Monster Blaster 3.0
RRP $400.00
"A boombox like the Monster Blaster 3.0 is perfect when you're thinking about parties."
benefits
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Good build quality
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Gets noisy both indoors and outdoors
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Including Aux-In and microphone sockets
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Easy pairing and setup
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Decent portability
disadvantage
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Only IPX4 water resistance
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The battery life should be better
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Sometimes tricky Bluetooth connections
What do you get when you fatten a bluetooth speaker? You get a boombox, or at least a modern take on this icon of acoustic portability from a bygone era. Monster has long made a habit of making it big in both design and sound, primarily focusing on moving a crowd with a rumbling boom.
That's why the Monster Blaster 3.0 seems so apt for the company. It's a third-generation, 120-watt boombox for any party, but how valuable is it when you can't just make music outside?
What's in the box
Despite the size of the speaker and box, there's not much to explore. In addition to the speaker itself, you will receive a power supply unit with a charging cable and the operating instructions. Monster doesn't put any other cables in the box, not even a 3.5mm cable, although it supports it via the Aux-In port in the device itself. If you have one, it works well with the Blaster 3.0.
draft
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
The Blaster 3.0 comes in three colors: black, white, and red. My review unit was black, but I'd say the red is much more eye-catching. Aside from aesthetics, there aren't any functional differences between them, but if you want to make the sound even more visually striking, red would probably be the way to go.
Below the surface, Monster equips the Blaster 3.0 with two 60-watt speakers, as well as two passive radiators and a 60-watt woofer for the bass. There's no real "front" or "back" as the speakers face both ways for wider output, especially when you start cranking the volume up. Monster offers no way to articulate or consolidate the sound to push it in either direction. So if you place it close to a wall, you may lose some of the spaciousness that the sound can otherwise deliver.
You get some ports to work with, like the aux-in jack for 3.5mm cables, as well as a separate 3.5mm port for microphones.
The controls are pretty standard, with a power button and volume buttons. The mode button only really toggles between the indoor and outdoor modes, which is where Monster's ambient EQ feature kicks in to optimize the audio for both settings. The Blaster 3.0 doesn't have dedicated app support, so you don't have the flexibility to customize the sound to your liking.
You get some ports to work with, like the aux-in jack for 3.5mm cables, as well as a separate 3.5mm port for microphones. If you're planning on doing karaoke with this thing, it's certainly possible with this setup. The microphone works over the music playback, so anyone with a connected microphone can sing along with a tune or announce something when playing the presenter role. Technically, you could use the microphone jack without music in case you need to give a presentation. Without a built-in microphone, the Blaster 3.0 will not function as a speakerphone.
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
The USB port treats the boombox as a power bank, allowing you to charge portable devices whenever you need to pull some juice from the 5,200mAh battery. The only other ports are the power supply connector and a reset switch.
The rubber tab that covers and protects the ports is of limited value in terms of durability. The Blaster 3.0 has an IPX4 rating, so while you can take it to the pool or beach, you need to be careful. Getting sand out of its many crevices won't be easy, and salt water will almost certainly kill it.
The Blaster 3.0 weighs a moderate 13 pounds, although the very sturdy handle should keep it from slipping out of your hands. Rubberized feet underneath keep it slightly elevated, and Monster says they dampen any vibrations that could cause surface distortion.
setup and configuration
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
Getting started was super easy. I could either pair the old-fashioned way, going through the Bluetooth settings on my phone, or use NFC to quickly tap and pair from an Android phone. The Boombox works the same way with iOS and Android, so whatever the pairing process, everything else is the same.
Audible tones and riffs indicate things like power on and off, pairing status, and volume or mode adjustments. Monster visualizes volume through eight LEDs on the panel, giving you a clearer sense of how loud or quiet the Blaster 3.0 really is. As mentioned, the mode button only really toggles between the indoor and outdoor settings.
In many ways, this is sort of a plug-and-play speaker, at least in the wireless sense. With no app to manage anything, or a multitude of built-in features and components, it's really about plugging in a playback device and blasting audio from there.
sound quality
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
Once you get to that point, the Blaster 3.0 really earns its name. With only five LEDs (out of eight) on the volume scale, this boombox can get very loud – even more so in outdoor mode. What's interesting is that the bass isn't quite as boomy as I expected. Well, I mean the playing style indoors, since the woofer works much harder outdoors, but otherwise shows restraint.
As you'd expect, there's actually a tipping point for volume distortion – as well as bass response itself. What I mean by that is that the bass audibly goes up a notch as you turn the volume past four LEDs, slight distortion begin to creep in at six and then are very noticeable at full volume. Still, it wasn't as bad as I thought, and it could be a sign that Monster is learning less, sometimes leading to more in the larger scheme when it comes to how thick the bass should be.
Music sounds good whether it's just you or a group of people.
The key here is that the Blaster 3.0 maintains a level of clarity throughout so music sounds good, whether it's just you or a group of people. It does sacrifice mid-range depth to emphasize bass and treble, but that's no knock on a speaker that's clearly not aiming to impress audiophiles. This is all about being loud and lively, and when I think about how bass-heavy genres sounded on this thing, I can easily remind myself who the target is here.
The Blaster 3.0 is perfect for BBQs, pool and beach parties, parks and picnics, and pretty much every gathering in between. You can certainly enjoy it in the private comforts of home, except there are plenty of speakers to cover that. In true boombox style, this is an outdoor speaker in every way. The indoor part is just a bonus.
Despite its weight, it's not difficult to take with you on a road trip or to an event. It also has a more stable Bluetooth connection in open spaces. It can stutter indoors at times, and it wasn't always clear to me why. I could understand when the speaker was in a different room from the phone, but it also happened when they were in the same room just 10 feet away. I tried this with different devices to rule out the possibility that the speaker wasn't at fault, only to find that it happened regardless of what I paired with it.
battery life
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
Monster estimates battery life at up to 12 hours per charge, but that's never going to happen once you start cranking the volume. I recognize that Monster has to put a number on how long the Blaster 3.0 lasts per charge, but it also markets the boombox for what it is: a speaker.
No matter what, you're not getting as much battery life here as you probably should.
You can check the remaining lifespan by checking the charge LED on the control panel. Once it turns red, look for an outlet to plug into. There's no fast charging here, and it takes a good 3.5 hours to charge back up. You can get more life out of it by connecting a device via Aux-In, but no matter what, you're not getting as much battery life here as you probably should.
Our opinion
The Blaster 3.0 costs $400, so make good use of it and hold it for a while. It's not designed exclusively for outdoor use, but that has to be a key reason why you'd pay so much for a Bluetooth boombox. It won't disappoint an audience looking for pounding tunes while spending the day outdoors, although it will work if you're stuck indoors too.
Is there a better alternative?
If you're looking for something similar to what a DJ might use, this is it JBL party box 110 could fit for the same money. It's far less portable, mind you, but it comes with a snazzy light show and pumps out 160W of power. If you prefer a closer look, JBL is releasing its Boombox 3 this summer, and while it costs $500, the company claims 24-hour battery life and gives it an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. It's also compatible with JBL's PartyBoost feature, so you can pair it with other JBL speakers to distribute playback.
For a stylish option, the $400 Marshall Tufton only has 80 watts of power, but a 20-hour battery, an aux line-in connection and that undeniably cool Marshall guitar amp look.
Not to be outdone, Sony has already thrown in its own Boom box SRS-XG500 into the mix for $450, which offers IP66 water and dust resistance and an app to tweak the audio profile should you want to change it. If money is an object Anker's Soundcore Trance is a smaller $150/80-watt party box with a handle that also offers a light show and a claimed 18-hour battery life.
How long it will take?
That can largely depend on how you and your friends deal with it. Modest durability means you have to be careful who or what comes into contact with it. Sand and salt are the biggest hazards, while a splash or two of water should be fine. Monster offers a one-year warranty against malfunctions, but no damage from water or sand.
should you buy it
Yes, but only if the Blaster 3.0 ticks the right boxes for you. It can be flexible in where you use it, albeit not as much in its feature set, and that's important when you're paying this much for a speaker. Your friends and family will have no trouble listening to its booming sound. If that's enough for you, then you know what to do.
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