It wasn’t that long ago we reviewed the Etón Rukus Solar, a portable Bluetooth sound system powered by the sun. The company is now back in our headlines with word of a new, even more high end solar boombox dubbed the Rukus XL, pricing for around $200.
The Rukus XL, according to Etón, makes use of an a 72-square-inch monocrystalline solar panel that reportedly will fully recharge the device’s internal lithium battery in about five hours. Alternatively the battery will receive a full charge in about 2 ½ hours via the included AC adapter. The internal battery is said to keep the unit playing tunes for over eight hours.
Ruxus XL (image via Etón)
The XL, like the unit we reviewed, makes use of Bluetooth wireless audio to tie up with any audio player, such as an iPhone, equipped with the same technology. Pairing is said to be one touch and easy. While playing audio from the wireless device, one can also charge the same gizmo’s internal battery via plugging it into the XL’s USB port. This port is housed in a built-in storage compartment where the mobile device can be housed.
As far as audio output goes, the solar gadget offers up 22W of combined audio power via its eight speaker drivers – two tweeters, two woofers and four passive radiators. A bass boost option is also available, and all of this is built into a relatively compact body complete with an integrated carrying handle.
