Bluetooth speakers are a great portable way to bring music to your adventures, outdoor get-togethers, or dance parties. Today we got our hands on the massive new Monster Blaster 3.0. Dubbed “A boombox for the next generation” by Monster, it looks formidable and packs 120W of power, but does the sound live up to the large design and the $350 price tag? Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details.
Overview
Monster’s latest speaker is large, costs $350, and boasts 120 watts of power, which is pretty impressive for a portable Bluetooth device like this. Indoor and outdoor modes claim to tailor the sound to the environment, and the 5,200mAh battery can play music for around 12 continuous hours.
Design
Measuring 18.5 x 8 x 8.5 inches and weighing 13.5lbs, the Blaster 3.0 is formidable. It really is the kind of speaker you can swing up on your shoulder for the classic boombox look and feel. The wedge shape features four 15W full-range drivers – two on each side – that play audio in multiple directions. On the bottom is a downward-firing 60W subwoofer.
The Monster Blaster 3.0 is available in three different colors – black, white, and the bright red colorway that we have here.
On what I think is the left side (it’s hard to tell with there not really being a front) there is an NFC reader to pair with Android devices as well as a rubber cover that protects some ins and outs. This cover keeps the look of the Monster Blaster 3 fairly clean without visible ports. Under that cover, the speaker has a 3.5mm mic in, 3.5mm aux in, USB power out, and the barrel charging port.
Monster Blaster 3.0: Video
Over on the right side of the speaker are all of the controls. Up top is the mode button that will toggle between outdoor and indoor modes. Beneath that is the power button that will turn the speaker on and off when held for a couple of seconds. Both actions play a funky little bass line to indicate the action.
On the bottom are some rubber pads that dampen the speaker from the surface that it’s sitting on, provide some added grip, and provide a little space for the downward-firing sub. Up top is a hard carrying handle that makes the speaker easy to carry around and sling onto a shoulder.
Monster Blaster 3.0: How does it sound?
Monster has two different sound modes for the Blaster 3.0. One is tailored for outdoor use, and the other for indoor use. Testing in both modes and comparing it to the Urbanears Ralis that I’ve used a lot over the last two years, I was surprised by how subdued the bass was. For such a large speaker with a massive 60W subwoofer, at low to medium volumes, I really felt it could use some boost to the low-end.
When listening at max volume, which really is quite loud, the bass sounds more present. Everything seems to scale evenly throughout the frequency range. Personally, I think it could benefit from a bass boost at low volumes and then work its way down to the current EQ at higher volumes.
Even up to that max volume, the Monster Blaster 3 keeps the audio crystal clear, where something like the Ralis starts to get muddy. It seems like the Blaster 3 is meant to be used loud.
It also has a pretty poppy scooped sound, meaning that the mids seem to have been brought down in favor of highs and lows. And this sounds great with vocals, hip hop, and pop tracks but for rock or metal fans, it’s not the greatest for guitar-heavy tracks.
Ultimately, for such an expensive speaker, it could benefit from an app that lets you dial in or adjust the EQ a little bit. The single button to change modes is easy to use, but I think most people may want a little more control. I know that I would love to add some more bass to this thing.
Monster Blaster 3.0: In-Use
Otherwise, it’s a great speaker. It’s easy to move around, has a sleek shape with speakers on either side for even sound, and it’s easy to use. Charging phones with the power out is a nice feature, and having both mic and aux in, as well as Bluetooth, makes it pretty versatile.
The Competition
For the last few years, my go-to portable Bluetooth speaker has been the Urbanears Ralis. For the reasonable price of $183 on Amazon, the speaker sounds incredible, has great battery life, and isn’t nearly as large as the Blaster 3.0. At lower volumes, the sound is much fuller than the Monster Blast 3.0, but when the volume gets pushed up, the Blaster takes the cake with clarity and power.
9to5Toys’ Take
Overall, if you’re looking to bring the party, the Monster Blaster 3.0 can absolutely bring it. I would love to hear some more bass at low volumes, but this thing just wants to be turned up. At $350 the takeaways here are the massive 120-watt power as well as its versatile use.
Alternatively, check out our review of the Urbanears Ralis for something smaller with great sound and battery life as well as the Tribit Storm box Micro, which is a great beach or hiking companion.
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