Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable From Monster

In the space of about a year, Bluetooth and AirPlay wireless speaker docks have begun to replace old-fashioned wired systems. Bluetooth's streaming quality has improved so much that this isn't a bad thing. Now Monster has joined the fray. At $449.95 (direct), the Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable from Monster is just as expensive as its non-wireless sibling, the Beatbox by Dr. Dre from Monster ($449.95, 4 stars). It's not as powerful as the Beatbox, but it's smaller and portable. Unfortunately, one stipulation of its portability is the need for six D-cell batteries (yes, the big ones), and the Beatbox Portable also suffers from audible hiss when its volume level is high. But it otherwise sounds quite good, with a heavy bass presence and sculpted highs.

Design
The Beatbox Portable is sort of wedge-shaped, like a triangle missing one of its points. It comes in two colors: Black and red, or white and gray (our sample's color scheme). Both models feature the indented Beats logo on the front panel's metallic speaker grille. The top panel houses an iPhone and iPod dock, though you can also stream via Bluetooth from just about any modern mobile device or computer. Overall, it's a stylish-looking system, and its portability is at least aided by sturdy handles built into either side for easy carrying.

The system ships with eight adapter trays for various models of iPods and iPhones, a simple remote control for docked devices, and a power adapter, which connects on the back panel, near the 3.5mm Aux input. The remote doesn't navigate menus and only controls playback, but since this is primarily a wireless system that turns your mobile device into its own remote, we can let it slide.

As mentioned earlier, the system requires a whopping six D-cell batteries to power it on-the-go. That's going to make it a bit heavier, and it's not exactly environmentally-sound, either. It's the second portable system in recent memory to rely on six D-cell batteries?the significantly less expensive House of Marley Bag of Rhythm ($349.99, 3 stars) does as well. The Beatbox's battery compartment is on the bottom panel, and can be unscrewed with a coin or even a fingernail.

Performance
While the Beatbox Portable is without a doubt a powerful speaker dock, it's far from flawless. Like most Beats products, the bass?as well as the treble?is seriously tweaked, so audiophiles seeking flat response systems should steer clear. If you're looking for a great party system, however, the Beatbox Portable is an appropriate choice. Even so, it suffers from a minor hint of distortion at maximum volume on deep bass tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout," so little that many people won't notice. At maximum volume on deep bass tracks, the system vibrates slightly, not unlike the aforementioned Bag of Rhythm , but not nearly as dramatically. This vibration can be easily mistaken for speaker distortion, but it's really a case of the speakers rattling the enclosure a bit.

Other issues are more obvious. Speaker hiss is a problem that a wireless speaker in this price range shouldn't have. At maximum volume, it's audible even when music plays?regardless of what volume level your mobile Bluetooth device is set to. Compared with the JBL OnBeat Extreme ($499.95, 4.5 stars), our Editors' Choice for wireless docks?which has no audible hiss?the Beatbox is quite noisy. If you lower the system's volume, the hiss becomes less of a nuisance, but it's still there. It's especially noticeable on quieter tracks, such as with classical music. Your best bet is to max out the volume from your streaming device and keep the volume on the system itself lower.

All hiss aside, John Adams' "The Chairman Dances" can sound a tad harsh at top volumes?the higher register instruments get quite a bit of boost, so the brassy highs and mids can be intense. It sounds better at moderate volumes, where the low frequencies are present but not overwhelming and the sculpted highs seem less exaggerated.

The Knife's "Silent Shout" has a deep bass thud that sounds extremely powerful on the Beatbox Portable. At top volume, there is the tiniest hint of distortion?not nearly as prevalent as it is on another recent wireless speaker dock, the Logitech UE Air Speaker ($399.99, 3.5 stars). Here, the bass barely distorts, and adjusting the volume just a hair solves the minor issue. Can it blast deep bass music at top volume and still sound good? Yes, but if occasional distortion is going to bother you?and at this price, that's a fair issue to have?you might be better off with the JBL OnBeat Xtreme .

If portability is a must and the six battery requirement seems like a drag, Bose's SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker ($299.95, 4 stars) is rechargeable and also streams via Bluetooth. It's smaller and slightly less powerful, but suffers no distortion issues at all. The Beatbox Portable is no slouch, but at a much lower price, Bose manages avoid the hiss and provide strong audio performance without the six battery arsenal.

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