The Theater Solutions B83GR is a rock-shaped, wireless Bluetooth speaker designed to blend with your outdoor decor. It's weatherproof against rain, snow, ice, salt, and pool chemicals, though there's no specified IP rating, and we don't currently test for this. You can even link it to up to 99 other B83GR speakers, which is handy if you have a large outdoor space. Unfortunately, its uneven sound profile has an overemphasized high-bass that can make your audio sound boomy, and an overemphasized treble that can make vocals and sibilants honky and piercing.
Our Verdict
The Theater Solutions B83GR performs poorly for music. It has an uneven sound profile. Its overemphasized high-bass can add a boomy quality to your audio, while its overemphasized treble makes sibilants like S and T sound honky and harsh. Like most small speakers, since it struggles to reproduce low bass, you may not hear the thump and punch in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. It also has to downmix stereo content into mono to play it, which isn't as immersive-sounding. That said, it can get fairly loud.
- Not a lot of compression at max volume.
- Struggles to reproduce low-bass.
- Poor soundstage performance.
- Disappointing directivity.
The Theater Solutions B83GR is bad for movies. Its lack of low-bass can make it difficult to feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed movies, while its boomy high-bass can muddy dialogue and push it towards the back of the mix. Due to the overemphasized treble, dialogue can also sound honky and harsh at times. It also has a poor soundstage performance, so you don't feel very immersed in your audio. Even so, it has low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, though some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary.
- Not a lot of compression at max volume.
- Low latency via Bluetooth.
- Struggles to reproduce low-bass.
- Poor soundstage performance.
- Disappointing directivity.
The Theater Solutions B83GR is not bad for podcasts. The speaker is portable, can get fairly loud, and has little compression artifacts at max volume which can help keep your audio sounding clean. That said, it has disappointing directivity which can result in a narrow and directional soundstage, so your audio may not sound as clear from all angles.
- Not a lot of compression at max volume.
- Decently portable.
- Disappointing battery performance.
- Disappointing directivity.
The Theater Solutions B83GR doesn't have a microphone and doesn't support voice assistants.
The Theater Solutions B83GR is disappointing for outdoor use. Its battery performance is disappointing and can only last over six hours. It also has a poor soundstage performance, which can feel inadequate if you really like to feel immersed in your audio. That said, it's adequately built. It's advertised as weatherproof against rain, snow, ice, salt, and pool chemicals, though we don't test for this. Its rock-like design also allows it to blend well with most outdoor landscapes, and it can get fairly loud.
- Large Bluetooth range.
- Adequate build quality.
- Disappointing battery performance.
- Poor soundstage performance.
- Disappointing directivity.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Theater Solutions B83GR comes in three different colors. We tested the 'Slate Gray' variant; you can see the label for the model we tested here. It also comes in a 'Granite Grey' variant called the Theater Solutions B81GG, and a 'Sandstone Brown' variant called the Theater Solutions B82S.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Theater Solutions B83GR is a portable Bluetooth speaker shaped like a rock, to blend in with most outdoor landscapes. It's very similar to the Alpine Corporation Solar Bluetooth Rock Speaker in design, build, and performance. It's also weatherproof and can be linked to up to 99 additional B83GR speakers, though we don't currently test for these. That said, it isn't as well-built as some of the other outdoor speakers we've tested, and it has a very uneven and boomy sound profile.
See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The Pohopa EF-B210G speakers are better speakers than the Theater Solutions B83GR overall. They come in a pair of two lantern speakers with LED lights that alternate to the beat of your audio. They also have a significantly longer battery life and a better-balanced sound profile. Though the Pohopa speakers don't have a great soundstage performance, unlike the Theater Solutions, they can play stereo content. That said, the Theater Solutions can connect to over 99 additional B83GR speakers and may be better suited for those with a larger outdoor space. Its rock-like design can also help it blend in with outdoor landscapes better.
The Alpine Corporation Solar Bluetooth Rock Speaker is a slightly better speaker than the Theater Solutions B83GR. Though they're both designed to look like rocks to blend with outdoor landscapes, the Alpine Corporation is slightly better built, has somewhat of a more balanced sound profile, and has a significantly longer battery life than the B83GR. That said, the B83GR has a larger Bluetooth range and can link to up to 99 additional speakers of the same model, which can be useful for those with a large outdoor space.
The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Theater Solutions B83GR, with a more balanced sound profile. The Anker has a graphic EQ and presets, which are handy if you want to customize its sound. It also supports voice assistants and has an amazing soundstage. However, the B83GR may be better suited for those who prefer a louder speaker as the Flare 2 has more compression at max volume, leading to pumping effects and a loss of detail.
The JBL Flip 5 is a better speaker than the Theater Solutions B83GR overall. It has a much more balanced sound profile and can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It also has much better directivity, which allows your audio to sound clear from all angles, is more portable, and has a longer battery life. That said, the Theater Solutions can get a bit louder than the JBL with fewer compression artifacts at max volume. It can also be paired with up to 99 B83GR speakers and has a unique rock-like design, which some users with a large outdoor space might prefer in an outdoor speaker.
Test Results
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