Tunes to Go
Who: Braven
What: 625s portable Bluetooth speaker
Why: During our testing, we found the Braven 625s to be compact, well-built, and tough with its rubber and aluminum construction. It’s not as loud as we would have liked, but at less than half the size of its competitors, it’s a great balance of power, sound quality, and portability
Where: (877) 927-2836, braven.com
| Braven Bluetooth Speaker
Grab It and Go
Who: Outdoor Technology
What: Turtle Shell wireless Bluetooth speaker
Why: Certified as shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof, Outdoor Tech’s Bluetooth speaker is not much bigger than your fist and ideal for throwing into a backpack. Our experience with the sound quality was mixed, as it was the best of the four for clean acoustic songs, but distorted during bass-heavy hard rock tunes.
Where: (310) 677-0190, outdoortechnology.com
| Outdoor Technology Turtle Shell Bluetooth Speaker
Pleasant Freaquencies
Who: Soundfreaq
What: Sound Kick wireless Bluetooth speaker
Why: The Sound Kick’s unique pop-out XKICK chamber allows sound to resonate inside the speaker for a fuller sound. In our tests, we found that this created excellent low-end power, with only the heaviest bass notes showing a hint of muddiness at full volume.
Where: (800) 459-6369, soundfreaq.com
| Soundfreaq Bluetooth Speaker
Serious Wattage
Who: Supertooth
What: Disco wireless Bluetooth speaker
Why: With an impressive 28 watts of power output, the Disco was definitely the loudest of the four speakers we tested. We did find that the sound distorts somewhat at full volume, but unless you’re blasting heavy metal cranked to eleven in a small room, it shouldn’t be problematic. Connectivity was a breeze and the battery lasted nine full hours at half volume.
Where: supertooth.net
| Supertooth Bluetooth Speaker
Total Control
Who: Rockford Fosgate
What: 3Sixty.3 digital signal processor
Why: Rockford Fosgate’s 3Sixty.3 signal processor allows for complete control over your audio signal without the hassle of installing an aftermarket stereo head unit. Just hook it up to your truck’s original head unit, and tweak the EQ, gain, crossovers, 8-channel surround sound controls, and tons of other parameters to achieve the perfect sound.
Where: (800) 669-9899, rockfordfosgate.com
| Rockford Fosgate Processor
Black Stallion
Who: Logic3
What: Ferrari Cavallino T350 active noise cancelling headphones
Why: With high-quality leather and metal craftsmanship, these luxury headphones look and feel as if they came straight off the Ferrari assembly line. Also, thanks to the high-efficiency 40mm drivers and active noise cancelling feature, they sound as good as they look.
Where: ferrari-by-logic3.com
| Logic3 Sound Cancelling Headphones
Sonic Precision
Who: Polk Audio
What: DXi speaker series
Why: Polk’s DXi speakers are tough and reliable enough to be rated for marine applications, but also precise and powerful enough to perfectly reproduce any music you feed them. With more than 40 years of experience in the industry, it’s safe to say the engineers at Polk know a thing or two about high-quality audio gear.
Where: (866) 764-1801, polkaudio.com
| Polk Audio Speaker Series
Slim and Silent
Who: Stinger
What: Stealth Roadkill lightweight sound damping material
Why: If you’ve picked up a sheet of sound deadening material, you’ll know that it’s extremely heavy for being so thin. That’s why Stinger developed Stealth Roadkill, which is 25 percent lighter than their traditional Expert Series material with similar performance. It’s the best of both worlds.
Where: (800) 477-2267, stingerelectronics.com
| Stinger Sound Damping Material
Technologic
Who: Pioneer
What: AVIC-X950BH 6.1-inch touchscreen head unit
Why: Pioneer’s latest in-dash navigation head units offer bleeding-edge technology that will keep even the most advanced users amused. With excellent turn-by-turn directions, convenient Bluetooth connectivity, and AppRadio mode for operating your smartphone’s apps remotely, the X950BH would be a great choice for any truck project.
Where: (310) 952-2000, pioneerelectronics.com
| Pioneer Touch Screen Head Unit
Power-Packed
Who: Kicker
What: KX-Series Amplifiers
Why: Kicker has become famous for some of the hardest-hitting audio equipment around, and with 40 years of industry experience they know that hard-hitting sound requires reliable, clean power. The new KX-series amps pack high-efficiency Class-D power into a compact package, to make the most of your speakers and subs.
Where: (800) 256-5425, kicker.com
| Kicker Amp
Feel the Thunder
Who: MTX
What: Thunder 12-inch 400W RMS shallow subwoofer
Why: MTX's special flat-piston design allows more movement than traditional shallow subwoofers, resulting in more airflow and thump in a thin package. With only 3.325-inch mounting depth, these subs are shallow enough that you could even mount them in your doors!
Where: (800) 225-5689, mtxaudio.com
| Mtx Subwoofer
Tonal Bliss
Who: LSTN
What: Beech, Cherry, and Ebony wood headphones
Why: There's a reason you don't see high-end violins or acoustic guitars made out of plastic—the tonal qualities of wood are a huge part of any musical instrument's sound. So, why not carry this same mentality over to headphones? That's exactly what LSTN has done, and their carefully carved real wood headphones exhibit a warm, natural sound as a result.
Where: lstnheadphones.com
| Lstn Headphone
