There are a lot of Bluetooth speaker choices if you have a $150 budget. Some speakers in that range are stationary systems are fairly large and can deliver a solid amount of power. Some are smaller, portable systems built for the great outdoors that can't put out quite as much sound. The $149.99 Braven BRV-1 is in the latter category, delivering a solid audio experience at moderate levels that simply can't match the output of non-portable Bluetooth systems in the same price range. Instead, the BRV-1 focuses on a rich feature set, which includes a built-in speakerphone and the ability to charge other mobile devices, and, of course, a water-resistant design small enough to throw in your backpack for the next hike.

Design
The 2.3-by-4.8-by-3.3-inch (HWD), 12.2-ounce BRV-1 looks about as rugged as a Bluetooth speaker could. In fact, it barely resembles a speaker at all, with a protective black shell that looks more like a rugged carrying case. On one end of the case, a blue metallic speaker grille protects dual 3W drivers, while another grille on the bottom panel covers the 70mm passive bass radiator. Despite its tough looks, the BRV-1 is not actually waterproof. It's IPX5 water-, shock-, and dust-resistant, so it can handle getting wet, but isn't meant to be dunked under water. The BRV-1 is also available in in an all-black body with a silver grille and orange accents.

Opposite of the grille rests a cover resembling a heavy-duty lens cap that can be twisted off to reveal a micro USB port for charging the BRV-1, a USB port for charging other mobile devices, a 3.5mm Aux input for wired audio playback (an audio cable is included), a battery status button with indicator LEDs, and a small Reset button. It goes without saying that, when the cap covering the connections is removed, the speaker is far less water-resistant. On the right-hand panel, there's a small loop for the included lanyard.

Volume Up/Down, Play/Pause, and Power buttons sit on the top panel. The volume controls, which work independently of the volume controls on your mobile device, double as track navigation buttons if you press and hold them down. The Play/Pause button also answers or ends phone calls using the speakerphone function.

Pairing the speaker with an iPhone 5s was quick and painless, using the Play/Pause button to enter pairing mode. A single LED behind the front speaker grille lets you know what mode you're in.

The BRV-1 comes with the aforementioned 3.5mm Aux audio cable, a USB charging cable, and a lanyard. Braven rates the battery life of the BRV-1 at about 12 hours, but results will vary based on how loudly you blast your tunes.

Performance
A speaker this size usually has trouble with deep bass distorting at top volumes, but the BRV-1's dual 3W drivers, which barely muster any low-end, can surprisingly survive the sub-bass assault of The Knife's "Silent Shout" at top volumes on both the speaker itself and the Bluetooth source. Unfortunately, the passive bass radiator cannot. The bass doesn't actually distort, but the radiator vibrates heavily at top volumes on deep bass tracks and sounds like a blown-out woofer distorting mightily. Once you dial back on the volume, the intense vibrations disappear and the little speaker outputs a solid balance of modest lows and well-defined high-mids and highs.

On Bill Callahan's "Drover," the BRV-1 can be kicked up to maximum volume on both the speaker and sound source without distorting (or over-vibrating). The drums seem to get a decent amount of low frequency response, especially when the BRV-1 sits on a resonant surface like a wooden tabletop. Callahan's vocals get a rich baritone presence matched with plenty of definition in the high-mids to keep things from sounding muddy. At moderate volumes, the mix becomes decidedly more focused on the mids and highs, and the lows more or less disappear.

Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" brings the distortion-like vibrations back into the mix when blasted at max volume. When playing at more moderate levels, the vibrations disappear while the lows keep a certain amount of presence; the sub bass synth hits don't dominate the mix like they do on bass -heavy systems, but the attack of the kick drum loop packs a fierce punch and the vocals manage to float cleanly above the dense mix. Bass lovers will want to find a larger speaker capable of more power, but listeners who prefer less bass-heavy music might enjoy the BRV-1's commendable balance.

Classical tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," tend to sound a little weak and thin through the BRV-1 during quieter passages. In louder sections, the lower register strings muster some more noticeable presence, but the BRV-1's balance favors the higher register strings, brass, and percussion most of the time.

If you're looking for a more powerful sound, you're going to need to either spend more money on a portable Bluetooth system like the Bose SoundLink Mini, or forego the portable aspect entirely with a stationary option like the Boston Acoustics MC100 Blue. If a portability is a bigger priority for you than power, the smaller, rugged Panasonic SC-NT10 gets pretty loud for its size with no distortion or vibration, but can't deliver as much power as the BRV-1. If all of these are out of your budget and you just want a rugged, outdoor-friendly Bluetooth speaker, consider the affordable, but much weaker Boom Movement Swimmer. The Braven BRV-1's outdoor-friendly design and useful features help justify its $150 price tag, but its audio performance is comparable to less expensive speakers and so can seem a bit overpriced. Regardless, at moderate levels this is a well-balanced speaker for most genres. It's not for bass lovers, but anyone in need of a tough speaker to throw in the backpack for the next hike will find a lot to like about the BRV-1.