate entertainment system for summer barbeques and visits to the beach, etc.

The iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party Speaker is a lightweight and relatively compact portable speaker that will provide an easy listening experience on the go. While it is more like just listening to a full-range speaker, it does the job as long as you are not expecting great audio separation and defined and incredible bass, mids and highs. It also has an FM radio built-in and with the USB port, you can save your mobile device battery if you have your music selections/playlist on a flash drive. Overall, I like it.

Price: $69.99 Where to buy: iLive Electronics website and Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by iLive

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Don't subscribe All Replies to my comments Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Copyright © 2022 The Gadgeteer. All rights reserved. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited.