We reviewed the Sol Republic Deck wireless speaker last year and we were quite impressed with it. Sol Republic did well with their first bluetooth speaker. They came out with the Sol Republic PUNK wireless bluetooth speaker in late 2014. Check out what I thought about this little speaker.
Design
The Sol Republic PUNK bluetooth speaker is small and thick. You can grip it with one hand. With a very simple design, the Punk has sturdy build. The top has grill with the word “SOL” going across it. The top border has the power button, volume down button, play/ pause buttons, volume up button and Bluetooth pairing button. The left side has all the inputs. Auxiliary out, Aux in and the micro USB charging port.
Sound
Sol Republic is known for their loud sound. The Deck was very loud for its size. I am glad to say that the Punk is no different. This pint size speaker has booming sound. You will be surprised at how loud it goes without losing depth. Even though it does get pretty loud, it doesn’t handle everything well. As with most small wireless speakers, when set at the highest volume, the bass distorts (especially on bass heavy tracks) and / or the tracks start to sound flat. The Punk does a great job at handling pop and rap songs well for the most part. The beats pump well without drowning out the vocals for most tracks. The loud volume is satisfying overall.
I do like that it’s water, dust, and shock resistant. It’s winter, so I haven’t been able to test it at the beach (no sand testing). But it has survived tub and sink splashing. I think it’s a great laundry room, and / or bathroom speaker. Small enough not to get in the way, but built to withstand the moisture.
Battery Life and Use
As usual, battery life varies with your length and type of use. Sol Republic says the Punk speaker can last up to 8 hours. That sounds pretty good to me. I didn’t get more than 6.5 hours of continuous playback. So I’d say that 8 hours is a bit of a stretch. You can check the battery life by holding the “+” and “-” buttons at the same time. It doesn’t have a sleep mode. The battery has died on me if I left it on even without playing music.
Pricing and Availability
Right now you can get the Sol Republic Punk Wireless speaker in 6 different colors (on SolRepublic.com). You can choose from Black, Cargo, Horizon Blue, Ion Green, Lemon Lime, Navy, or Fluoro Red. On Amazon.com you can find it as low as $50, but that will vary with color.
Overall
The Punk wireless speaker gets the job done. By purchasing a speaker like the Punk, you’re obviously going for portability over anything else. The Punk wireless speaker is definitely portable. It even has a screw mount on the bottom of it. It doesn’t have a speakerphone mic / function. So you’re at a loss with that if you enjoy that feature.
If you’re into bass heavy music, you won’t be able to play the Punk wireless speaker at max volumes (keep that in mind).At the price of $50 – $55 the Punk is a good buy. It delivers great sound, in a small sturdy package.
Buy the Sol Republic Punk Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from SolRepublic.com or Amazon.com
