The Gravastar Mars is a one-of-a-kind instrument that not only looks stunning but also produces an impressive sound. It is the ideal companion for you to have as you help bring about the end of the world. It is not at all inexpensive, coming in at a price of $300 for the Damaged Yellow edition. However, pleasant things almost never are.
Gravastar Mars
Connectivity:Â Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm Aux
Battery:Â ~20 hours, charged by USB-C
Water Resistance:Â None
- I mean… just look at it! It is quite beautiful.
- Separate full-range and bass drivers ensure a high-quality sound overall.
- Pricey
- The sensitivity of the volume control is excessive.
The Gravastar Mars is not only a wonderful portable or desktop speaker, but it is also a striking piece of art that draws the eye. The Mars has the appearance of a scuttling drone from some distant war-torn future apocalypse (so… definitely next year at this pace), and it has three extended legs and appealing illumination that is focused around the eyeball in the middle of the sphere.
Today, we’re going to have a look at the War Damaged Yellow edition, which features hand-painted blue lights and retails for $300. The version is called “War Damaged Yellow.”
Additionally, there is a Damaged Red edition that is offered (with yellow lighting), in addition to undamaged editions in either “space gray” with green lighting or “sci-fi blue” with blue lighting. The unharmed devices cost $200, which is $100 less than the damaged ones but is still a significant amount of money for a portable Bluetooth speaker.
Gravastar Mars Design
The Gravastar Mars weighs a hefty 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms), and stands a full 7.5 inches tall. It has the appearance of something that snuck out of the Aperture Laboratories (in fact, Gravastar did have a white edition at one point, but it is either out of stock or withdrawn from sale), and it has the appearance of something that escaped from the Aperture Laboratories. It is indeed a terrifying sight to behold. in a charming and endearing manner.
Although what seems to be the case’s middle section is made of plastic, the top and bottom surfaces are largely made of a sturdy zinc alloy.
The LED lighting is concentrated on the front, but there is also tiny accent lighting on the side grills and the legs, which fold up for storage. The front is the primary location for the illumination.
You’ll find the 3.5mm Aux input as well as the USB-C charging connector on the underside of the device. I couldn’t help but feel bad about showing the little guy’s tender stomach in such a way and wanted to apologize to him.
In addition to a stereo cable, the package also contains a charging cable that has a fabric covering over it. Because one end of the charging cable is angled in a right angle, it is possible to fit it to the unit in order to charge it without having to leave him rolled over in a very undignified manner.
In addition, you have the option of purchasing a charging base for an additional cost of $60; however, we were not provided with one for testing purposes.
There is not any unique illumination around the bass driver, which is located around the back of the device. Above the bass driver are three buttons that can be used to control the gadget. These include buttons for the primary power supply, LED, and Bluetooth.
If you hold down the power button for an extended period of time, a cool deactivation or power-on sequence will play. On the other hand, the LED button can be used to activate or deactivate the integrated illumination if you so desire.
A prolonged push of the button is required to reach pairing mode on the Bluetooth device; its functionality is largely as one would expect. Due to the fact that the product supports latency-free music via Bluetooth 5.0, I had no problems streaming YouTube to it and did not have the timing mismatch that was common in earlier wireless speakers. I found this to be an extremely convenient feature. However, in the event that you did experience difficulties, there is always the aux input located underneath.
A touch-sensitive volume slider is located at the very top of the main body of the device, and additional blue LEDs are located below it to display the current volume level.
Although it is really impressive to look at, you must still use caution. Simply picking up the Mars or brushing your hand across the top of it can result in an audio bomb going off because the loudness rises from zero to one hundred in virtually no time at all. It’s possible that my ears could have been spared some damage if there had been two touch-sensitive buttons with which to adjust the volume in distinct phases. Even though I’m not that old, I’m telling you that this thing can get outrageously loud.
There is nothing else that can be found here in terms of its functional capabilities. There is no integration of robotic voice assistants available. It does not come equipped with a real pew-pew laser. In addition, the legs serve little purpose other than to provide stability; a remote control will not work.
Both channels are combined into a single, monophonic output when the speaker is used alone. However, if you have enough money in your wallet, you may connect two of them together to get stereo sound.
Audio Quality
As a speaker that costs $300 (albeit the “undamaged” models are only $200, thus a significant portion of this expense goes into the hand-painted finishing process), I anticipate the Gravastar Mars to have a sound quality that is commensurate with its appearance. Thankfully, it was on par with what I had anticipated.
After putting the files through a battery of tests provided by AudioCheck.net, I was unable to spot any obvious flaws in the sound quality. During the test of the bass response, I will note that I was only able to hear down to a frequency of 40 Hz. Frequencies of 30 Hz and 20 Hz did not produce any audible bass, but they did make a little bit of distortion noise. However, I was unable to pick up on this during its normal usage.
I was able to establish a limit to the dynamic range that was around 48 dB below full-scale level.
The most essential thing is that I tried out a variety of tunes that I am already familiar with, and they all sounded satisfactory enough. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the laws of physics preclude something of this size from producing the kind of bass that may shake the ground. It is a superb speaker for its size that punches well above its weight, but for my tastes, it is still a touch too top-heavy and a little too mid-heavy.
You won’t be able to use this to operate a DJ set, but you could bring it to the park for a picnic after the apocalypse.
Repairability
On a device of this size, it’s fantastic to have exposed bolts and screws as such an intrinsic part of the overall design aesthetic.
Even though I haven’t taken it apart completely, I can tell you that the upper zinc-alloy case is only there for appearances and is held in place by two hex bolts on each side. When this casing is peeled back, the device’s primary body, which is made of the same durable plastic as the section in the middle, is exposed. The bass driver is held in place with a number of tiny hex bolts as well. In order to get into this, you are going to need a precision repair kit such as the iFixit Mahi.
The control circuitry is then fastened to the main body using a number of screws with a small Phillips head, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole thing might be dismantled rather easily right down to its component level.
iFixit does not currently provide a rating for repairability, but in my opinion, the chances are favorable. I’ll provide an update if you ever convince me that it’s necessary to do so.
Battery Capacity
According to the manufacturer, the 10,000mAh battery offers a playback time of 20 hours. I listened to Spotify on it for about four hours a day at a volume somewhere in the middle while the lights were on, and it lasted until the fifth day, so this seems to be an accurate representation of its lifespan. It takes about four hours to fully charge a device.
The battery life is by no means the best in its category, but on the other hand, I do not believe that the battery plays a particularly important role in products of this nature. It’s not meant to be the lone speaker at your next block party; rather, it’s a work of art for your workstation. There is a good chance that you won’t be too far away from a charging station.
The Best Partner in Collapse
The Gravastar Mars has an elegant appearance, a pleasant sound, and is one of a kind in every way. It is true that it is pricey, but items that are well-made and distinctive typically are. If you are searching for something a little bit different to put on your desktop or for the ideal present for a teenager who is infatuated with video games, the Gravastar Mars would be a good choice.
If you just want some generic rectangular-shaped black plastic stuff to take to the beach, then I’m sure Amazon can cater to your fancies with 6,000 identical product listings at affordable pricing. If this is what you’re looking for, head on over to Amazon.com.
As the modern world collapses around us, the Gravastar Mars is the ideal companion for letting go and having a good time while doing so. My only desire is that he would talk to me a little bit more and take his menacing blue eye off of me so he can stop staring at me so intensely.
