The Turtlebox Ranger makes no sense to me. As a lifelong musician, I always thought it was self-evident that high-quality audio means sensitive equipment. Improvements to durability must inevitably come at the cost of aural clarity — or so I believed.

　　My experience with the Ranger blows those assumptions out of the water. This speaker shakes off as quickly as I respond to Swiftie song requests. Based in Houston, Turtlebox specializes in rugged, waterproof speakers that still provide booty-bumping volume no matter the activity. With the Ranger, the brand offers its smallest-ever speaker, bringing high volume and durability into a lighter, pint-sized package.

　　The result is a Bluetooth speaker with such high audio quality that I found myself using it at home as much as for outdoor hijinks. From day-long paddle trips to mountain hikes to bike rides, the Ranger took it all like a champ, emerging as a new contender in the best portable speaker category.

　　In short: Im not worried about the Turtlebox Rangers ability to withstand whatever punishment I can dish out. At 2.4 pounds, its still a bit heavy for backcountry trips, and doesnt come cheap at $250. But if youre a music lover looking for stellar audio during rough-and-tumble adventures, its hard to imagine a better speaker than this one.

　　Turtlebox Ranger

　　9.0 How we rate products Specifications Volume: 105 decibels Weatherproof rating: IP67 and submersible up to 3 Dimensions: 8.05 x 3.15 x 3.15 Weight: 2.4 lbs. Battery life: 1 day Pros Fantastic sound quality Lightweight for 100 decibels Extremely rugged Cons Expensive Andrew McLemore Turtlebox Ranger Bluetooth Speaker Review Lets clear something up first: Im not a fan of noise pollution in the outdoors. It irritates me to no end when I have to tolerate hikers blasting music on crowded trails or paddlers with a cooler-sized boombox drowning out every natural sound within a 100-yard radius.

　　But I spend most of my time in the outdoors by myself, usually in situations where I can count on not being bothered —and not bothering anyone else. And though I usually choose natures soundtrack over music, there are plenty of times (usually after hours of uninterrupted silence) when a bit of Gerry Mulligan sax quartet or Chad Lawson piano compositions fits the context.

　　(Photo/Andrew McLemore) Thats where the Turtlebox Ranger finds a sweet spot in my routines. Its 2-inch woofers bring aural variety to all-day solo adventures, provide exactly the right volume for remote working outdoors, and generally hold up against the beatings that most of my gear inevitably endures.

　　First Impressions: The Sound The Ranger is certainly a tough, burly speaker, as well see. But my first impression was of the speakers sound quality, which is the most important factor anyway, in my opinion. After all, whats the point of hauling a durable speaker — adding another piece of gear to my kit — if it doesnt sound great?

　　Did your Ranger fall into moving water? No problem — as long as you dont leave it for more than a half hour; (photo/Andrew McLemore) Thats not a problem with the Ranger. In fact, its one of the best-sounding speakers Ive ever heard, portable or not. And Im not just talking about overproduced modern pop music void of real instruments or non-auto-tuned voices (yeah, I said it). As a lover of jazz and classical music, I rarely hear speakers that accurately capture the breathy nuances of a trumpet or the muted tones of an upright bass.

　　So, Im delighted to report that the touch of piano keys or a saxophones vibrato emerges clearly and delicately from a speaker that can also be submerged underwater for 30 minutes. I have no idea how thats possible, but its a delight to experience. I rarely pumped the speaker up to full volume, as its more powerful than many larger competitors.

　　Bury the Ranger in wet sand, and it will still be bopping when it emerges; (photo/Andrew McLemore) A Glutton for Punishment Alright, alright, you say. Enough with the musical nerdery. What about the durability?

　　So far, the Ranger has met the high standards of its nomadic name and previous Turtlebox releases. Its waterproof, meaning you can submerge it up to 3 feet for no more than 30 minutes without damage, according to the brand.

　　I tested that theory in a controlled setting with a glass of water and in the cold, unpredictable waters of Georgias Etowah and Chattahoochee rivers. After a few minutes in the water, the sound becomes slightly muted. But its a change youre unlikely to notice unless youre listening carefully. The sound returns to normal eventually, after the speaker has had a few minutes to dry off.

　　Note: This speaker doesnt float, which is why you see it carefully tied to my SUP board in the photos. Itll survive a drop in the river — but only if you can find it afterward. Also, the cover for the charging port must be closed to avoid water damage.

　　Dropped the Ranger into the water? Just shake off the moisture and keep jamming; (photo/Andrew McLemore) The speaker is also supposedly drop-proof and crushproof. So I (deliberately) dropped it down rocky paths on local hiking trails, rolled it through sand and dirt, and (accidentally) allowed my dog to knock it over repeatedly, often several feet from a table to the ground. It still doesnt have a scratch. It works just as well as the day I took it out of the box over a month ago.

　　That last bit is significant. Youre likely to knock this thing over repeatedly, as the Ranger is meant to stand upright like a mini pillar. This dimensional shift represents a big departure from most other Bluetooth speakers, which tend to be squat and horizontal. But its a smart move, audio-wise, as the sound spreads more evenly in all directions.

　　At the same time, it means that lying the speaker down flat will block some of the woofer. That results in reduced volume and clarity.

　　The only time the Ranger didnt immediately shrug off detritus was on the magnetic squares along one side. These are for attaching the speakers to cars, golf carts, or whatever else you can imagine. I didnt use this particular feature, but it worked well enough when I stuck it to the side of my Honda CRV.

　　However, they can also collect minuscule pieces of metal from sand or river water. But with a little bit of effort using water, a sponge, and a cotton swab, I was able to remove most of it.

　　On-board speaker controls include volume, power, track change, Bluetooth pairing, and modes to combine with other speakers; (photo/Andrew McLemore) Comparison to the Competition At 2.4 pounds, the Ranger still competes with its much larger cousin, the Turtlebox Gen 2. For her review, GJ contributor Erica Zazo put that burly, 10-pound speaker through the wringer, even letting it soak for a month in a water cooler (it still worked fine). But its size and weight mean its best used when you only have to carry it short distances, like to the campground, beach, or pontoon, Zazo wrote.  

　　It’d be great if the brand debuted a smaller, more portable version of the Turtlebox in the future, she added.

　　With the Ranger, Turtlebox has done just that. At less than one-fourth the weight of the Gen 2, the Ranger still provides 105 decibels of volume. Comparatively, Gen 2 only goes up to 120 decibels while costing nearly $200 extra. So, the Rangers balance of volume and portability makes a strong case for opting for this smaller cousin. It also improves the Gen 2 by ditching the proprietary charger and opting for a USB-C port.

　　Of course, the Ranger doesnt claim quite the durability of the Gen 2. But most of us dont need a speaker that can survive a trip to Atlantis, no matter how impressive. And with battery life that lasts all day, depending on volume, I never had an issue with suddenly needing to recharge.

　　Turtlebox Ranger: Final Verdict

　　A 10-mile river trip down the Etowah River was a jam with the Ranger; (photo/Andrew McLemore) The always-innovating marketplace of outdoor gear has offered many new options for waterproof speakers in recent years. At GearJunkie, weve tried and ranked many of the best in our guide to theBest Portable Bluetooth Speakers. The Turtlebox Gen 2 holds the top spotoverall.

　　The Ranger, in my opinion, is even better. At nearly half the price, but with almost the same audio volume in a smaller, lighter package, it improves upon Turtleboxs Gen 2 in almost every way. Its also possible to use the speakers Party Mode to pair the Ranger with other Turtlebox speakers, including other Rangers, Original Gen 3s, or Grandes.

　　With a $250 price tag, the Ranger still doesnt come cheap. Its currently only available on the Turtlebox website (no Amazon yet). One of the four color options has already sold out since the speaker was released in February. Put simply, if you want to be moved by the music in the Great Outdoors with zero stress about equipment, this is one of the best waterproof speakers out there.

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