The last Fugoo product we tested was a rugged, tough, and pricey beast of a speaker. This time around Fugoo sent us a much easier to handle and lighter on the wallet speaker that’s also tough and just as rugged. The Fugoo GO is made to be thrown in your bag for a trip to the beach or in your backpack for a hike up the trail to picnic. Read on below and find out why the Fugoo GO has earned a Techaeris Top Pick Award for 2017.
Specifications
- Dual full-range drivers – 52mm
- Dual bass radiators – 62mm x 36mm
- Frequency Rate Response: 100Hz – 20KHz
- 360º audio mode with the unit sitting on it’s back
- Direct Sound with unit sitting on it’s side with increased directional loudness
- Outdoor listening ready with 12 watts of power and up to 92db loudness
- Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless connectivity up to 100 feet / 30 meters
- Pair two Fugoo GOs with one source device in Double or Stereo mode
- Micro-USB for charging
- Built-in Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery – Up to 10 hours continuous play at 50% loudness
What’s In The Box
- Fugoo GO speaker
- Micro-USB charging cable
- Documentation
Design
The Fugoo GO is an inconspicuous little speaker offering a designer look without being gaudy. Constructed from high-quality plastic and rubber the build quality is obviously premium, everything is precise and tight. Around the back of the speaker, you’ll find the bass radiators, Fugoo branding, and the Micro-USB charging port. The charging port is covered by a waterproof cover that is probably one of the best-designed covers I’ve seen on a waterproof speaker. Generally, these covers are small and leave you wondering if it may pop open if jarred too hard. The Fugoo GO Micro-USB cover leaves no doubt that you’re safe from water.
Moving around to the top of the speaker, you’ll find a power button and Bluetooth connection button as well as the braided cord that wraps all the way around the speaker. The cord is used to strap the speaker in multiple ways to multiple things. You can also use the loop in the cord to hang the Fugoo GO. Around the front, you’ll find the remaining drivers as well as the multi-function buttons. The minus, circle and plus buttons on the front serve as the volume up/down, track forward/reverse, play/pause, voice prompt level, and EQ change.
It’s really a well made and designed speaker with some thoughtful features including the lay flat 360º sound feature and the slight angle it sits at when on its side. Overall the design is streamlined, easy on the eyes, and rugged without being completely utilitarian.
Ease of Use
Pairing via Bluetooth is as basic as it gets, pretty much straight-forward. Using Pair Up mode, a feature that allows more than one Fugoo GO to be paired together might take some practice for some. It did take me more than a few tries to get the Pair Up mode to work properly but after a half-dozen tries, I managed to overcome my derp. To pair two GO speakers together simply hold the Bluetooth button and the plus button for 1 second on the first speaker (the one connected to your source device) until it says Pair Up mode. Move to the second speaker and repeat the process until both speakers say, paired. Overall, very easy to use, you just have to be smarter than me.
Sound
Sound is king when it comes to speakers, that’s where the money should be going when they build these things. Fugoo has invested a lot of time and effort into their sound and their Fugoo Tough XL proved that in spades. The Fugoo GO was just as loved when it comes to sound. The speaker is much smaller than the Tough XL so don’t expect the depth of sound from the GO as you’ll get from the XL. Given the size of the GO, I was satisfied with sound but did feel it struggled just a bit when outdoors. This is to be expected because there is very little for the sound to bounce off of outdoors, but not all is lost in the outdoor use department.
I’ve reviewed other speakers that have something similar to Fugoo’s Pair Up mode but have never had the chance to test the feature because I was given only one unit to review. Fugoo wanted us to experience Pair Up mode so they sent us two GO speakers and WOW! What a difference! Pairing two of these guys together significantly increases the user experience of this speaker, especially outdoors. I especially loved having a speaker to the left and right of me which gave me an immersive experience in the sound content I was listening to.
Overall the Fugoo GO has a solid sound by itself and I don’t hesitate recommending it as a purchase but the experience is dynamically enhanced when you add a second speaker. If you can swing a double purchase of these speakers, I’d most certainly say do it.
Battery Life
Fugoo advertises 10-hours of battery life at 50% volume and we got just under 10-hours at 60% volume, which is generally the volume level I always use. So this is on par with their claims, I’ve no doubt I would have gotten 10-hours plus at 50%.
Price/Value
$99.99USD gets you waterproofing, rugged, tough, great design, and versatility. The GO has solid value and it’s increased if you pair these up.
Wrap Up
There are so many Bluetooth speakers on the market and choosing is tough. It’s tough for us as well because many of the options we review are all great and worthy competitors. The Fugoo GO is a super light-weight, rugged, tough, waterproof speaker that we’d recommend in a heartbeat. It’s just one of those speakers you can’t go wrong with.
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