GADGETS | Lava BrightSounds 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Review

July 19, 2016 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Looking for a great value Bluetooth speaker? The Lava BrightSounds 2 Bluetooth speaker is also a power bank and a lantern, plus it’s got brilliant battery life, making it ideal for camping. Read on for our full review.

What Is It?

Lava BrightSounds 2 RRP: £39.99

Bluetooth portable speaker
Water resistant
Leather carry strap
USB, Micro USB and Aux In outputs
Upto 36 hours music playback on a single charge
Several different colour variations available

Stockists

What we thought

There is no denying that the Lava BrightSounds 2 Bluetooth speaker looks great. It’s also small and compact, features a premium-feel leather carry strap, and comes in an array of gorgeous colours. As well as connecting to your Bluetooth device, it also includes a light, it can charge your USB devices and we love the fact that it’s designed here in Great Britain.

Using the Lava BrightSounds 2 on a wet camping trip

Looks and features aside of course, the important thing is, how does it sound?

I’m by no means an audiophile, but I am fussy when it comes to music quality. I never go camping without taking a portable speaker with me, and whilst power output is always going to be diminished in a portable speaker, I don’t like having to compromise on sound quality.

When we took it camping last weekend, we had two professional musicians in our group, both agreed that the sound was excellent considering the size and price point. We were blown away by the amount of playback it provides on a single charge, and it lasted for a full 4 night camping trip, playing music for several hours each night.

Micro USB, USB and standard audio input sockets

Setting up Bluetooth for the first time was a bit annoying, as the light was continually flashing green, and despite reading the quick start guide and going online, it wasn’t entirely clear how to put the speaker into discoverable mode. I turned it off again however, and the light started flashing blue. Bingo! Bluetooth discovery mode, which then quickly paired the speaker with my phone and hey presto, Spotify was streaming.

The Lava BrightSounds 2 Bluetooth speaker inside our tent

For it’s size, the sound quality is great and much better than the brand new DAB Bluetooth speaker I recently purchased for my kitchen after reading positive reviews about the sound quality on Amazon. Actually my new kitchen speaker sounds rubbish and I don’t understand why it has so many positive reviews, but anyway, the sound quality of the Lava BrightSounds 2 is very good, in fact far better than I’d expected.

The touch controls on the top of the speaker

Playing music outside is always a test, but the 5W speaker coped extremely well, and the sound was clear and audible to all, despite howling wind.

The addition of a light is a great touch and provides a lovely diffused ambient light which is great for lighting a tent, and we also found it handy when sitting in the garden in the evening chilling after a BBQ.

As well as great looks, great sound and a light, the BrightSounds 2 has another tick up it’s sleeve by way of a micro USB and a USB port. This means you can plug a USB device into it, like a smartphone and charge from it. Brilliant!

Would We Recommend It?

It’s made in Great Britain and with stunning looks, epic battery life, a built in light, phone charger and great sound quality, it’s perfect for camping. Did we mention the insanely good 36 hours of music playback on a single charge?!

We think it’s a superb buy, and one of the best pieces of gear that we’ve tested this year.

Long Term Verdict

2 years on, and this is still a camping essential that we take away with us on every camping trip and it’s still performing brilliantly!

Buy the Lava BrightSounds 2 on Amazon.co.uk

Thank you to Lava for supplying us with the featured product. We were not paid for this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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