Description
Roberts Reunion Portable Waterproof 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.
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.
Ideal For
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
| Listening Need | Reunion Technology | Practical Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Music by the water | IPX7 waterproof | Submersible rather than splash-resistant, so rain or a drop into the pool does no harm |
| Everyone in earshot | 360 degree dispersion | Back-to-back drivers spread sound all round, so there is no wrong side of the speaker |
| All-day listening | 18 hour battery | One charge covers a full day out, and USB-C brings it back in 180 minutes |
| Filling a garden | Link up to 10 speakers | Several Reunions play the same source together, covering a much larger area than one unit alone |
| Taking a call | Built-in microphone | Answer hands-free or speak to a voice assistant without reaching for the phone in your pocket |
| Wired sources | 3.5 mm aux input | A jack behind the rear flap takes a cable when Bluetooth is not the easier option |
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
