For these listening tests, I had the iCast connected via RCA to 3.5mm cable to the Squeezebox Duet. The Squeezebox is capable of streaming everything from MP3's to uncompressed WAV files flawlessly. I listened to a vast selection of Internet Radio stations and WMA Lossless files streamed from a networked computer. Overall, I experienced no audio dropouts regardless of music source distance within the confines of my property.

The Pixies - Doolittle
The OutCast is obviously designed for sound reinforcement which is evident by its driver arrangement. This is fine as long as you don't place the unit near a wall. As I was walking around with the OutCast, I noticed that the bass really benefited from being placed close to a wall but invariably one of the 3" drivers would be facing the wall creating a bit of a slap echo. It was noticeable enough that I felt that a close wall placement wasn't really feasible. The bass response was a bit thin but respectable. You're not going to hear any bone crushing sub frequencies, but kick drums and low bass are represented. The starting bass line of track 13 - Hey came through convincingly and much of the pick work on the guitar sounded realistic and detailed. Jacking up the volume, I was able to get the OutCast to distort at the highest levels but for the most part it stayed together really well. I wasn’t able to get super high volume levels out of it (you won't be fueling any outdoor raves with the OutCast) but you could certainly provide a good level of background music for an outdoor party.

I was definitely impressed with the audio quality of the OutCast overall. The high end sounded fairly well extended (which is a feat in and of itself with a 3" driver providing both tweeter and mid duties) and the midrange was well articulated. The bass was at times accentuated though for many albums this was a plus. The bass extension was good with the bass that was present well defined. While I was impressed with the audio quality overall of the OutCast, the dynamic range was a bit truncated. The OutCast defiantly sounded better the louder it played (to a point of course).

Marillion - Marbles
If anything, this album sounded a little bass heavy through the OutCast - especially when placed indoors. When taken outside, it sounded a bit more natural. The OutCast had no real problems keeping up with the quality material and only really faltered a bit when trying to reproduce the heartbeat during the The Invisible Man. For an outdoor speaker I found the sound to be very lifelike and quite natural. For a wireless speaker, I was very impressed. As is the problem with these "all-in-one" solutions, it's hard to say if any particular failing in performance is due to the driver, crossover, amp, or wireless signal. Honestly, I found very little not to like with the OutCast/iCast wireless solution.

I ended up jacking up the volume and taking the OutCast outside. I set it at one end of my backyard (next to the neighbor I don't like) and walked away from it. From 0 to about 7 feet it was pretty loud - too loud to hold a conversation. From 7 to about 15-25 feet it was a good volume - loud enough to hear but not so loud that you couldn't try your best pickup lines on the ladies. Beyond that I could hear the bass overtaking the treble and midranges and the vocals became harder and harder to make out. This was in a completely open area without the benefit of a bunch of bodies between me and the speaker. I would suggest that if you are going to try to cover a large area with the OutCast to make sure you place it somewhere where no one is going to be in the first five feet of it. Larger areas are going to require more than one (and in general, two would probably be best regardless of area size).

Suggestions for Improvement

While the OutCast shaped up to be a fine product there are some things that I wouldn't mind seeing in future iterations. The top control panel is great if you are using and controlling an iPod but doesn't do diddly for you if you are connected to anything else. I'd like to see either the play/pause button used to mute the incoming signal or perhaps an additional button for this function. Turning down the volume by hand is sometimes too tedious. While I didn't test the unit with an iPod, it is clear that in order to navigate to different playlists you'll need to return to the iPod and do this manually. The inclusion of a small LCD screen and a control wheel would mean that once I hooked it up, I wouldn't have to return to the iCast. For $699 they should be able to include this without raising the price of the unit. While you can hook up an iPod directly to the OutCast through the Aux In port and have it controlled locally, I still think this would be a welcome addition. As I mentioned above, a left/right/both switch would definitely be a welcome addition so that the OutCasts could be used in stereo. While it isn't always preferable (or even desirable) to use outdoor speakers in a stereo configuration, having the option would be nice. Lastly, I'd like to see the omission of the ports. Yes I know this would reduce the bass response but to be a truly "outdoor" speaker, you're either going to have to seal it, or somehow convince me that it would survive an extended outdoor stay in Florida weather.

Conclusion

Whenever I review outdoor or wireless speakers I generally have low expectations. This was completely unnecessary with the Soundcast OutCast Wireless speaker system. The audio fidelity was very good with only the lowest of frequencies noticeably absent. The iCast wireless transmitter was rock solid and had a very good range. In my neighborhood I could literally take it to my next door neighbor's house without having to move the transmitter! The OutCast may be a bit expensive but the portability and sound quality definitely justify the cost. Aesthetics aside, the OutCast is a beauty of a product. The ease of use and portability is just amazing. For those that want music in different rooms or outside (or both), this is the solution for you.

Soundcast OutCast Wireless All-Weather Speaker System

$699

Soundcast Systems, Inc.
San Diego , California
Toll Free: 1-800-722-1293
Phone: 1-619-591-0126
www.soundcastsystems.com

About Soundcast Systems, Inc.
Soundcast Systems is a privately funded wireless technology company offering revolutionary plug and play wireless audio transmission systems that overcome 2.4GHz band interference, and empower digital music enthusiasts to listen to music in high-quality sound throughout the home. In 2005, the company developed a unique 2.4GHz audio transmission technology that prevents transmitted signals from being distorted by outside interference such as cordless phones and microwave ovens. Since then, Soundcast has developed easy to install, modestly priced, high-performance wireless audio transmission systems that send tunes wirelessly from an audio source (such as a digital music player) to an audio sound system anywhere in the home.