Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
What if I told you there's a new speaker on the market that is waterproof, dust and drop proof — and emits the loudest sound on the market?
Would you believe me? Or think I'm fibbing?
Look, I get it: every new speaker is heralded as the best one yet, right? But when you take it to the beach or the great outdoors, it either gets wet, you drop it, and it ruins. Instantly, it becomes dead weight on your adventure.
But that's not the case with ECOXGEAR's Defender.
Here's why. First of all, it's not a flash in the pan product. The Defender is a culmination of 14 years of speaker design and innovation.
Second, at 121db, it’s the loudest portable Bluetooth speaker in the market.
And above all, and it's been tested in the harshest of elements to prove that it is indeed water, drop, and dust proof.
While there is no award ceremony for portable speakers, these reasons (and it's incredible 5-star customer feedback) are why we're crowning it as the defacto champ today.
We chatted with ECOXGEAR Co-founder Greg Fadul to talk about the idea behind the Defender and how ECOXGEAR is working so that you can enjoy music wherever you go, from the mountains to the sea and everything in between. — Cash Lambert
American Surf Magazine: What was the idea behind the Defender?
Greg Fadul: We have been engineering waterproof speakers since 2010.
As technology improves each year it allows us to design better sounding waterproof speakers in smaller enclosures.
As we are a portable outdoor audio company, obviously the smaller the better, if the audio is fantastic, like the Defender.
The Defender is basically the culmination of 14 years of speaker design and innovation.
Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
Why make it the loudest portable speaker on the market?
We must constantly stay ahead of our competitors.
While we made the Defender the loudest for marketing reasons, the real accomplishment is making a waterproof and rugged portable speaker sound incredible at all volume levels.
The audio performance of the Defender is as good or better to similar sized indoor speakers, with the added features of being waterproof, dust and drop proof.
What does it say to you that you’ve received so much positive customer feedback, including 5 star reviews?
Well, it sure makes us happy, while no one has a perfect track record, most of our products have 4.5 star reviews or better. But yes, the overwhelming percentage of 5-star reviews on the Defender makes us proud, appreciative, and humbled at the same time.
Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
Water, drop and dust proof: how did you achieve this with the defender?
Well, this is not our first rodeo. We have been fine tuning the technology for an IP67 rated waterproof and dirtproof product, while at the same time insuring that the Defender has exceptional sound.
We have numerous patents which solidifies ECOXGEAR as the #1 original waterproof company and ensure that others don’t try to patent what we have already invented.
What’s the idea process behind the Defender and your other products? Where do you find inspiration?
We look at nature, competitors, history and forecast what people will want in the future.
Our head of operations came up with the first design in 2013 of a portable speaker with 2 handles on each side and it sold incredibly well, consumers loved it!
So here we are in 2024 being inspired by an eleven-year-old design with the Defender. Sooner or later, everything old is new again.
Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
What’s the genesis of ECOXGEAR? What was the moment you decided to start the brand?
My business partner and I own an indoor audio company called Grace Digital which we started in 2006, shortly after that Apple launched the iPhone then Samsung launched the Galaxy.
Those products really changed how people started listening to music outdoors.
Our first product was a dry case with a speaker - you placed your smartphone inside to protect it from sand, water, and dirt, and listen to your music while protecting your phone.
The case was launched even before Bluetooth was mainstream. Today, we have two Bluetooth waterproof cases called the ECOXTREME 2 and Journey that are very popular.
Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
How does ECOXGEAR stand apart in a crowded market?
The market is ever changing, you must both listen to what customer say they want, while at the same time as technologist we look at what is possible that consumers don’t even know exists.
We must constantly innovate while at the same time providing exceptional customer service.
Great products, great value proposition, and great customer service is how one earns the respect and support of our customers.
What’s been the biggest challenge with starting and running the brand ... and what’s been the solution for that challenge?
Running a business is a balancing act, especially a family-owned business. We have to focus on where to spend our money and where not too.
Our motto for growth and partnerships is – crawl, walk, run.
So, we start small and grow as resources allow. It’s worked for us, and we look forward to our continued growth.
It’s been a fun time bringing quality, cost-effective products to our customers. We have made some great friends through the years and look forward to making even more.
Photo courtesy ECOXGEAR
What’s the future of ECOXGEAR?
Historically, we have been very engineering and customer centric focused.
We of course will continue to focus on both, and now we need to get our name out there more by creating partnerships with great companies like the American Surf Magazine.
We have always let the word of mouth of our devoted customers share our story.
Now it’s time to promote the great products that we have developed so more people can enjoy music wherever they go – No Boundaries.
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