Philips Shoqbox SB7200 review: A tough-as-nails wireless speaker

The Philips Shoqbox SB7200 portable wireless speaker doesn't fill a room with sound quite as well as the pricier Shoqbox SB7300 model, but a tough shell helps it stand out among all the portable Bluetooth speakers currently flooding the category.

7.3

Philips Shoqbox SB7200

The Good

A rubber exoskeleton wraps the <b>Philips Shoqbox SB7200</b> Bluetooth speaker in a protective layer of hard mesh, while dual magnets inside push out full-bodied tones that reach a level above competing portable speakers.

The Bad

The gimmicky Smart Sensor adds an overly complicated layer to the speaker's simple design, and the single action button is prone to accidental presses.

The Bottom Line

The Philips Shoqbox SB7200 is built to survive the great outdoors and manages to sound better than most competing Bluetooth speakers at the same time.

The hard-mesh speaker and rubber casing amplify bass tones as well as protect the unit from dirt and dust, making it a logical companion on outdoor adventures like hikes and trips to the beach. Pro tip: its light waterproofing also does equally well in your bathroom if you prefer bathing to a soundtrack. The Smart Sensor does a so-so job of recognizing hand gestures to adjust the volume and change tracks, but that's more of a gimmick than a regularly used feature. At $179, the speaker isn't cheap either, but if you're shopping for an overbuilt, portable Bluetooth speaker to match your adventurous (or maybe just clumsy) lifestyle, the Shoqbox SB7200 is worth the investment.

Design and features
Like most Bluetooth speakers, the Shoqbox SB7200 is easily portable, measuring just 7 inches long and a little less than 3 inches wide. It's easy to pack in a backpack or a suitcase as well. Judging by the marketing, Philips really wants you to use it outdoors on a camping trip or a rock climb, and the unit even has a small ring for a carabiner. Still, if weight is an issue, you probably won't string this along with you on long hikes, since the speaker weighs just under a pound with all the rubber draped around it.

The SB7200 comes in purple, white, black, and green color options; I instinctively went with the olive drab for its military appeal that lends itself well to the splash-proof rugged exterior. A hard mesh grille and rubber webbing on top offer two layers of protection across the length of the tube, and the main power button on the right lip also gets the rubber treatment.

Pairing the device with a Bluetooth-enabled audio source is simple enough -- hold it down for 5 seconds and a woman's voice will tell you it's in pairing mode. Identify and select the corresponding Shoqbox through the Bluetooth Settings menu on your music player (I used an Apple iPhone 4S), and the handshake happens automatically. The voice will guide and confirm the successful pairing along the way. After you link it up the first time, the Shoqbox will remember the partnership and automatically connect the next time you turn it on.

The power button also controls other features on the speaker, and while this singularity is effectively simple, it's also prone to hiccups in the user experience. For example, if you hold it down too long while powering it on, the speaker will go into language selection mode, where you choose the language for the voice prompts. Getting out of the menu is as easy as hitting the button once more when the option gets to English, but it can be a nuisance if you forget how to turn the speaker on and off properly.

While you're playing music through the speaker, you can hit the power button again to verify the remaining life of the lithium rechargeable battery. However, the voice reads you the battery level using vague descriptions like "Plenty of life left" -- I would have preferred a more specific indicator that used percentages.

The Shoqbox also doubles as a speakerphone when you pair it with a smartphone, but it's sensitive to wind and the sounds of passersby so I recommend you use this feature in an enclosed area to reduce audible distractions.

Removing the tethered rubber end cap on the left side of the tube will expose an open USB port for charging, and company provides an AC adapter as well as a USB cable for use with a computer. Philips tells me the speaker will last 8 hours on a full charge, and my anecdotal testing verified that claim, though your mileage may vary. The speaker will also automatically shut off after 15 minutes of disuse.

The right end cap is a free-spinning volume knob with no level indicators that can lead to accidental adjustments while in transit, giving you an uninvited volume burst the next time you queue up a song. Keep in mind that you can use the corresponding audio player to change the volume and navigate tracks as well.

The small Smart Sensor on top of the speaker gives you the power to make the same adjustments using hand gestures. Swipe your hand from left to right across the sensor to skip to the next track, or swipe up from the top down to pause your music. Do it again to resume playback.

In my experience, the sensor only picked up the correct gestures half the time, and it feels like a gimmicky way impress your friends when it does work, as opposed to a viable way to control the device. Personally, I'd rather take full control of the speaker through my iPhone's audio player. Philips does let you turn off Smart Sensor entirely by pressing the power button twice in rapid succession, and I had it disabled for most of the duration of my testing, as I suspect you will too.

Performance
The rubber casing surrounding the Shoqbox lends itself to a warmer sound than you hear from competing devices like the Jawbone Jambox. Two neodynium magnets inside give the speaker 4 watts of power, and I should also note that the speaker only fires one way, so be sure to position it with the Smart Sensor facing you to get the most out of the sound.

All Bluetooth speakers are limited by the compression process that happens over the air, but the Shoqbox still outperforms plenty of speakers in terms of volume and bass bump thanks to the "wOOx" radiator inside. You can actually feel the lower-frequency spectrum and bass thumps on a flat surface, like a tabletop or a desk.

Keep in mind that this speaker won't blow you away with window-shattering levels. If you care more about sound quality than durability, you can save money and pick up the $99 JBL Flip, an alternative that doesn't give off the tinny, canned sound that mars competing models. And despite the marketing jargon that flagrantly uses the word "stereo" to describe speakers like the Shoqbox, the fact is that it only comes with one unit that plays both channels.

If you want true surround sound, you'll have to purchase another Shoqbox and link them to each other, but that can get pricey at $179 for each speaker. Still, I suspect most shoppers reading this review will value portability and endurance over sonic aptitude, and Shoqbox is definitely a cut above the rest.

Conclusion
Smart Sensor aside, the Philips Shoqbox SB7200 offers adventurers a mobile audio option built to survive the dirt and grime of the outdoors. Its 8-watt speaker system is powerful enough to drown out the pops and cackles of a campfire, yet it's still physically light and easily transportable. Whether you're a bass-hungry camper or just a portable audio enthusiast, the Philips Shoqbox SB7200 will put a smile on your face.