Concrete Bluetooth Speaker for Under $25

I always liked the looks of a concrete Bluetooth speaker and wanted to try my hand at it... on a budget.

I started looking on Amazon for Bluetooth speaker kits. I wanted something that would work well with concrete, sound decent and be battery powered. I couldn't find anything to suit my taste. So I went to Dollar General and looked over their selection of speakers and came away with this Vibe Boom Wireless. Definitely not JBLs competition but it looked hackable.

I was amazed how simple this speaker was to hack! Three screws on each end of the red tube, desolder the speaker wire and it was apart! The speak is on one end and controls on the other

Next I designed a 3d printed mold to shape my concrete. I made the outside of the mold .5mm thick so it could be easily removed. And I made the inside several millimeters thick and I left that inside the concrete for added support. I also drew in six small holes at the appropriate places for my screws that held on the ends.

Then I mixed up the concrete. I used masonry type M mortar and then added my own sand at the ratio of two parts sand to one part mortar. Something down this line would work as well.

Then I filled my mold with the mortar mixture. Once it was completely filled I made sure to go around and tap it with the spoon to make as many air bubbles rise to the top as possible.

I let the concrete dry for most of a week and then I cut into it with an oscillating tool. First I cut the base off. Then I cut lengthwise and began peeling the outside of the mold off. I was pleased with look but a little worried about the crack and how crumbly it was so I coated the entire concrete part with Mod Podge.

Reassembly was simple: Solder the speaker wires. Install the six screws.

All in all I am very pleased with the simplicity of this build. I got the look I wanted with a concrete speaker. The sound is decent quality. And I didn't break the bank with the build.