The Altec Lansing Life Jacket is a Bluetooth speaker that provides a good sound output. Its battery lasts long, and it has relatively durable elements. In addition to that, it’s water, dust, sand, and shockproof. The Altec Lansing life jacket Bluetooth speaker also charges your mobile devices using its battery bank.
It has a universal mount attachment that is compatible with other mounts and straps. It has a speakerphone with voice control, including Siri compatibility, it floats on water and it is very loud.
Apart from these advantages, the Altec Lansing life jacket wireless speaker also has disadvantages that I will break further down and take a look at some of the facts and details you need to know.
Design
The Altec Lansing Life Jacket was built with a focus mainly on durability, you can even tell from it’s rigid appearance and this design is quite debatable. It has layers of silicon wrapping around the device, which provides a playful vibe that makes this design preferable.
The only disadvantage to this design is that the materials that are used to boost this speaker’s life and durability lack sophistication and in the end they tend to show a cheaper look contrary to its price.
All in all, it has that Viking look, that strong and if you are looking for a durable speaker, this is the one to buy.
In terms of shape, the Altec Lansing Life Jacket has the shape of an elongated Octagon and it has that might thick appearance. Although this design might look heavy, you can still grab it in one hand. It weighs about 2 pounds which we can say is a bit heavy so avoid dropping it on your feet or any soft or brittle surfaces.
The Altec Lansing Life Jacket is equipped with a hard plastic housing which is not easily seen or noticeable unless you try hard and sneak a peek underneath the two layers of the blue and black protective silicon layer.
If you take a look at the speaker at its front, you will see a black grille spanning the entire width which prevents dual two-inch drivers from getting dinged.
Underneath the perforated screen, the Altec Lansing Life Jacket was stamped by Altec a subtle branding that does not stick out too much which is rather good for a stylish look. You will see two LEDs above it which provide visual feedback for the speaker’s battery and the Bluetooth connectivity status.
Now let’s look at the top of the Life jacket, you will notice a few features that will catch your eye. A panel of buttons in the middle is the power button, the decrease volume button, and the increased volume button, giving the speaker some functionality if your paired device is far from your grasp.
A labeled site is right next to it which you can tap your NFC compatible device for quick no fuss pairing over Bluetooth.
Moving to the Altec Lansing Life jacket’s back, you will see that it has features similar to the front look.
It is equipped with a grille spanning the width of the speaker, the only difference here is that it covers one passive radiator which is essential bad it helps the speaker to provide a little oomph on the low end of the sound spectrum.
Taking a look at the left side of the spectrum, you will see a few ports that can be and should be if you contact with the elements, covered by a removable silicon flap.
In addition to that, there is a micro USB charging port, a 3.5mm input if you plan to listen to your wired devices and a plain USB port for charging devices that requires some extra juice from the speaker’s battery.
The masterpiece of this Altec Lancing Life Jacket is that the Altec company equipped it with a 3.5mm cable which comes in handy when your device does not support Bluetooth and it is very useful when you wish to save battery as Bluetooth pairing uses a lot of power causing the battery not to last long as when you use the Cable.
It also comes with a micro USB to USB cable which can be used to charge the Life Jacket either through a computer or with the power adapter which Altec included. This speaker takes care of itself although there’s a tote that is used to carry the Altec Lansing Life Jacket around in.
Altec Lansing Life Jacket Speaker Performance
We have seen that the Altec Lansing design is not that stylish but it is so durable which is what makes it unique. Now let’s look at its performance.
To be frank with you, the sound performance is not that fantastic but it sure succeeds in providing durability to stand up to the elements.
In addition to that, its speaker does not really sound fantastic but the battery lasts long and it performs with Grace grace underwater, dust, and pressure, which makes it a winner for the outdoor performance.
The Altec Lansing Life Jacket has an impressive IP67 rating that makes sure that the speaker can survive an onslaught of dust and be submerged in the water safely up to a depth of one meter.
The Altec Lansing Life Jacket can survive when submerged. It can also float on water, which is a feature that is absolutely fantastic and was also appreciated in the Monster Superstar Back float.
The only setback is that the sound fires directly upwards when leaves the audio quite difficult to be heard.
Talking about this speaker’s sound quality, Altec left the impression that sound quality should not be the primary reason you invest in this speaker.
If you are to have a backyard BBQ and you use this speaker, you will notice that it will produce flat sound lacking bass and the general richness that one would expect but it sure does produce good sound according to it’s price range.
Looking at this speakers design first time, you might think it so much expensive but you would be surprised to find out that it is pretty affordable and looking at it’s specs and performance, you will definitely be surprised with it’s price although the price might vary depending on the shop you purchase it from.
In you are to use this speaker indoors, you will notice that the sound quality improves with the bass and mids performing marginally better with some walls to confine the sound waves.
That is why I say if you are looking for the amazing sound quality this should not be your pick but if you looking for a speaker with great battery life and fantastic durability, then go for this one.
The speaker when the volume is increased too much, it gets extra pounds and does so without distortion on the low and high end.
The Altec Lansing Life jacket stands out in terms of its battery life.
According to reports, the Altec Lansing Life Jacket portable speaker can run for up to 16 straight hours, leaving you to listen to your favorite music all you want before there’s a need to charge it again.
Such a long battery life for portable wireless Bluetooth speakers makes Altec Lansing Life Jacket speakers a great companion for those who love to listen to music all day whenever they are doing any activity.
If charged right, it can even last an amazing 18 hours while playing your favorite music.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It has a great battery life which can last up to 18 hours
- It has a design that is extremely durable
- It is waterproof and can float on water
- It has a universal mount attachment that is compatible with other mounts and straps
- It has a speakerphone with voice control, including Siri compatibility
- The volume can be increased until it is very loud and it does this without producing any distortion sounds
Cons
- It produces poor sound quality
- It has a tacky design which is not stylish at all
Quick Facts About Altec Lansing Life Jacket
Investing in a waterproof speaker is not for everyone, however, understanding some of the reasons why getting a weatherproof speaker is essential in helping you see if an Altec Lansing speaker is worth it?
How Good Are Altec Lansing Speakers?
Beyond the tacky design look, Altec Lansing Life Jacket Speakers surprisingly has excellent sound quality with thumping bass. The Lansing Bluetooth speakers are relatively small in size yet puts up loud, high quality sound without distotion. The Altec Lansing are therefore a high spec waterproof loud speaker that are smaller by design without compromising on great sound quality, and a decent thumping bass.
Is Altec Lansing Life Jacket the best waterproof Bluetooth speaker?
Altec Lansing Life Jacket is a fairly best waterproof Bluetooth speaker that is also portable compared to other popular best water resistant wireless speakers like:
- Tribit Stormbox Micro.
- JBL Charge 4.
- JBL Link Portable.
- JBL Xtreme 2.
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2.
- Ultimate Ears Blast.
The difference between Tribit stormbox micro, JBL Charge 4,JBL Link portable and Ultimate ears wonderboom and Altec Lansing Life Jacket speaker is that all Altec Lansing wireless portable speakers are waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and have a long battery life along with loudest thumping super bass.
How Waterproof Is The Altec Lansing Speaker?
The Altec Lansing waterproof speakers like the Altec Lansing Mini H2O Bluetooth Wireless Speaker are built in a rugged Weatherproof tough casings aimed at protecting all sensitive internal electronic components from the elements.
Altec Lansing are also shilded in a polypropylene finish that is water resistant, dustproof and shockproof so it easily handles all rough and inclement weather effortlessly.
The Altec Lansing speaker can be submerged in water for hours without damage or water penetrating its waterproof membrane speaker housing that protects this weatherproof wireless loud speaker. The Altec Lansing speaker cabinetry is also finished in Teflon sealant for a watertight finish.
How Do You Get Water Out Of Waterproof Speakers?
While Altec Lansing speakers are waterproof, caring for these wireless Bluetooth speakers means making sure that you should keep them dry and moisture-free after every use. But, how do you get water out of waterproof speakers?
You can get all water out of the waterproof speakers by wiping off the weatherproof speaker using soft-lint cotton mouslin cloth by gently running over the speaker surface until the moisture disapears. This helps your speaker from malfunctioning from freezing for those of you who live in relatevely cold regions.
So, after all water activities, your waterproof bluetooth speaker will likely get wet and require that you remove all of the water from the speaker., and the only way to remove water off your speaker is by gently wiping off the moisture on the speaker using over the counter soft, quick-drying wiping cloth.
Can You Hear Music Underwater?
Getting a waterproof speaker sounds unnecessary for many, unless if you work outdoors where it is likely to rain on you. And for others, a waterproof is a handy gadget to have if you are an avid swimmer who wants to enjoy music while swimming. But, can you even hear music from a waterproof speaker submerged underwater?
Music can be heard under water very clearly as sound waves travel at a much faster rate under water (up to five times faster under water) than it travels in the air.
And thats because, when your waterproof speaker is submerged Underwater, the sound waves produced from your weatherproof speaker does not vibrate off the ossicles bones in your inner ear, instead the underwater soundwaves go straight to the skull bones.
Its this vibrating heavy bone just behind your ear that captures intense sound waves you can hear at a slightly higher frequencies underwater than you would in the air outside the water.
What Happens If A Speaker Gets Wet?
The waterproof speaker is protected from your inner speaker paper that make up the speaker cone from getting wet or damaged. But, what happens when a speaker innevitably gets wet?
All speakers that get soaked in water can be saved from total damage by carefully allowing them to dry. However, the sound quality of music you hear from a wet speaker is likely going to sound muffled and the tones in most cases will not be as sharp and clear as it was before getting wet.
Scientifically, your wet cone dries up back to previous original form and will likely weigh the same as the original one, but the likelihood of the sound quality to returning to the original levels are a 50-50 chance.
That’s bacause then speakers get wet, the paper cone is likely to change their stiffness after drying, increasing chances of the speaker paper to become bent, distorting or muffling the sound when you play music.
Conclusion
The Altec LifeJacket is a fairly good Bluetooth speaker built on the focus of durability and great battery life. Some of you will love having it as it’s impccably brilliant, especially when it comes to durability and battery life. Personally, I found the poor sound performance and the overly tacky design are a constant harsh reminders that possibly Altec Lansing Life Jacket speaker is only as good as its weakest component.
To give you a simple comparison, The TDK TREK Flex is a step above the LifeJacket though I also know that even this one is not for everyone. No doubt that features like water and dustproof this speaker boasts of makes up for the lack of elegant looks, but it also offers a near 360-degree listening experience for those who go past the looks and design failures of these speakers.
However, the LifeJacket bluetooth speaker’s durability thoroughly beats that of the TREK Flex portable speakers.
For trades men and those who work in unforgiving conditions all year round, the Altec Lansing is right up there for best durable speakser that won’t buckle under challenging elements, rough, outdoor expeditions and many more. The Altec LifeJacket wireless speaker is worth your money, but be sure to find it on sale.
The battery lasts long and it has relatively durable elements. In addition to that, it’s water, dust, sand and shockproof. You can charge your mobile devices using this life jacket, it has a universal mount attachment, which is compatible with other mounts and straps. This speaker also has a speakerphone with voice control, including Siri compatibility, it floats on water and it is very loud.
