We're really beginning to like singing (or arguing with out favorite podcasts) in the shower, thanks to the Splash Tunes Pro waterproof shower speaker from FresheTech. This small, unassuming suction cup-mounted Bluetooth speaker delivers a surprising amount of sound in a speaker that costs US$70.
The Pro is the follow-up to the original Splash Tunes model, which can now be had for $40. The company claims the new version is 40 percent louder with three times more battery life.
In lesser shower speakers, we often find a product that cut corners somewhere along the way, likely in the battery, a subpar mounting system that falls off in the shower, or drivers that give you tinny or crackly sound. That hasn't been the case in the two weeks we've spent with our Splash Tunes review unit.
Certainly, there are louder waterproof speakers out there that can replicate higher fidelity audio like the Nyne Aqua, but the Splash Tunes Pro pumps out more than enough audio to fill a shower, bathroom or small spa area. The large, textured push control buttons are also more intuitive and easy to use when you've got soap or shampoo in your eyes than most other waterproof audio devices out there.
The speaker's built-in microphone is also improved over the original, but it's still a speakerphone that you'll be using in an environment that typically either has lots of echoes or other background noises, so don't expect the opera you perform for yourself in the shower to sound as crystalline on the other end of a call as it does to your own ears.
The rechargeable battery is rated for 10 hours of continuous play, which provides weeks or months worth of shower listening per charge, depending on your hygiene habits.
There is one important point of clarity regarding this speaker – while some of the marketing material mentions it as more "waterproof" than the original, it's actually only rated IPX5, which means that it was able to withstand tests that involved spraying it with water. These standards can be confusing, but the important takeaway is that the speaker is only designed to withstand being sprayed or splashed with water, as it would be while mounted in a shower. Were you to drop or submerge it in a bathtub full of water, it might not survive.
Fortunately, the Pro version is designed to float better, so you might have a good chance of saving it were it to be dropped in standing water.
There are other Bluetooth shower sound options out there, like the iShower and even a speaker-equipped shower head, but the Splash Tunes Pro costs less and delivers more than enough sound and usability for the basic shower solo vocalist.
Product page: FresheTech