It seems that Bluetooth speakers are all the rage these days, but NYNE has decided to do something a little different and with the NYNE NB-200 Bluetooth Speaker you get handlebar mounts to attach it to your bike.

NYNE may not be a name you’ve heard much about before but they are looking to change that. Producing Home Audio equipment in the form of large speaker systems with docks for iPhone’s and other smartphones and tablets as well as portable speakers and dockable clocks. They are Located in California and their products are available worldwide.

What do you get

The NB-200 is a Bluetooth v2.1 wireless speaker with a range of about 30 feet before the signal degrades. Built out of a water repellent housing about 5.7″ x 3.38″ x 2.8″ in size with a lithium ion rechargeable battery. Want to chat to someone while your riding along? No worries, the built-in microphone lets you do just that. The batteries are quoted as providing about 5 hours of continuous play and a stand-by time of around a day.

The included handlebar mounts are a novel idea but I’m not sure they are really something I’d use. There are a couple of issues with using a Bluetooth speaker on your bike. Firstly; you’re going to lose a lot of the sound quality while you’re riding along and the Mic picks up a lot of wind noise making it difficult to chat to someone on the phone while you’re riding along.  Stopping obviously resolved this issue and it was still easier than trying to fiddle around in your pockets to get your phone out.

Also, many people head out on their bike to get away from everything else, relax and get some exercise. Do you really want the people around you blasting music out on the bike trails? I’m pretty sure you’re going to upset some people if you do.

On the brighter side, using the NB-200 on your bike instead of headphones is going to be a lot safer and allow you to at least hear what’s going on around you.

What’s in the box:

• NYNE NB-200 Bluetooth speaker.
• USB to mini-USB charging cable.
• 3.5mm AUX Audio Cable.
• Handlebar mounting system.
• Felt Carrying Bag.

The one thing that’s missing is a regular power charger. I prefer to plug my speakers into a regular AC power outlet instead of using a USB charger, it’s just easier and more convenient.  You can pick a USB charger up for next to nothing and you can also use the charger form your phone, but I think it would have been nice for NYNE to include one in the box.

The Controls

One area I really did like about the NB-200 is the location and size of the controls on the unit. The controls are large and placed in a perfect location right along the front right hand face of the speaker. They are easy to locate and easy to press. Pretty important if you do decide to use your NB-200 on your bike.

The rear of the unit contains the usual array of connectors, including; The Power Off/On switch, 3.5mm AUX IN connector, mini-USB Charging port and a battery indicator light.

On Your Bike

The included handle bar mounts are simple to install and seem to be fairly sturdy. Once the mounts are installed, attaching the speaker is a breeze and an audible click tells you they are locked into place. I also mentioned that the housing is water repellent, but the issue is, it’s not waterproof. If you out on your bike and it starts to rain, you’ll need to find somewhere to hide your speaker way or wrap it in some sort of plastic covering. It would have been a nice addition for NYNE to include such a cover instead of just a fabric carrying pouch.

The Sounds

For it’s size I was fairly impressed, but I’ve also heard better. With good highs and lows the overall quality is good, but it did sound sound a little hollow like many smaller speaker do. Is it worse that any other small speaker system? not really, but its also not the best. At higher volumes there was distortion, but nothing too great.

Keeping the volume at around the mid level produced some clean highs and deep lows and was a very pleasant experience for a speaker of this size.

The Conclusion

Thankfully NYNE hasn’t forgotten that sound is the most important feature of any speaker so the NYNE NB-200 performs very well for a speaker of its size. The inclusion of the handlebar mounting system differentiates it enough from the rest to up the ante even more. The five hour battery life could be a little better, but it’s enough for a reasonable bike ride. The amount of punch for the size just keeps increasing as manufacturers find new ways to defeat the laws of physics and the NB-200 is a great attempt. With a retail price of $99, the NYNE Nb-200 is well worth taking a look at, not just as a bike speaker, but as a portable desktop speaker too, and if you search around, you can find the speaker for much cheaper.  If the NYNE NB-200 was waterproof, it would have been a hit, but this is a little let down for a speaker designed to mount to your bike.