Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen in 2017. It almost seems like you can’t go more than a few days without seeing an ad for one, or see someone using one in some fashion. But the problem that I have with so many of these speaker is the size. Sure, it’s cool to shrink things down for the sake of portability, but with that size reduction you almost always sacrifice sound, especially in the bass department.
These baby speakers are great for personal use, but take them to a gathering, especially one outside and chances are you’ll have people fighting to hear those sick 90s tunes you brought with you. This is where the NYNE Rebel comes into the picture. I consider the Rebel a mid-size speaker (mostly because it has a bigger brother and younger sister in the line) that you can still take with you, but not so big that it’s going to need wheels, a handle and a dedicated power source.
The Rebel features an impressive 40-watts of power that pushes the two midrange speakers embedded into the very sleek-looking casing. The unit has this wind-tunnel like look that brings to mind a lot of sci-fi inspirations that I actually dig. Along with the two speakers, those 40-watts power two tweeters and a dedicated woofer. When I first played with the device I didn’t notice the woofer all that much, but once I found some bass heavy beats (I’m a Jazz guy myself) the unit really began to shine.
Everyone here was quite impressed with the output and we didn’t ever have to push the volume to easily fill up a room. And when we took the unit outside for testing it held up just as nicely. The Rebel is designed to be taken to gatherings to get the most from it. This thing isn’t going to fit in you pocket, and you’ll need some room in the car for it, but with the size comes high-quality audio. Chances are you probably won’t be taking the Rebel on a hike, but if you have a party-like setting, then it’s going to be quite the standout.
Because of this push for group settings, the Rebel has an IPX 3 rating so you don’t have to worry about it getting wet around the pool, at the lake, or by the beach. You aren’t going to want to dunk this guy in the pool, but you can feel comfortable keeping it near the water. The matte black and rubberized finish also means it will hold up well out in the elements and makes for easy cleaning. It’s not a stretch for me to call the NYNE Rebel is the perfect speaker for a tailgate party or similar event.
But the specs on the unit also are built around making getting the music going as easy as possible. The Rebel features a built-in NFC one-touch connection that works with the Bluetooth 4.0 specifications. Connection is a breeze and getting my music going was as easy as it is to plug in a pair of headphone. But the Rebel also features a built-in microphone that opens up the speaker for some other uses like hands-free calling. I know this sounds a little silly, but with how I used the Rebel, it came in really handy.
Some other technical specs that include a rechargeable battery with 8-10 hours of playtime. Since it is using Bluetooth 4.0 the unit has an impressive range of 100 feet, so you don’t have to leave your phone unattended, or stick close to the speaker. You can, of course, still use the 3.5mm auxiliary for those people with older phones or the four people out there still using an iPod, or god forbid, a Zune. Also, because of the size and battery of the Rebel, you can use the speaker as a phone charger with the included USB port.
I really love the NYNE Rebel to the point that I’ve been using it non-stop during work hours in a way that the company never intended. Because I don’t get out to the old bonfire all that often at my age, I decided to replace the basic 2.1 speakers attached to my PC with the Rebel. I didn’t expect amazing things playing video games and watching YouTube, but I turned out to be quite wrong. The increase in audio quality was immediately noticeable with games sounding great. And because of the sleek design the unit managed to slide easily under my raised multi-monitor display.
My musical choices are mostly limited to 90s alternative and Jazz that’s mostly on vinyl, so I’m probably not the intended target for the NYNE Rebel as I don’t get out much, but it still managed to impress the heck out of me. Not only that, but because I have the NYNE around I’ve found myself listening to a lot more music, and because of that I can easily recommend picking one up.
You can find out more by check out the unboxing video we did on the unit below:
NYNE Rebel: $149.99 via Best Buy
Best Buy non-affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2mGHlwm
A unit was provided for review.
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