Turtlebox Review: An Impressively Rugged Powerhouse

My Thoughts After Using It For 3 Years

I was fortunate to receive one of the early batches of Turtlebox 2 when it was released in 2022. Since then it’s been taken on holidays, placed around the fire while sharing conversations with friends, sat by the poolside during hot summer days, and dragged through the mountains on hiking trips.

Needless to say, the Turtlebox enjoys a good adventure, making it an awesome companion speaker for people like me who spend a lot of time outdoors. Here are my thoughts on the Turtlebox after using it regularly for so long.

The Turtlebox Has An Iconic Design That Can Keep Up With My Outdoor Lifestyle

Although much of my time these days goes to writing about my experience with different speakers, the outdoors has always been where my soul belongs. So having a speaker like the Turtlebox that can keep up with my lifestyle is a refreshing change.

I also love that the Turtlebox is such a light speaker. Sure, at 10 lbs you will know it’s there when hiking to your camping spot, but for the most part, I’ve never felt burdened by the weight. It helps that the lunchbox-style design places the handle in the center of the speaker, meaning the weight is always nicely balanced in the center.

More Than Just Your Average Waterproof Speaker

• An IP67 rating means the Turtlebox is protected from dust and water.
• The plastics are extremely high quality and can withstand a lot of force.

Nearly every portable Bluetooth speaker has some form of weather protection these days, with water and dust resistance now considered standard. However, despite their protection from the elements many of these speakers are still fragile and easily damaged. That’s not the case with the Turtlebox, which is waterproof, dustproof, and handles drops like a champ (speaking from experience). Not convinced? Just check out this Instagram post from Turtlebox.

Part of what makes the Turtlebox so durable is how thick and scratch-resistant the plastic is. I recently compared the similar ecoXgear Defender with the Turtlebox and the quality of plastics used was distinctly more rugged on the Turtlebox. In fact, out of the dozens of Bluetooth speakers I’ve reviewed, the Turtlebox feels the most durable, even more than the Soundboks Go.

Forget The Fluff, Keep Things Simple

• Features an aux-input for a direct source feed.
• 3.5mm mic input that can be used for karaoke, or connected to a guitar to turn it into an amp.
• USB-C output turns the Turtlebox into a portable power bank for your phone.

Part of the charm for me is that the Turtlebox doesn’t try to do everything. It keeps things simple, limiting its features and instead focusing on what it’s made for – the outdoors. However, I do wish they included a mobile app with some EQ settings, which would give the speaker a little more versatility, especially for indoor use.

There are a few small, helpful features like the USB-C output which I frequently use to recharge my phone when I’m out camping and away from a power supply. It turns the speaker into my own personal power bank. Although I haven’t used them much, the speaker also has anchors on the side of the speaker for tie-downs, so it can be strapped to the back of dune buggies or boats. What I’ve found quite useful is using straps to tie the speaker to a nearby tree, keeping it at ear level to improve the way it sounds.

For a more feature-heavy alternative, I recommend checking out the ecoXgear Defender. I’ve compared these speakers head-to-head and the results were a bit surprising.

Reliable Bluetooth & Easy To Use Controls

• Controls are easy to use and comprehensive.
• Each button is backlit, making them easier to see in the dark.

Whether I’m across the garden or moving around the campsite, I’ve found the Bluetooth 5.0 connection to have great range and reliability. Rarely are there any connection drops, and I’ve found the range limits to be close to 25 to 30 feet.

Adjusting controls couldn’t be easier as there’s no double and triple tapping needed to toggle between functions. Instead, all essential controls have their own button:

• Power
• Volume down
• Volume up
• Track skip backwards
• Track skip forwards
• Bluetooth pairing
• Multispeaker pairing

These buttons are also all backlit, which is super useful when using it at night.

Incredible Volume And Sound That Cuts Through The Wind

• Loads of volume! More than you’ll probably need.
• Effective tuning that makes it sound great outdoors.

I’m no stranger to speakers with a lot of volume, after all, I’ve spent the last several years curating a list of the loudest Bluetooth speakers and have had the chance to listen to the likes of the SoundBoks Go, SoundBoks 3, PartyBox 710 and more. The Turtlebox is right up there alongside these larger speakers and when I tested it with a measuring microphone at a distance of a meter, I got a reading of 104 dB.

For perspective, 104 dB is louder than snowmobiles and lawnmowers.

Indoors, the Turtlebox can fill a large room with sound, and outdoors, can easily cover a campsite. Even if you’re out on a boat, the Turtlebox can cut through the noise of the engine.

Although the Turtlebox is advertised to produce 120dB, the way it’s measured by the manufacturer is different from a standard pink noise test, which I performed. While it can theoretically still produce 120dB, I consider a 1 meter pink noise test to be the most useful measurement for the average user.

Apart from its sheer volume, the way the Turtlebox is tuned also helps it cut through the wind. This is what makes it stand out from other speakers, and why it’s my go-to choice for outdoor use.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s the most detailed speaker I’ve listened to. But it does perform the best outdoors, especially for something so portable. The bass is strong and punchy and the vocals are elevated, which is a major reason why it’s so good at retaining clarity in the wind.

Frequency Response Measurements

Pair More Than One Turtlebox Together Using TWS

As I only own one Turtlebox, I haven’t used it. But there is the ability to pair two Turtleboxes together in a true wireless stereo pairing. This increases the area that the speaker can cover and also enhances the separation of sounds, making the experience more immersive.

The Turtlebox Has A Long-Lasting Battery With A Visual Indicator

• Reliably gets around 10 to 12 hours of playtime at 30-50% volume
• Built-in LED battery indicator so you know when to charge.

Although the Turtlebox is a relatively small speaker, it’s got a fairly impressive battery life. While it’s rated to last for up to 25 hours, I’ve found this is only true when listening at casual volume levels (around 20%). When I’m listening at around 50% volume, I get about half of that – between 10 and 12 hours.

While I don’t make a habit of pushing this speaker to its limits when I did so for testing purposes, I got around 5 and a half hours of playtime.

A cool feature that I always appreciate on any Bluetooth speaker is the battery indicator light so you can see exactly how much battery is left. Although some may see this as a novel feature, it adds a lot of value to practical use.

Customize Your Turtlebox To Fit Your Vibe

White

Gray

Tan

Orange

Green

The Turtlebox is available in five base colors; white, gray, tan, orange, and green. Turtlebox offers some subtle but smart customization options though. There are 18 different handle colors for you to choose from. It sounds like a small tweak, but I love how changing the color of the handle suddenly gives the box a completely new character! Handle colors include; black, white, orange, blue, royal blue, burnt orange, blaze orange, camo, gray, green, kelly green, maroon, navy, pink, hot pink, purple, red, tan, and yellow.

What Are The Best Turtlebox Alternatives?

If you’re looking for an alternative speaker, you’ll have to find something that matches or competes with the Turtlebox in ruggedness. This is really where Turtlebox carves out its niche. There aren’t that many speakers that can hold a candle to it.

I like the honest simplicity of the Turtlebox. If you want a more feature-heavy alternative, I recommend checking out the EcoXgear Defender (Available on Amazon) I’ve reviewed the Defender and compared it to the Turtlebox head-to-head and the results were quite surprising. The Defender is a worthy alternative at almost $150 less than the Turtlebox.

Another option would be the DemerBox (Available on Amazon). With a similar form factor to the Turtlebox, it does take a bit of a different approach in that the speaker box doubles as a waterproof carry-case. Released in 2015, the Demerbox feels aged and outdated though. It might be time for a new release.

My Final Thoughts

Overall, the Turtlebox is an impressive speaker that’s served me well for years now. Its high-quality materials, loudness, and easy-to-use approach make it the best outdoor Bluetooth speaker I’ve used. However, it’s not the most versatile speaker out there. Listening to it indoors, it lacks the details and balanced sound I look for in a traditional speaker. This is very much an ‘outdoor specialist’ for those who don’t want to pay for features they won’t use.

Turtlebox Gen 2: Loud! Outdoor Portable Bluetooth Speaker

• TURTLEBOX IS THE LOUDEST, TOUGHEST OUTDOOR SPEAKER, THEY’RE EVEN BETTER PAIRED TOGETHER!

$399.00

Available on Amazon

Turtlebox Gen 2

The loudest portable Bluetooth of its size, the Turtlebox is built with durability at its core. Having used it for over 2 years now and these are my thoughts.

Product Brand: Turtlebox

Editor's Rating:
4.1

Pros

• Extremely loud
• Rugged design with durable plastic
• Sounds great outdoors
• Easy to carry and relatively lightweight
• Supports stereo pairing

Cons

• No mobile app
• Sounds less impressive indoors

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