The G-Go water-resistant Bluetooth speaker impresses

G-Project’s The G-Go looks like a cross between a Dustbuster, an iron, and an oversized flashlight. But it’s none of those things. Rather, it’s a $69, IPx4-rated, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker. (That rating means that the G-Go can withstand water splashing from any direction.)

The G-Go is available in blue, black, or white. Our review unit was the white model, though in my opinion, the other two look cooler. The G-Go’s enclosure is mostly plastic, with some rubber and metal trim and pieces.

An integrated handle makes the G-Go easy to tote around, as does its light weight—the speaker weighs less than three pounds. It’s ten inches tall, just under five inches wide at its widest point (though it tapers to four inches at the top), and 4.3 inches deep at the base.

A white LEDs indicates power and blinks during volume or EQ adjustments; a blue LED indicates Bluetooth-pairing status. The unit enters pairing mode automatically when you first turn it on, and there’s a dedicated pairing button if you ever need to re-pair the G-Go or pair it with a different device. I successfully paired the G-Go with my iPhone, iPad, and Mac. G-Project says you can expect about 33 feet of Bluetooth range reception, though I actually got to about 50 unobstructed feet away before I experienced audio dropouts.

On the right side of the G-Go sit eight rubber buttons: power, volume up, volume down, EQ (which toggles between flat, pop, rock, and jazz presets), play/pause, next, previous, and the aforementioned pairing. Though the buttons are in four different sizes, all eight are arranged in a line, so you’ll likely have to look at the buttons when you use them, rather than going by feel alone.

On the back of the G-Go, at the base of the integrated handle, you’ll find a small, locking door. Twist the locking mechanism to pull the door open, and you’ll find a USB port (which you can use to charge USB devices), a jack for the included power adapter, and a 3.5mm (1/8 inch) stereo line-in jack for connecting a wired audio source. On the bottom of the G-Go is another locking door, this one for batteries. Drop in four AA batteries (not included), and you get approximately eight hours of playback time at reasonable volumes.

G-Project unsurprisingly promises splash resistance only when both doors are locked shut. That means you can safely use the G-Go as a permanent fixture in, say, your bathroom only if you run it off batteries instead of the power adapter. And because the G-Go isn’t dust or particle resistant, I’d recommend using the G-Go poolside, but not beachside.

I didn’t expect much from the G-Go acoustically, but I came away impressed by the G-Go’s two 3-watt drivers. The speaker can get loud enough to fill a large room, and it delivers solid sound quality. Specifically, the G-Go produces respectable bass presence, and—particularly on the Pop EQ preset—a pleasant balance of lows and highs.

Macworld’s buying advice

If you need a portable outdoor speaker, there’s a lot going for the G-Go. It’s a shame that G-Project didn’t include a built-in rechargeable battery—ensuring that you always have enough fresh AA’s on hand to avoid prematurely ending the pool party is never fun. Similarly, it would be nice if you could run the G-Go off AC power without compromising its water-resistant seal. But getting this level of audio quality from a speaker this affordable is an accomplishment. It would make a fine “always-plugged-in” Bluetooth speaker for a rec room or garage. And if you need a poolside or bathroom speaker and you’re willing to wrangle with batteries, the G-Go will surely satisfy.