Soundcast Melody

Maybe the Melody isn’t the best-looking speaker we’ve seen, but from an audio standpoint it’s a winner. At maximum volumes on both the speaker and the sound source (in this case, an iPhone 4S), the Melody delivered some seriously powerful sound. On...

Excellent, powerful audio performance with deep lows and well-defined, crisp highs. Splash-resistant, UV-resistant. Rechargeable, portable (in the room-to-room, take-to-the-backyard sense).

Bulky, unattractive design. Less portable in the bring-on-vacation sense.

What the Melody lacks in style, it makes up for in audio performance, portability, and durability. Still, if you want a speaker that looks a bit more glamorous and still delivers powerful audio with strong bass response, the Bowers & Wilkins Z2 and...