Ryobi Score Speaker Review

Music is a daily part of our lives.  We hear it in the elevator, in commercials and almost any store we walk into.  Whether you listen to music for the beat, the words or to have some background noise, it’s something we can’t escape.  It’s such a big part of ours, even power tool manufacturers have taken the time to develop speakers and radios for their consumer base.  Which brings me to the Ryobi Score Speaker Review.

Ryobi already has a couple of radios on the market, so you may be wondering why they developed a whole new system.  While they do have radios on the market, those are more targeted for the trades and workshops.  Their new system, the Ryobi Score, while it can be used in your workshop, it’s designed for a much broader audience.

While traditional radios or speakers are one unit, the Ryobi Score is made up of 5 individual speakers.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – How It Works

The Ryobi Score uses a technology called SKAA.  If you are not familiar with SKAA technology, don’t worry I will cover that next.  In essence, the Ryobi Score uses one main hub system and you can connect up to 4 additional speakers.  So with this system, you get a total of five speakers you can move around your house, outside yard, workshop, jobsite, tailgating party or whatever floats your boat.

So how does this all work?  The system works because it uses SKAA technology.  Normally you would pair your phone to a speaker using Bluetooth.  Once you paired it, you were stuck with only having the one speaker.  Basically, with Bluetooth, it’s a one to one.  One device, paired with one speaker.

The Ryobi Score is awesome because it uses SKAA and Bluetooth.  So the Ryobi Score has one main hub (which is also a speaker).  I can take my phone and connect it to this main hub using Bluetooth.  The main hub or speaker is the Ryobi P760.  The satellite or secondary speakers are model P761.  I can change songs, change volume and everything you are used to with Bluetooth.  Here is the cool part.  The main hub uses SKAA to now broadcast this information to four other speakers (speakers have to be within 150′ of the main hub).  The best thing about SKAA is it’s very easy to use and provides awesome quality sound without delay and connects instantly with other speakers.  So as a user you can have one speaker upstairs, one on your main floor and one in your basement.  You can broadcast your music throughout your whole house.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – Features

One of the best features of this whole system is how easy it is to use and setup.  One feature I am glad to see Ryobi included is how you power these units.  Each speaker can be powered by AC or a Ryobi battery.  This is pretty cool because I can have my main hub plugged into the wall since this is the one that will be played the most and will be located in a central location.  There are times I want to take a speaker outside and I am not in close range of an outlet, so the battery option comes in handy.

On the main speaker, there is an integrated FM tuner with 5 presets.  With a push of a button, you can tune the radio or adjust the volume.  There is also an auxiliary port for those who don’t want to waste their battery with Bluetooth hook up.  All the speakers have a metal bar so you can carry them from one location to another.

The satellite speakers have an independent volume control.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – Set Up

Set up is extremely simple.  To set up Bluetooth on the main hub, it’s the same way you are used to with any other Bluetooth device.  Here is the cool part.  To set up the satellite speakers with SKAA, it’s just a push of the button and they pair extremely quick and ready to go.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – Sound

The Ryobi Score Speakers have a nice sound to them.  I am not going to say they will blow you out of the water in regards to volume.  If you are in a large room or noisy room, you might be a little disappointed.  However, in regards to sound quality, I think Ryobi developed a very nice sounding speaker system.  The bass won’t rock your table, but it has a nice range of sound.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – Price

This is the part I am a little lost with.  Ryobi always seems to produce quality products for a reasonable price.  As of the date of this article, Ryobi only sells this system two ways. You can either buy a hub with a satellite for $200 or an individual speaker for $100.  For some reason, this just sounds like a lot of money for two speakers that have a great sound but doesn’t blow me out of the water.  My guess is a lot of the cost has to do with royalties or some form of payment for the SKAA usage.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love this system, but when I think about dropping $500 for a portable system, it does sound like a lot of cash.  On the other hand, to have a full system that is very easy to use, nice sound range and extremely portable, well $500 isn’t too bad. I do like the fact that I can buy the hub with a speaker, then add on as needed.

Ryobi Score Speaker Review – Final Thoughts

Overall I think Ryobi created a very cool system for the homeowner.  While I think the system has a high price tag, I love the sound quality, ease of use and portability.  Being able to power this from AC or the Ryobi battery is a huge plus and a welcome feature to those who truly seek portability.