Fugoo GO Rugged Bluetooth Speaker review

Another day, another Bluetooth speaker right? There are hundreds, if not thousands of portable speakers to pick from. Chances are you might only buy one or two over a couple of years, so how do you know which one to pick? It truly depends on your needs. For most sound quality is the most important factor in owning any audio product. Going down the list of things you’d want in a wireless speaker, you certainly want excellent battery life and durability. If a speaker has built-in water, dust and shock resistance it qualifies for use outdoors as long as it is not overly sized.

I’ve been using the Fugoo Go for the past couple of months and think it’s one of the better outdoor speakers released in 2017. It has all of the features listed above and more. As we go deeper into the summer months, I find myself bringing along the Fugoo Go on my outdoor adventures more often than the others in my stockpile. I bring it to the beach, on hikes and certainly on camping trips. If you live an active lifestyle and want to bring your music along, the Fugoo Go is probably for you.

Let’s dive in a little deeper into why I love the Fugoo Go.

Build and Specs

Fugoo made its name a couple of years ago by making a wireless speaker that put sound first but didn’t make any compromises on build quality. The Fugoo Go, its most recent release, is a budget to mid-range priced speaker that doesn’t make any compromises. It’s the smallest wireless speaker from Fugoo that measures 1 7/8″ x 8 7/8″ x 3 5/16″ and weighs one pound.

The design is second to none when it comes to outdoor speakers. The Go is constructed of plastic that’s thick and sturdy with a mesh covering over the dual drivers and woofers. There’s intelligently placed pieces of soft rubber on the bottom of the speaker that lift it a couple of millimeters to allow air to flow freely from the down firing subwoofer. While rubber feet might seem like an insignificant build feature, it’s essential to producing clear low-end sound.

Along the same lines of detail is an integrated mounting cord that wraps around the top of the speaker. It can lift off the frame which exposes about 16″ of an ultra-durable cable that can be used to tie it to kayaks, poles, backpacks, pockets or anything else that you want the Go to sit firmly.

On the bottom is where you will find the micro USB charging port that is covered to protect it against mud, dirt, dust and water. The flap that covers the charging port fits perfectly into its home when the speaker is not being charged. The front mesh grille can also be removed by pulling on the Fugoo logo to reveal the drivers and bass radiators. It’s nice having the ability to remove the grille since it’s designed to be an outdoor speaker. You can rinse off the dirt, dust and grime to keep it in a clean condition. I can’t think of any other outdoor speaker that has the option to remove the front grille and it’s the little details like this that make it one of the best designed and built outdoor speakers on the market.

The similarly priced and widely popular UE WONDERBOOM lacks the ability to remove its outer covering, which means dirt and grime can build up over time and reduce the lifespan. For anyone who truly buys these speakers to use outdoors should strongly consider that as a downside to the WONDERBOOM.

On top of the speaker grille is where you’ll find controls for volume, track control and play/pause. It’s a build that seems basic, but upon closer inspection is where you see how Fugoo paid attention to the finest details.

• 10 hour battery life at 50% volume
• Dual drivers 52mm
• Dual bass radiators 62mm x 36mm
• Direct sound sitting on its side, 360 sound on its back
• 12 watts, 92db loudness
• Bluetooth 4.2
• IP67

Sound

Sound quality always matters the most to me when it comes to any audio accessory. Luckily, the engineers at Fugoo have mastered high quality playback with all of its speakers. The Fugoo Go packs quite a punch with its 12 watts of power that can reach 92db. For reference sake, that’s almost as loud as a power mower at 96db. I definitely appreciate having the ability to crank up the volume when I’m outdoors. However, similar to most wireless speakers, the Go tends to struggle at keeping balance at the maximum loudness setting.

Listening to the Go in the sweet spot (30-80% of max) is where it shines. The highs are extremely detailed and the mids are balanced. Bass on the low-end is definitely rich without overtaking the beautiful mids and highs. The speaker sounds great on its own, and it does offer true 360 sound when it is turned on its back. On its back is where those rubber feet enable the full sound spectrum. I prefer to listen to it this way when I’m outside enjoying music with friends. When I’m in my office or bedroom, I lay the Go on the side and point it at me for directional sound.

The Fugoo Go is capable of pairing to a second Go which can be used in stereo or double mode for an even better experience. That’s my favorite way to listen to the Go is in stereo mode. Having two Go speakers sound better than any one wireless speaker I own including the Bose Soundlink Revolve. When I’m laying in bed watching my iPad Pro, I feel like I’m in a mini movie theater.

Conclusion

I truly enjoy using the Fugoo Go as a single unit, but I absolutely love the Go in stereo mode. The sound from two Go speakers is immersive, detailed and has depth that no single portable speaker can match. The only downside to the Go is its average battery life which averages 6-7 hours at 60% which is what I use it at. As an outdoor speaker I would prefer something that could go strong through an entire weekend camping trip without a recharge. However as a tech enthusiast, I always have spare battery packs that cost less than $20. The Go makes its way into my backpack whenever I head to the beach, go out for a bike ride, and certainly comes on my picnic and camping excursions all summer long. And when I’m home the Go sits in my office or bedroom and is one of my favorite speakers I’ve used this year.

At $79.99 the Fugoo Go is a solid buy and can be found at Fugoo.com and Amazon.com.