Key Features
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Review Price:
£129.95
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IP67 Rated against water, saltwater, dust, rust and more
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Swappable battery Once the battery dies, swap it out with another
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EQ modes Choice of four EQ modes: Outdoor, Extra Bass, Audiobook and Indoor
Introduction
There are plenty of choices in the outdoor speaker category, and I wouldn’t blame most people for choosing a brand they’re familiar with.
JBL, Bose, Sony, and Marshall are some of recognisable names with brand cachet, and that makes it harder for a new entrant to stake a claim and, as portable speakers are wont to do, make some noise.
Poca Audio are a new name. They’re small, but they’ve got big expectations, looking to jostle through the crowd of portable speakers to make space for themselves.
The Pine Beat argues a case for itself on the basis of its rugged build, environmental awareness and suite of accessories, but is that enough to make a name for itself?
Design
- Water and salt-proof
- Swappable battery
- Four different bundles
Resilient is the first word I’d use to describe the Pine Beat, and adventurous would be the second. If you’re out for a hike or are off in a remote part of the world, the Pine Beat feels like it’s built to handle what you and the world can throw at it.
It’s only available in black, which gives it a nondescript look at first, but switch it on and there are LED lights that pulse either from the logo or the top of the speaker (white, fire flicker, yellow and all LEDs off) that give it some character. Power the speaker on the sound that emits feels like a call from the rainforest.
The materials used are a combination of Aerospace-Grade anodised Aluminium, recycled plastic and silicone, biodegradable natural rubber and organic cotton, lending the speaker plenty of proof to back up its rugged and sustainable credentials.
At 670g it’s not too heavy to carry around but there’s a cord accessory in the packaging, although this depends on the bundle (Tiny Home, Traveller, Beach Bum or Ultimate). Each one comes with different accessories but the Ultimate comes with all of them. There’s a magnet to plant it on a surface or a peg stake to stick it in the ground. The Pine Beat seems to have most outdoor eventualities covered off – as long as you get the right bundle for your needs.
At IP67 rated the Pine Beat is dust-proof and survive a dunk into water that’s 3m deep for 30 minutes, so the beach, camping, hiking, whatever – this Poca Audio speaker can withstand fresh and saltwater, sand, and mud; it’s anti-scratch and anti-rust. It’s a speaker that might survive the apocalypse.
The buttons are all lined up on the side with a different texture to the metal body of the speaker. They’re not labelled but most should be clear to figure out just from the symbol alone with the ‘circle’ button for powering up.
The top square button is how you change the speaker’s sound EQ, and I’d admit to be dumbfounded at first as to what the various beeps meant. Flip the speaker over and there’s a guide to which mode the speaker is in depending on the beeps. I don’t love the use of beeps as I’d rather a voice to make it clear, but more on those EQ modes later.
The battery indicator is represented by four LEDs (each one counts for 25%). On the speaker’s underside is a mounting screw and it’s also where you can swap out the battery. Around the back is a strap where you can slip the stake into so you don’t lose it, and the USB-C port for charging the speaker.
Features
- Four EQ modes
- SBC Bluetooth
- Party Mode
Those EQ modes I mentioned above? There are Outdoor, Extra Bass, Audiobook and Indoor – they do have an effect on the sound, but I imagine Outdoor and Extra Bass will be the two that’ll be focused on the most. Outdoor works for most uses and if you want more weight to the sound, then that’s where Extra Bass comes in.
There’s Bluetooth 5.3, but in a slightly disappointing turn-up, only SBC streaming is available, which is currently the lowest quality for Bluetooth codecs. The codec isn’t necessarily the most important aspect when it comes to sound – the tuning of the driver still holds sway but AAC would allow more data to be transmitted. If you’re a Tidal, Qobuz or even Apple Music subscriber, you won’t get the most detail from your tracks.
There wireless performance is fine, though playing a track and walking across my garden away from the speaker and the connection did get jumpy towards the end (of a very long garden).
There’s a Party Mode included which only works with other Pine Beat speakers – there’s no Auracast that allows the speaker to stream to and receive audio from other compatible speakers. If you’ve got two of these speakers, stereo mode is supported. There’s no app, but you could argue that makes for a simpler experience.
While I mentioned a USB-C port, I forgot to add that there’s a 3.5mm input beneath the tab, so you can go analogue and add a source device to play music through the Pine Beat.
Battery Life
- Up to 30 hours
- Fast-ish charging
The Poca Audio Pine Beat can be used as a powerbank to charge your mobile device, and the speaker supports fast-charging but judging by the specs, this is charging the battery back to full (two hours) rather than a quick pick-me-up. The battery is replaceable but a spare is included with the Ultimate bundle only (on its own, it costs £24.95).
Now about that battery life. Poca Audio gives itself plenty of room to breathe by suggesting a play time of anywhere between 5 to 30 hours. This depends on the volume, likely the EQ mode and the type of music you’re playing (bass-heavy tracks use up more energy).
I did my usual test of streaming a playlist at 50% volume, and taking the results from a three hour session, they seemed to indicate somewhere in the region of 16 hours total. If you lower the volume you’ll get more (but where’s the fun in that?). Raise the volume or play tracks that require more energy and you’ll find it closer to that five hour mark.
Sound Quality
- Clear vocal performance
- Not the most detailed
With 40W of Class D amplification, the power is funnelled through a 1.25-inch tweeter to deal with the highs and a 2.5-inch neodymium woofer plus a passive radiator to mete out the midrange and bass.
It’s all about how an outdoor speaker is tuned, and while the Pine Beat sounds fine, if I’m purely focusing on the sound, there are better-sounding efforts out there.
The Pine Beat has an easy-going nature to its sound. The presentation errs a little to warmth with the focus with tracks is on vocals – listening to an audiobook of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the vocal clarity is very good – but where it loses out a degree to the likes of the JBL Flip 7, is in detail and the naturalism of its sound.
There’s decent weight and punch to the bass, and with Philips Oakley/Giorgio Moroder’s 80s hit, Together in Electric Dreams, it sounds spacious and there’s a nice tone the speaker strikes with the track.
But put up against the Flip 7 and the Poca isn’t as clear or as defined as JBL’s effort. The JBL offers a more musical, energetic and lively approach to music. The JBL picks out and highlights vocals better than the Pine Beat, and offers a firmer bass performance too.
There are tracks where the Pine Beat can sound hazy describing detail and the EQ modes can be hit and miss for me.
The default mode (Outdoor) mode lacks bass energy which is a bit of a surprise for what’s intended to be an ‘outdoor’ mode. Extra Bass is where I’d start with as default as that brings more bass presence. I also can’t hear much of a difference in the tuning of the Indoor or Outdoor modes which leaves me feeling that one of them might not be needed.
High frequencies sound clear but lack the detail, sharpness and the naturalism of the JBL and that sums up the Pine Beat. There’s a steady consistency to its sound, and it is enjoyable but it lacks excitement for me. It’s a pleasant enough approach, but if your focus is primarily on sound, both the Flip 7 and Marshall Emberton III sound better to me.
Should you buy it?
An outdoor speaker for all the occasions
Are you a beach bum? An avid hiker? A camper? Buy the Ultimate bundle and the Pine Beat will be there come rain or shine.
There are better-sounding outdoor speakers
Whichever bundle you end up going for, while the Poca Audio delivers in practical terms, it is bettered for sound.
Final Thoughts
The Poca Audio Pine Beat covers plenty of ground for an outdoor speaker, though this comes with caveats.
If you were to go just for the speaker itself, without the accessories, then in terms of sound, there are alternatives in the JBL Flip 7 and Marshall Emberton III that are better.
But the Pine Beat is competitive in most other areas. Battery life is better than most at its price point. The build quality is sturdy, and if sustainability matters to you, the Pine Beat puts that at the forefront. With the swappable battery a thoughtful touch.
It’s disappointing Bluetooth support is capped at SBC – a clearer, more detailed sound would have put the Pine Beat in the mix with the best outdoor speakers at this price.
So I’m left feeling a little mixed. If some (or all) the accessories were included for the cheapest price, that would have made the Pine Beat a very interesting effort, and even at £199, the accessories it includes stand out from what anyone else is doing.
But sound quality is the be-all and end-all, and in that regard the Pine Beat is just fine. Nearly everything is here for a cracking speaker, so if a Pine Beat 2 pops up with a better audio performance, then that could really be a contender.
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How We Test
The Pine Beat was tested over several weeks, with audio compared against price rivals, battery drain carried out, the speaker listened to in its EQ modes and wireless performance tested.
- Tested over several weeks
- Tested with real world use
- Batter drain carried out
FAQs
You can purchase the Ultimate bundle which comes with all the accessories and the extra battery. Or, if you choose just the buy the speaker and get the spare battery, it’s available on its own for £24.95.
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