If you were to stack all the best Bluetooth speakers together in one big pile, you'd very quickly realise that they all look very similar.
Some are tubes of different colors, some are boxes with handles, and some are supposed to look like amplifiers from classic rock brands. If you're anything like me, that can mean things feel a little boring.
Well, along came Gravastar and the ridiculous thing pictured above. It's the Mars Pro, a mono Bluetooth speaker which is designed to look like a robot war machine thing from, I presume, Mars, and I love every single thing about it. I think you might too.,
I mean, just look at it
I'd hesitate to call it a work of art, but the Gravastar Mars Pro brings the fun unlike just about any other Bluetooth speaker. It's a weird ball thing on mechanical legs, covered with a design like something from a budget 90s sci-fi film. Is it up everyone's street? Almost certainly not.
I can't imagine there are millions of people clamoring for a Martian walker from War of the Worlds that plays Britney at top volume, but there are some. And I am one.
Those legs are articulated to some degree, so you can kind of pose the speaker. For the most part, it's going to be fairly static, though. It's a statement piece, something that draws the eye of visitors and makes them ask, "What on earth is that thing in the corner of your room, and why does its eye thing follow me around the room — please turn it around."
Everything is topped off by those RGB lights. I'd say this is the first time I've seen a Bluetooth speaker where I've appreciated the lights. Generally, they feel a bit like a gimmick — they're never going to actually power a party. Here they're an accent to increase the futuristic looks, and I'm a massive fan.
My mom was not — one look at the speaker and she asked me to put it back in the box. And, like every person who is still 13 years old at heart, I simply moved it closer.
It's also built like a tank. There's metal in them there legs, and the whole thing feels reassuringly hefty. It goes some way to justifying that slightly loftier price.
It's mono, Jim (but I don't really care)
"Oooh, stereo this, stereo that..." I'm guilty of it — if it's not at least two channels, I don't want to know. Except I found that when listening to the Gravastar Mars Pro, I didn't really care. It sounds excellent, not just for a weird Bluetooth speaker with a single audio channel, but for a Bluetooth speaker in general.
That "plays audio out of the front, glowing eye" thing does mean that the audio is fairly directional.
You have to be sitting in front of the speaker for it to sound its best, but given you're unlikely to make it face the wall (unless your guest demands it), you're generally going to be in the cone of sonic influence.
And when you are, you're in for a bit of a treat. I'd never call it 'HiFi' — it's not, and it's not intended to be. But it is big, loud, and very much in charge. There's some decent detail to proceedings, good mid-range representation, and then some fairly powerful bass that we're fed through the passive bass radiator on the back.
Fit for an Autopsy's The Sea of Tragic Beasts brings the slam, and the little bass radiator on the back of the Mars Pro gets moving. That characteristic sub-tone from the band is very well represented, shaking the table the speaker sits on. The drums are impactful and full, while the crunchy guitar distortion shows plenty of edge to keep things heavy.
The cymbals can get a little lost amongst the rest of the din, but for a small speaker, things are very tasty indeed. Loads of fun.
Given it's style, there's no way you can't try out The Eve of the War from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War of the Worlds.
Those string swells are deep and wide, giving plenty of presence. The synth line is well separated from the rest of the ensemble, while the shaker cuts through. Richard Burton's dulcet tones rumble, as the Martians launch their way to Earth. I presume they look something like this speaker.
Audio should be fun
What lots of speaker manufacturers forget is that audio is supposed to be fun. Making everything into austere grey boxes or colored tubes that look like every other waterproof speaker around isn't fun.
Making your speaker look like a three-legged death machine that's going to melt down your mom to feed the alien war machine is fun.
And that's something that Gravastar seems to have gotten so right with the Mars Pro. It sounds good yes, and it's very well made, but it's the sense of fun that the speaker exudes that sets it apart from just about everything else. I spent a good hour posing various different action figures with the speaker before I'd even started listening to music — and I think that speaks volumes.
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