Roberts Reunion IPX7 Bluetooth Speaker

A 50 W portable Bluetooth speaker, waterproof to IPX7 and playing 360 degrees from back-to-back drivers, with up to 18 hours of battery per charge.

At a Glance

• Output power: 50 W
• Fully waterproof: IPX7
• Battery life: 18 hrs
• Sound dispersion: 360°

The Reunion is a Bluetooth speaker rather than a radio, and that distinction matters if you are browsing the Roberts range: there is no DAB, no FM and no tuner of any kind. What it does instead is play whatever is on your phone, outdoors, loudly, for a long time, and survive being dropped in a pool.

Two full-range drivers sit back-to-back with a pair of passive bass radiators, so the sound goes out 360 degrees instead of facing one way. Rated output is 50 W, with a DSP that holds distortion down at full volume. The battery runs up to 18 hours and charges over USB-C in 180 minutes.

At 456 g, waterproof to IPX7 and good for 18 hours, the Reunion is built for the places a mains speaker cannot go.

Ideal For

• Beaches and pools: IPX7 means the Reunion can be submerged, not just splashed, so rain, a poolside soaking or a drop in the water is not the end of the afternoon.
• Groups outdoors: Sound spreads 360 degrees from back-to-back drivers, which suits a speaker standing in the middle of a table or a circle of chairs rather than facing one person.
• Bigger gatherings: Up to ten Reunion speakers can be linked together, so a garden, a hall or a long terrace can be covered without pushing any single speaker to its limit.

Key Features

• 50 W output: Fifty watts through back-to-back full-range drivers and two passive bass radiators, with a DSP limiting distortion when the volume is pushed to maximum.
• IPX7 waterproof: The rating covers full submersion rather than light splashing, which is the difference between a speaker you take to the water and one you keep away from it.
• Up to 18 hours: A full charge lasts up to eighteen hours and takes 180 minutes to replace over USB-C, so one overnight charge covers a whole weekend of use.
• 360 degree sound: Two full-range drivers face in opposite directions, so the speaker does not have a front row and a back row wherever you decide to stand it.
• Link up to 10: Multiple Reunion speakers pair with each other, up to ten in total, to spread the same music across a larger space than one speaker can manage.
• Built-in microphone: Take a call or reach a voice assistant without picking the phone up; Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC and AAC handles the connection either way.

• A speaker, not a radio: It is worth being clear, because the Roberts name suggests otherwise. The Reunion has no DAB, no DAB+, no FM and no internet radio: it is a Bluetooth speaker, and everything it plays comes from a paired phone, tablet or laptop, or from a wired source through the 3.5 mm jack behind the rear flap. If you want a tuner, look at the Roberts radios instead.
• Waterproof in a useful way: IPX7 is the rating that lets a speaker be submerged in water rather than merely resist a shower. In practice that covers an Irish summer, a kitchen sink, a shower shelf and the edge of a pool. The USB-C charging port and the 3.5 mm aux socket sit behind a flap at the back, which keeps them out of the weather when you are not using them.
• Sound that fills the space around it: Most portable speakers fire forwards, which is fine if everyone is sitting in front. The Reunion uses two full-range drivers mounted back-to-back with a passive bass radiator at each end, spreading sound through 360 degrees, so it can stand in the middle of a group instead of at one side. Rated output is 50 W, and a DSP steps in at maximum volume to keep distortion in check. At 456 g and 180 mm tall, it is easy to carry to wherever the group has ended up.

How It Compares

The Verdict

Strengths

• 50 W output with DSP distortion control
• IPX7 rated, submersible rather than splash-resistant
• 360 degree sound from back-to-back full-range drivers
• Two passive bass radiators for low-end weight
• Up to 18 hours per charge, 180 minute recharge
• Links up to 10 Reunion speakers together
• 456 g, with USB-C charging and a built-in microphone

Considerations

• The Reunion has no radio tuner at all: no DAB, no DAB+ and no FM. It plays only Bluetooth and aux sources.
• There is no mains operation: the speaker runs from its built-in battery and charges over USB-C, taking 180 minutes from flat.
• The USB-C and 3.5 mm sockets sit behind a rear flap, which has to be opened to plug either cable in.

What's in the Box

• Reunion speaker x1
• USB-C charging cable x1
• Quick start guide x1
• Safety and warranty leaflet x1