PowerBass SoundTube BT-500 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Review

One thing I like about electronics is their constant evolving. I love my music, and always take it with me. Wireless speakers are getting better with more features. That’s the case with the PowerBass SoundTube BT-500. It's a wireless speaker shaped like a boombox and is loaded with features.  Yet MSRP is only $149.

 

Features and specs:

Waterproof design IPX7

Bluetooth 5.3 Chip provides 30Ft. of wireless range

RGB Lighting with User Selectable Effects

User Selectable Equalizer

USB-A for use with Thumb Drive Music Storage

USB-A for charging mobile devices

Built in Microphone for handsfree calling

3600mAh Rechargeable Battery provides 7 hours of music playback

TWS True Wireless Stereo – connect 2 BT-500 Tubes together for true wireless stereo sound

Shoulder Strap for easy carry

USB-C Charge Cable included

 

The PowerBass Sound Tube BT-500 came in a nice-looking color printed box with photos and specs. Opening the box revealed a well-protected speaker held in place by custom molded foam. Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic with some metal, cloth and rubber. Quality of materials used, as well as fit and finish was very good. Also included was the charging cable and shoulder strap.

 

I’m very impressed with the design of the PowerBass Soundtube BT-500. To start you get features that are common for these wireless speakers. There’s Bluetooth 5.3, IPX6 water resistance, and 3.5mm aux-in port. Also as is found on a lot of newer wireless speaker designs, there’s also a built-in rechargeable battery (7200 mah) that can also be used as a power bank to charge your smartphone.

 

PowerBass did not stop there. There are passive radiators on both sides for improved bass response. The passive radiators also light up with RGB’s that dance – very cool. There’s even a built-in mic so you can use it for hands free calls. One of the coolest features though is it’s TWS, for True Wireless Stereo. Linking two of them together, they act like a pair of stereo speakers. They don’t get extremely loud. So if you have a larger get together, having two of them would double the sound. Being able to have stereo sound is an added bonus that improves the sound, very, very cool!

 

PowerBass also did not ignore the styling, which also helps its functionality. I love the black cloth that wraps around the front and back to give it an elegant look. The buttons are all on the top and are easy to use. There are rubber feet on the bottom to help stabilize it. The ports on the back are behind a rubber cover for water resistance. The handle on top is well made and feels durable for ease of carrying it around. And on both sides of the top is a metal re-enforced slot for the should strap.

 

The PowerBass Soundtube BT-500 is a great example of how all the parts came together for a great product. The contacts and connections are well placed for ease of use. The handle and carry strap slots are strong for a lot of use. The black cloth that wraps around the front and back covering the two tweeters and two woofers give an elegant look. And the two passive radiators improve the bass output. It comes together well, let’s see how it sounds.

 

Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj: Bang Bang – snare drum and toms, had great dynamics and pitch definition of the pad and midbass. Kick drum also was dynamic with good low-end extension. I was very impressed with the resolution of the drums. Bass beats also had good output and depth. But it was the aural feast of the vocals that stole the show. The various vocal parts were so clean with amazing harmonics that gave me goosebumps.

Nat King Cole: L-O-V-E – cymbals and hi-hat was really crisp and clean. Piano sounded very natural. The bass had good smoothness of the strings with good low-end extension and output. Violin strings were also smooth. Vocals had very good resolution of the texture of the timbre. Trumpet and trombone were both really clean with great dynamics and harmonics. I also wasn’t expecting this good of imaging, and a sound stage that was fairly deep.

Tiesto & Sevenn: Boom – a good bass torture track. I was impressed with what it did, and didn’t do. Bass beats were dynamic, clean and good output. It also didn’t try to play what it couldn’t play, which would have been muddy and distorted.

 

The True Wireless Stereo feature is really cool! The user manual was worded very well and easy to follow. So entering that mode was really easy. Once activated, one did function as the left speaker and the other was the right speaker. While the imaging in TWS mode was not as good as a traditional pair of wired stereo speakers, it still did sound really good. It was quite amazing actually.

 

There’s a lot to like about the PowerBass Soundtube BT-500. It’s not only a well-made wireless speaker with a lot of features that’s easy to carry around. It also sounds really good. If you’re looking for a wireless speaker, it deserves to be on your short list. Especially with its low $149 MSRP. That’s a huge band for the buck! Based on its design, features, quality and performance. The PowerBass Soundtube BT-500 has earned our Editor’s Choice Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.powerbassusa.com.