Best portable Bluetooth speakers (Oluv's personal favorites 2014)

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUDydWP1_DGtJOhRU9J2yQ72vHt2NZTVY-FaoWpEYsXqfkN84GLTsfG5HxEftzI0Q9UMVCIcNhVgqcc3tDP8Jzmip7QFhZSza0SblYb_h6j2IBo9I27dYyxiNZH9ToZXSX8mAkeMDNkQT/s1600/all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUDydWP1_DGtJOhRU9J2yQ72vHt2NZTVY-FaoWpEYsXqfkN84GLTsfG5HxEftzI0Q9UMVCIcNhVgqcc3tDP8Jzmip7QFhZSza0SblYb_h6j2IBo9I27dYyxiNZH9ToZXSX8mAkeMDNkQT/s1600/all.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />With this list I want to show you my personal favorite portable speakers that I use on a regular basis including some explanation why I have chosen them over some others and when I use this instead of that. It's been quite a long time I wanted to prepare a kind of best-of list of all portable speakers I know or that I have heard. But after having heard so many, I thought that a real best-of is simply not doable as each speaker has its own strengths or weaknesses. After all those years it seemed I would still not be able to find a single speaker which would satisfy all my needs not until I have heard the new <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/12/review-denon-envaya-mini.html">Denon Envaya Mini</a>, which mixed up my whole perspective and made my whole list until now pretty useless. The Denon Envaya Mini finally persuaded me to sell all other speakers I currently own, including <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/review-jbl-charge-2-failed-new-benchmark.html">JBL Charge 2</a>, <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/08/fugoo-bluetooth-speaker-first.html">Fugoo</a>, <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/07/review-sony-srs-x3-bose-soundlink-mini.html">Sony SRS-X3</a> etc. Therefore I would like to present *drum roll* the Denon Envaya Mini as my current favorite portable speaker.<br /><br /><a name="more"></a>As it had already taken me some time to prepare this whole list, I will nevertheless add all the other speakers below, although I probably wouldn't consider them at all anymore. Please let me clarify that my main goal is high audio quality. Most will have probably noticed that I have a weekness for a full-bodied sound. There must be at least some base for the music with enough bass to make it sound satisfying, otherwise I cannot enjoy music and prefer not to listen at all. I don't care about speakers that can play screamingly loud but fail completely at lower levels, or speakers with tons of nice features that only sound like my old clock radio. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Denon Envaya Mini </b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRWAXz-sQ-RQFUM9_bFB3zKml2MkeZZ7aHDZ6nZibK_w13ThZA7vfg5PjXQUQb-9OlGqIEAbPeiByAAH6YyuLYE4ylItY57zUfqEHZkrijpYMkPss2TbHW9O9MdVQosyyyP8z0w8u5dCb/s1600/denon-envaya-mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRWAXz-sQ-RQFUM9_bFB3zKml2MkeZZ7aHDZ6nZibK_w13ThZA7vfg5PjXQUQb-9OlGqIEAbPeiByAAH6YyuLYE4ylItY57zUfqEHZkrijpYMkPss2TbHW9O9MdVQosyyyP8z0w8u5dCb/s1600/denon-envaya-mini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Buy it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SFZ4EWC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SFZ4EWC&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-20&linkId=CFYDE7W7J7FAKJNY">amazon.com</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NBXJ9NW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B00NBXJ9NW&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-21&linkId=JGWZNAJDL5OFG3HG">amazon.co.uk</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00NBXJ9NW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creative=6742&creativeASIN=B00NBXJ9NW&linkCode=as2&tag=oluv-21&linkId=SOY2BX3R45BYYGK5">amazon.de</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-de.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oluv-21&l=as2&o=3&a=B00NBXJ9NW" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" width="1" /><br />I doubt there is any better sounding speaker available that small right now, therefore the Denon Envaya Mini gets my first vote to become the overall "winner". It is extremely portable, splash water resistant and has a professionally close to hifi tuned sound. It is not the loudest speaker nor the one with the biggest bass, but it sounds as close to flat as possible at that size with full bass response down to 80hz which appears even deeper thanks to some psychoacoustic algorithms. There is some stereo separation and the Envaya Mini sounds perfect at low and at highest levels with hardly any distortion or dynamics compression at all. It should satisfy 70% of most needs, just if you need higher loudness, you will probably wish for something more powerful, this is where my Infinity One jumps in, which you can find next in this list below. <br />Another alternative to the Envaya Mini would be the the <b>JBL Charge 2</b>. Until I heard the Denon, JBL Charge 2 might have been close to a "near-perfect" portable speaker, but unfortunately JBL managed to screw it up making it unsable at low levels and unlistenable with many tracks because they cause noticeable distortion, otherwise the JBL Charge 2 would probably be the best sounding speaker in its class that I would recommend over all the others more or less on par or above the Denon. I feel still so sorry about all the issues it suffers from, and that JBL doesn't really care to offer any fix. It seems they just recently started to sell a new batch of devices, which don't suffer from any distortion, although they still seem to have some issues at lower levels. Apart from that I also hate the status tones the JBL Charge 2 will play if you turn it on, or when it will connect to a device. The tones are so annoying that you cannot even turn it on in a silent enviroment. The JBL Charge 2 is not usable at low levels, it will sound just poor with bass sounding strange and with additional artefacts noticeable during the first 4-5 volume steps. I usually welcome a mirrored volume control between speaker and device, but in case of the JBL Charge 2 the volume steps are very rough and the speaker becomes too loud too quickly. The JBL Charge 2 has pretty non directional treble response. It still sounds quite good from above or from the side unlike most other similar speakers. I also like the fact that the JBL Charge 2 will retain more bass and sound more dynamic than most other competing models. Even at maximum volume you will be able to hear every drum-kick attack, while the Bose Soundlink Mini or the Sony SRS-X3 will compress them away. Sometimes I would prefer it even louder, especially outdoors, that's why I finally settled for an Infinity One described below. <br />Other speakers in this smaller class worth having a deeper look: I really liked the <b>Fugoo</b> a lot as an all around speaker but also for use at home from room to room etc. It might not be a very loud speaker and bass could take some stronger punch, but it is small enough to be carried around and thanks to its "jackets" is rugged to be just tossed inside some bag or stuffed inside a jacket pocket without any additional protection or pouch needed. Unfortunately none of the jackets does have any clip-on option without the additional mount-pack. It would have been great if Fugoo had included some simple lug in any of the jackets, so that the speaker could be quickly clipped on somewhere. The Fugoo is also one of the few speakers that really withstands a complete submerge under water, it is not just splash resistant like many others, but entirely waterproof.<br />Bluetooth connectivity is great and the Fugoo connects automatically to any found device unlike most other speakers, which seem to be still waiting for the latest one. <br />I also like the fact that the Fugoo remains nearly silent during operation if all voice prompts are disabled. Overall the sound of the Fugoo is quite full-bodied, it is not overly bloated but pleasant to listen to, with a similar bass-amount to many larger speakers like Soundblaster Roar etc, although the sound starts falling apart a little bit above half volume which is not very loud and does not come close to the sound of the Denon Envaya Mini, which is much more serious, and much louder at the same time. If the Fugoo was slightly louder overall with slightly more bass, it would be definitely on my top list if I had to pick just one single speaker, but now the Denon Envaya Mini took this honour and the Fugoo has to go. Another strong contender loved by ones, hated by others is the <b>Bose Soundlink Mini</b>which has no problems like the JBL Charge 2, but I found the sound to be too muffled and too directional and sometimes too boomy. The <b>Sony SRS-X3</b> might be another worthy alternative and I think it sounds best for low volume listening, especially because you can fine-tune the final bass amount with the input-volume of your streaming device, a welcome side effect of the dynamic sound-processing, which becomes confused with lower input levels and dials bass back, because the speaker output needs to be raised. The X3 has some problems at higher volume levels though and battery life is not as stable, especially when cranked. Unfortunately both Sony and Bose play some kind of annoying tones if they are either turned on/off or if they establish a Bluetooth connection. Another alternative might be the <b>Bose Soundlink Colour</b>. The sound is not as mature or not as refined as of all the others, but it is nevertheless a pretty solid speaker with a nicely tuned sound for all volume levels. It will sound good at low and at high levels, without any side-effects or artefacts. Treble is less directional than that from the Soundlink Mini and the Soundlink Colour will not sound that boomy in most cases although mid-bass has quite an obvious boost with some stronger resonance, which can start sounding annyoing with some particular tracks. Also Bluetooth connectivity is one of the best I had experienced so far with automatic reconnection to 2 previous devices after power on, just don't expect any stereo sound as the Soundlink Colour is rather a stereo speaker with mono sound. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>Infinity One</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b></b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2wzXWW4ldbLDipKpHmQ_jD20nXHnWYV7gIQO3eW-z1kZOWG07IK_oNzoy7CgLQLPC4ewJ5kRI4OM4QoKYNCCHq1EO6nSZyoA7QilAZ6_F-Drq_sHto415q4ZFO8eKezFuDhexVzE7p7a/s1600/infinity-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2wzXWW4ldbLDipKpHmQ_jD20nXHnWYV7gIQO3eW-z1kZOWG07IK_oNzoy7CgLQLPC4ewJ5kRI4OM4QoKYNCCHq1EO6nSZyoA7QilAZ6_F-Drq_sHto415q4ZFO8eKezFuDhexVzE7p7a/s1600/infinity-one.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Still only available from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LOL7HDC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LOL7HDC&linkCode=as2&tag=oluvsgadgets-20&linkId=ITAEPPSEXO4IMGCQ">amazon.com</a>, funnily the Infinity One does not sound really that much better than the Denon Envaya Mini, the Infinity One's sound is just more powerful, which is not surprising given the size being 3 times as large. the Infinity One is basically a blown up JBL Charge 2. The sound is similar between both, with the Infinity One just sounding more blown up. The Infinity One is a bit too large and heavy to be carried around whole the time. But if you know that you will need a portable speaker which manages to deliver enough power at higher levels too, the Infinity One might be the best choice. When the Denon Envaya Mini is already at its top volume, resulting in some heavy bass-loss, although perfectly usable without any distortion, the Infinity One will still have enough headroom, although the Infinity One will suffer from some intermodulation distortion at these higher settings, but the Infinity One will be able to keep much more bass at comparable loudness settings and maximum volume should still be loud enough for any smaller outdoor event. The stronger intermodulation distortion at high levels is the biggest letdown of the Infinity One, it sounds more enforced than the Soundlink III and many bass-heavy tracks may start sounding really harsh because of this, while others might still sound perfect, Infinity should have added some simple tweeters to the front drivers, as the back drivers sound pretty clear as they are fitered for higher frequencies, where intermodlation becomes most obvious. Similar to the JBL Charge 2 the Infinity One will also manage to retain the dynamics of kickdrum attacks, unlike the Soundlink III, which will rather iron out any stronger punches. For house-music I would prefer the Infinity One over the Soundlink III, which might be better for Jazz and acoustic stuff due to less intermodulation distortion problems.<br />Unfortunately the Infinity One has the same loud status tones and the same mirrored volume control with even rougher steps than the JBL Charge. In case of an iOS device the volume control is not fine enough to really allow any sensitive adjustment. Thank godness the Infinity One does not suffer from any of the processing artefacts which plague the JBL Charge 2. I think that the Infinity One delivers the best performance of all speakers I have tested in this larger speaker-class aroung 1kg, including Bose Soundlink III, Beats Pill XL, TDK A34, Loewe Speaker2go and even the B&O Beoplay A2, which has its own qualities and problems, thus as total package I just regard the Infinity One as the best option right now.<br />A big problem for all non U.S citicens might be that the Infinity One is only offered in the U.S so you will have to import it on your own if you live outside, which is what I finally did. But for casual listening at home I prefer the Denon most of the time, even though it has slightly less bass, it sounds more natural with more stereo separation and is much easier to carry around.<br />Other possible alternatives: <b>Bose Soundlink III </b>sounds quite similar to the Infinity One, but has a more directional and more "edgy" sound while the Infinity One sounds rounder and more open. The Infinity One also has the option to be charged through USB in case of need and it can charge external devices too. Overall I prefer the Infinity One over the Bose Soundlink III, although the Bose has the better tuning for low levels with a more profound sound and obvious intermodulation distortion should be less of an issue. Other alternatives might be the <b>TDK A33 </b>which is pretty cheap now or the newer<b> A34</b> as both<b> </b>are pretty balanced sounding speakers unfortunately with a pretty bad battery and a questionable charging logic. I never manged to make the A33 play for longer than 6 hours even at lower levels, the A34 seems to suffer from the same problem. The <b>Soundblaster Roar</b> is very similar to the TDK A33 in sound but has tons of additional features which you might need or not need. It doesn't play as loud as the TDK, but overall it is the better speaker I think. It doesn't sound as full bodied as the Infinity One or the JBL Charge 2, but the sound is still quite nice, although it won't knock your socks off.<br />You might also like the <b>Denon Envaya</b> which sounds quite similar to the Bose Soundlink III although not quite as loud but also cheaper. The <b>B&O Beoplay A2</b> would have been my personal favorite if battery life was more predictable and the sound more constant on higher levels. I really like the design and sound tuning is simply impressive, but I couldn't live with the added distortion on many tracks especially at the given price being one of the most expensive speakers shown here. I would also like to add the <b>Beats Pill XL</b>, which is not a very good sounding speaker per se, but a very powerful one with great features, wireless stereo pairing etc. It is still one of the loudest I have heard at this size and manages to sound pretty controlled when the others are already struggling or reaching their limits with the Pill XL still being much louder than all of them.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>Bose Soundlink Wireless Music System </b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Xq3CPKlQvsU2HVgSoCIS4KIluYWU1TsVGuTOL5_HGn7xqrYFuPaQhIVcMvqT0DiHgKnlpfRpz6u7DzwicSrdNYAWM7mG0o5bc_Bv9CD_oqQNSmgZyjw0IVFh30LAeuSOVttktXeWAaLI/s1600/bose-soundlink-wireless-music-system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Xq3CPKlQvsU2HVgSoCIS4KIluYWU1TsVGuTOL5_HGn7xqrYFuPaQhIVcMvqT0DiHgKnlpfRpz6u7DzwicSrdNYAWM7mG0o5bc_Bv9CD_oqQNSmgZyjw0IVFh30LAeuSOVttktXeWAaLI/s1600/bose-soundlink-wireless-music-system.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Although I currently don't use it that much, I still think that this old and discontinued Bose system is a spectacular and underrated portable Bluetooth speaker. It is based on the Bose Sounddock portable which was also discontinued in the meantime but with Bluetooth instead of the Apple-dock.<br />Thanks to its flat design it is still pretty portable despite being larger than the Infinity One and with just 2kg including the swappable battery it should find its place inside any even smaller rucksack. The Bose Soundlink Wireless Music System is one of the most powerful systems at this size. The amplifier delivers 40Watts (unlike the 25W of the Infinity One), and thanks to Bose's DSP processing they manage to push the loudness level quite above the limits of what the 2 fullrange drivers are able to handle by applying some stronger dynamics compression and dialing bass back. Although there is some stronger distortion at maximum volume the Soundlink Wireless Music System nevertheless manages to fill a large outdoor area with sound if you don't want to carry any larger boombox with you. It sounds very full bodied with the deepest reaching bass although it has a tendency to sound a bit muffled, especially at lower levels and off-axis.<br />A possible alternative might be the <b>IK Multimedia iLoud</b>, which is able to reach a similar loudness, but not without distortion either. Unfortunately the iLoud won't sound that full-bodied at lower levels and the built in battery seems to have some issues not being able to hold a charge after some time of usage according to my friend who had used his quite often.<br />Another interesting speaker might be the <b>Harman Kardon Onyx</b> or the much cheaper <b>Onyx Studio</b> which omits auxiliary input, Airplay and DLNA compared to the expensive version. They sound slightly better and are more powerful than the Bose, but are a bit lacking at lower volumes. They are also larger and not that easily portable with the battery life hardly exceeding 4-5 hours at high volumes. <br /><br />If you need still more power and more loudness, you must have a look at all the larger systems like the <b>Klipsch KMC-3</b> or some <b>Pioneer Steez</b> units or the<b> JVC Kaboom</b> series etc. But nearly all of them need extra batteries for portable use and will quickly exceed several kilos of weight. Maybe the new <b>Teufel Boomster</b> could do the trick as it has a built in battery which can be even extended by some additional AA-cells. So far I didn't feel the need for such a unit, it is just overkill for home use, I previously had the Altec Lansing IMT800, but didn't use it much because of the size and the hassle with batteries. But my friend loves his KMC-3 and uses it regularly for outdoor parties with friends.<br /><br />What is still completely missing though are speakers that can be easily put inside a pocket, or attached somewhere thanks to a dedicated clip or carabiner without adding any bulk or becoming tedious. Most of these I have tried so far sound rather tinny, not really comparable to those above, although I am sure with some clever DSP processing and really high-quality drivers even smaller speakers than the Denon Envaya Mini could be brought to respectable output. Here are my best findings for this class:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b>TDK A12</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b></b></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyeIbHlZQ9lPKGLLtPKSAbBgxbIoGs-vHG3kpz58PPSUsrbisnpvJWsdgaa2vkz6REDvCWHFgFh5rCXBMAkRPaQc-Y0DbsWHpkWWal7TbqRUMdeR_O9HmZ0tSpoOU6eet_IonkN4LHl_t/s1600/tdk-a12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyeIbHlZQ9lPKGLLtPKSAbBgxbIoGs-vHG3kpz58PPSUsrbisnpvJWsdgaa2vkz6REDvCWHFgFh5rCXBMAkRPaQc-Y0DbsWHpkWWal7TbqRUMdeR_O9HmZ0tSpoOU6eet_IonkN4LHl_t/s1600/tdk-a12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I think the TDK A12 (micro Trek) produces quite a balanced sound for being that small. It is not the loudest speaker at this size, but it just sounds "right". There is some upper bass which makes it sound appealing, but the TDK is not able to produce any deeper bass, thus it is not really full-bodied and quite a bit too thin for my own taste, but still better than not having a speaker at all. If you put it flat on some resonating surface, you can boost basst slightly, but the passive radiator doesn't really play anything below 100Hz, so don't expect any miracles like with many other vibrating speakers or like with the FoxL Dash 7 that are tuned much lower, but won't produce any hearable bass until they suddenly sound much more mature depending on the surface they are placed on, as shown in my <a href="http://youtu.be/etk4Xu_NGck" target="_blank">example video for the FoxL Dash 7</a>. Unfortunately most of the time there are no suitable surfaces around outdoors for enhancing the sound.<br />Therefore the TDK seems to apply some "virtual bass" algorithm. It sounds a bit as if the lower frequencies not reproducable with the tiny driver were subtly added transposed one octave higher (similar to what MaxxBass is doing). The A12 manges to give an even more full-bodied impression than the similar JBL Clip, although bass reaches considerably lower on the JBL Clip, when looking solely at the frequency response measurements. There is also some bass compression going on, maybe a side-effect of the virtual bass algorithm, but when directly compared it is quite noticeable that the TDK does some processing, which is not a bad thing, as any unwanted artefacts are still kept to the minimum.<br />The TDK A12 has no distortion even at maximum volume, but there seems to be some sample variation as I have tested several different units and on many of them the passive radiators started to rattle heavily at higher volume levels with bass heavy tracks, the resonance-frequency seems to be around 125Hz where rattling is strongest. Because of the single passive radiator at the back side the TDK A12 also has a tendency to vibrate or even creep around when put on certain surfaces. If you attach the included carabiner, this may rattle against the body at higher loudness-levels, that's the drawback of single passive radiator designs.<br />Battery life is somewhat short, especially at high volume. A nice feature is that you can pair 2 of them for true wireless stereo, in fact I have 2 of them and both cost me less than 60�. Strangely stereo pairing doesn't work that well sometimes. I am not sure if this is the speaker's fault, or if the Bluetooth connection of the iPhone is too blame here, but sometimes when in wireless stereo mode the audio quality is reduced considerably resulting in a sound which resembles that of a lower bitrate mp3-file. Sometimes only one will play, although both confirmed the connection. I have not found any regularity, but in case they behave unexpectedly, I have to go through the entire pairing process again to get rid of it.<br />Other similar speakers to consider: <b>JBL Clip</b> produces a similar overall sound but can play quite a bit louder. The JBL Clip can be daisy chained with another one with its built-in wire and it has speaker phone included. Due to its rounded design it is easier to put inside a pocket and the carabiner is already built in unlike with the TDK A12, which has the carabiner separate. The battery life of the JBL Clip seems to be even shorter than that of the TDK A12 though, but due to the included bassreflex port instead of the passive radiator the JBL Clip won't vibrate even at highest loudness levels.<br />I would regard the <b>Mini Jambox</b> as another alternative, although nothing special it is still able to deliver quite a solid sound and will also sound rounder and more full-bodied than both the TDK and JBL, although the maximum possible volume is quite limited. I have yet to find any better sounding speaker that small. Most of them might be louder for sure, but they just don't sound good at normal listening levels. Of course I welcome any other tips!<br /><br />3 years ago it was still unheard of a beverage can-sized speaker that it would be able to produce any bass down to 60Hz. After the Soundlink Mini which was pretty unique at the time of its release there are meanwhile some other alternatives available. The portable speaker market is evolving pretty quickly. So please just take this personal list as some temporary snapshot which may suddenly turn around with any new speaker released, just like it did, when I heard the Devnon Envaya Mini.<br /><br />There are some interesting speakers on the horizon like the electrostatic BenQ treVolo (formerly known as eVolo) or the Massfidelity Core, there is also some rumor about an upcoming larger and more powerful speaker from Fugoo, but I am not sure if I will be able to receive any of those units for a review. As soon as I can get my hands onto something interesting I will let you know. </p>

With this list I want to show you my personal favorite portable speakers that I use on a regular basis including some explanation why I ha...

Review: Jawbone Mini Jambox - the better Jambox?

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjestE9uY2p42zoC0QPpnCi2RnI0DLnRajTsCSuw5RrKDrCF3Dc-lOUMmnJr4mujjXn3o7U5C_GVJhhCaNVCFdmcgEFum60gzW4Ys7uUzZGbve3ywvzQJN-mlCz8SSCd8mLEGvnMI3GU6kW/s1600/minijambox-hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjestE9uY2p42zoC0QPpnCi2RnI0DLnRajTsCSuw5RrKDrCF3Dc-lOUMmnJr4mujjXn3o7U5C_GVJhhCaNVCFdmcgEFum60gzW4Ys7uUzZGbve3ywvzQJN-mlCz8SSCd8mLEGvnMI3GU6kW/s1600/minijambox-hand.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />We all know that the Jambox is just a piece of overpriced garbage... well the truth is, the original Jambox was nevertheless something like a game-changer for the whole portable speaker market.<br />Up to then all portable speakers were either small and sounded tinny, or they were too large to really be called "portable".<br /><br /><a name="more"></a>When the Jambox was announced about 3 years ago, there were hardly any comparable speakers available. The Jambox was overpriced for sure and it should have cost half of its original price already from the beginning. Even before the Jambox and something like its inofficial "father" there was already the FoxL from Soundmatters, but it never became as popular as the Jambox, which I never understood. Maybe it was the design of the Jambox, which made it look like anything else than a speaker, but I didn't care much about the strange Steve Behar design and all these regular geometric patterns, I really never liked nor did I understand them. Therefore I understand even less, why so many copycats tried to use similar patterns for their speakers, meanwhile there are so many cheap replica on the market that try to look like a Jambox, which looks just ugly in my opinion. A simple metal grille would look much more elegant in most cases than all those patterns.<br />I compiled a quick collage of some examples that are just brash copies of the original design, some look extremly close!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1bMCDux3qqwrzk_7wUtrOTmAuRWCNBc7XtjDobqCZuUIuYCMT3uV94amk7lHYcCo-3m6aDC0e__bgb-g_b3gWGuG8JY6bLKjTe5aFVyDizU8AMjfZFmD6uKXW68zaX_qfQVGcnXmHC3q/s1600/jambox-ripoffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1bMCDux3qqwrzk_7wUtrOTmAuRWCNBc7XtjDobqCZuUIuYCMT3uV94amk7lHYcCo-3m6aDC0e__bgb-g_b3gWGuG8JY6bLKjTe5aFVyDizU8AMjfZFmD6uKXW68zaX_qfQVGcnXmHC3q/s1600/jambox-ripoffs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Apart from the unique design some of its features were also pretty new by then. The Jambox had the option for firmware updates, something no other speaker offered at that time. Bit by bit Jawbone offered new functions to the Jambox through updates, one of them being "Liveaudio" which was quite of a mixed bag and only worked with particular recordings, another late update finally allowed to turn off all voice prompts or status sounds. Unfortunately many copycats also started to use the same voice prompts in their speakers: "the speaker is now in pairing mode...", you can hear this phrase in every second speaker now. They also copied all the turn-on or turn-off sounds, and it seems they really took the worst they could find and meanwhile nearly all portable Bluetooth play sounds that nobody needs at all, or they talk to you...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/11/dzn_Jambox-by-Yves-Behar-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/11/dzn_Jambox-by-Yves-Behar-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In reality the Jambox didn't sound that good, but it managed to create a more full-bodied sound than the small size would suggest. Thanks to its acoustic design from Soundmatters with their "twoofers" and the back passive radiator being actually the battery, the Jambox was able to produce a fuller sound than most other even larger speakers. But it was far from perfect, it didn't play very loud, all samples I have tried had some resonance-issues with particular frequencies (see my teardown <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2011/10/jawbone-jambox-teardown.html">here</a>, where I tried to fix it, but never really succeeded) and if we compare the Jambox to the Bose Soundlink Mini today, which is only slightly larger, the Jambox sounds like a toy. Bose finally showed last year with the arrival of the Soundlink Mini what kind of sound is achievable from a speaker that small. They had already showed off big sound in small speakers like with their Computer Music Monitors, and my hope was that one day Bose might make a portable version of it. They didn't, but surprisingly designed a completely new speaker: the Soundlink Mini.<br />Since then the Jambox had hard times to survive, the price dropped and now Jawbone finally discontinued it. You won't find the original Jambox on their site anymore. Suddenly all copycats started to copy the Soundlink Mini, but so far I have not heard a single one which would come even close, despite all the criticism about muffled sound or boomy sound, the Soundlink Mini remains a pretty unique sounding speaker that small. The only speaker that might have an edge over the Soundlink Mini, although still not perfect, is the new Sony SRS-X3 that I reviewed <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2014/07/review-sony-srs-x3-bose-soundlink-mini.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />Unfortunately the Sony is even slightly larger than the Soundlink Mini. What is missing though, is a really portable solution, smaller, lighter, but still being able to produce a convincing and full-bodied sound. I tried many ultraportable speakers, like the JBL Micro Wireless, the TDK Trek Micro,... and although they sound quite acceptable for their size, they are still far away from impressive sounding. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5PwbTaygOrUPs4yEWbcbOQhgQ-rDelag8S2Cx2Gl24gTyOi9-TnrXc_BQMhBL9e0lGxZUsGXpJ_O_E705AHJc9kt5rcip0LA_tRWtIKHp05GwO669MkMU0mE9ik3KtS1pOC-tuyWvy0O/s1600/minijambox-jambox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5PwbTaygOrUPs4yEWbcbOQhgQ-rDelag8S2Cx2Gl24gTyOi9-TnrXc_BQMhBL9e0lGxZUsGXpJ_O_E705AHJc9kt5rcip0LA_tRWtIKHp05GwO669MkMU0mE9ik3KtS1pOC-tuyWvy0O/s1600/minijambox-jambox.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In the meantime Jawbone had announced the Mini Jambox, a smaller and lighter version of the Jambox, and they had the chance to really improve things and make the speaker something outstanding. The Mini Jambox didn't seem to be the success Jawbone had expected, so the price fell pretty quickly too, and when the price jumped below 100� I finally grabbed one to try it out and compare to some other speakers I currently had at home.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzi4z_gUx9lTRH4iBx_4LSzf7PVyBjvd4uDCVS62FiG8zG_ptxTrxkbySv194-jsHR35vOHCQuRlhhKm1b8xH70ki6TEu9_N2l0zRQ3OWojcAY4-BmprIQz7a40L5McQ91gLWYz6bpBdE/s1600/minijambox-jambox2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzi4z_gUx9lTRH4iBx_4LSzf7PVyBjvd4uDCVS62FiG8zG_ptxTrxkbySv194-jsHR35vOHCQuRlhhKm1b8xH70ki6TEu9_N2l0zRQ3OWojcAY4-BmprIQz7a40L5McQ91gLWYz6bpBdE/s1600/minijambox-jambox2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Designwise the Mini Jambox is a huge improvement over the old design. Not only the Mini Jambox is roughly half the size of the original Jambox, it is the aluminium body, the clean and polished look, and altough I still don't like most of the offered patterns ("diamond", "graphite", "snowflake", etc), the dottet one looks best and together with the neutral silver color the Mini Jambox manages to look just as classy as the Bose Soundlink Mini. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20c36CWSkvEiSn-_7JsTRZ6_LdBRoQJaWulXcKdEiL9IMEnvdcjEkJwm1xrXLPp4hMIGEF3ABjtSWYJdQk32x9SVVF8B-ooE2GGepnY6AhepbGTe4k65VZtPnn15cj4Dq5nNsXfvp_csB/s1600/minijambox-soundlinkmini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20c36CWSkvEiSn-_7JsTRZ6_LdBRoQJaWulXcKdEiL9IMEnvdcjEkJwm1xrXLPp4hMIGEF3ABjtSWYJdQk32x9SVVF8B-ooE2GGepnY6AhepbGTe4k65VZtPnn15cj4Dq5nNsXfvp_csB/s1600/minijambox-soundlinkmini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />But what can you expect from something that small? The Mini Jambox is full of useful features that I would like to elaborate on a little bit and as my neighbour still owns the old Jambox, I also wanted to see if the shrinking made the sound much worse or maybe even improved some things?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggSWZHKi4J129GxZu_nygNS1szNcUDUURQyqESXVNnyexyi7yqHM-9MY6bGETIx56hCkgZXBOxKCOyutxD12h44LajDB5UTy3wy3k75SCo9RZ8FB80iD09-9xsHDmSWMcbv4KVu-aFekm/s1600/minijambox-foxl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggSWZHKi4J129GxZu_nygNS1szNcUDUURQyqESXVNnyexyi7yqHM-9MY6bGETIx56hCkgZXBOxKCOyutxD12h44LajDB5UTy3wy3k75SCo9RZ8FB80iD09-9xsHDmSWMcbv4KVu-aFekm/s1600/minijambox-foxl2.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_5Ov-PwP7XRAPtX_F4eYZbNTnT6Id2vOCcAj8oTyhJLCACjqs49DgKNZvinyUA3FG154i6kG96YKC9WmoJ68Bme4BszqcW6kLBGK-J80XDBqpvZqgfE7KFAoGkayS19t0eOQKQQm0JcP/s1600/minijambox-foxl3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_5Ov-PwP7XRAPtX_F4eYZbNTnT6Id2vOCcAj8oTyhJLCACjqs49DgKNZvinyUA3FG154i6kG96YKC9WmoJ68Bme4BszqcW6kLBGK-J80XDBqpvZqgfE7KFAoGkayS19t0eOQKQQm0JcP/s1600/minijambox-foxl3.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7G5SfHF2X5Q2QnhBtBqcecEkx6eRPG8XhZoQSGNDPQAaP8XZpPP4dZWrKVRgLlKZ7eWqpeFrFQdUyqP-oIg7TMRCdd4dvDIFWIkQxN7K90c130ObINJrQuCWgn-itsDi1N3vCVzvja5N/s1600/minijambox-foxl1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7G5SfHF2X5Q2QnhBtBqcecEkx6eRPG8XhZoQSGNDPQAaP8XZpPP4dZWrKVRgLlKZ7eWqpeFrFQdUyqP-oIg7TMRCdd4dvDIFWIkQxN7K90c130ObINJrQuCWgn-itsDi1N3vCVzvja5N/s1600/minijambox-foxl1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />What I really love about the Mini Jambox is its size. It is even smaller and lighter than the FoxL which I often carry inside my trousers pocket if I need a portable speaker. Usually I would have loved to take the Soundlink Mini instead, but it is just too large to really be packet away without being noticed. This is where the Jambox fits the bill. It slips into my shirt-pocket and I don't think about it anymore. It weights nearly 100grams less than the old Jambox and slightly more than 1/3 of the Soundlink Mini.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl6s_bUi0chnGxSsab_ABIXSKNjjN06_wNQqdrpQuG5H8cDvcoaMVUArrSqj_1Cv81TeLK8OQbwh0F2RNcPQvLdAw0i6TB3VgkgvgRmJtfpCAILQrgca8lM5Tmgo6u1sTX3aX18KiYlnw/s1600/minijambox-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl6s_bUi0chnGxSsab_ABIXSKNjjN06_wNQqdrpQuG5H8cDvcoaMVUArrSqj_1Cv81TeLK8OQbwh0F2RNcPQvLdAw0i6TB3VgkgvgRmJtfpCAILQrgca8lM5Tmgo6u1sTX3aX18KiYlnw/s1600/minijambox-front.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I especially like some of its features. The Mini Jambox supports multipoint pairing through Bluetooth and it is the first speaker I have tried where this functionality is finally implemented well. The Jambox Mini automatically reconnects to all already known devices unlike many other speakers where you have to force Bluetooth connection every time again. On the Mini Jambox this means that if you are already connected to it streaming some music and your wife comes home her mobile phone will automatically pair to the Mini Jambox as well and you will hear a confirmation beep. Now your wife could start playing some music, then your playback will be automatically stopped! Really cool, no need to reconnect, repair, or stop music. Just press play, and you can switch from one device to the other.<br />The Mini Jambox also supports wireless pairing with another Mini Jambox, Jawbone calls this Multiplay, which is possible in either unisono-mode or real stereo. I haven't tried that yet, but I am sure it should enhance listening experience even further. The pairing process seems pretty straight forward as you can see <a href="https://jawbone.com/kb/articles/multiplay.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />Other new features include track control through the Play/Pause button, which was somehow missing on the old Jambox. With double press you can switch to the next track, three presses will take you a track back and you can of course take calls with the same button, as handsfree is built in as well. This is quite nice, as you can do nearly all directly from the Mini Jambox without having to touch your mobile phone at all as even the volume is now synced between the devices! Really helpful and how it has to be done in a Bluetooth speaker! <br />Thank godness the Mini Jambox also has the "silent mode" which turns off all sounds and voice-prompts. You enable it by keeping the play-button and minus-button pressed simultanously before turning the Mini Jambox on. Strangely the Mini Jambox will still hum with a deep bass note when turned on or off even sounding slightly distorted!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kwHGvS9EN5oletguaHSdSO6JqB3Vpv22nO1m3imnl4iEEm4E0KypvTGiJjwuJGdzDYUjX0mdlQ-L469TETOeHAANlZE3aYTMqbGLaAv44KrSmhy8igdLQzVdVKVre5-kp8aCW2L0NE8R/s1600/mini-jambox-exploded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kwHGvS9EN5oletguaHSdSO6JqB3Vpv22nO1m3imnl4iEEm4E0KypvTGiJjwuJGdzDYUjX0mdlQ-L469TETOeHAANlZE3aYTMqbGLaAv44KrSmhy8igdLQzVdVKVre5-kp8aCW2L0NE8R/s1600/mini-jambox-exploded.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I was very curious to hear how the Mini Jambox sounds, as I have never heard it in person yet. The Mini Jambox seems to use the same new slim drivers of the <a href="http://www.soundmatters.com/product/dash7/" target="_blank">FoxL Dash7</a>, otherwise such a compact body wouldn't be possible. The battery is still acting as passive radiator, but it is forward firing this time, making the back completely closed without any grille but with the same front-pattern. Allthough bass is rather non-directional it is still better to have it emit directly frontally rather than to the back, like it was on the old Jambox otherwise you would always need some back-wall to reinforce it, because when standing completely free it would rather get lost in the distance.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpqz9SDWNBcQX1P4SC6j5cMkR0UMf3ewC4OX_NmazcnSuBBvf8y-IVQDygKcN-lC4ARIUe05oLAyMBed6TcfSFspZJ_yv2Qx6C7srDf8sqsWqn6OYBgrvSQS9y56hHrkmVMiiMjVVnnTk/s1600/minijambox-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpqz9SDWNBcQX1P4SC6j5cMkR0UMf3ewC4OX_NmazcnSuBBvf8y-IVQDygKcN-lC4ARIUe05oLAyMBed6TcfSFspZJ_yv2Qx6C7srDf8sqsWqn6OYBgrvSQS9y56hHrkmVMiiMjVVnnTk/s1600/minijambox-back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />According to Jawbone there is a DSP on board now, that's why the sound is so "incredibly rich" at lower volumes. Well, in reality it is everything else than rich. My impression was that it sounds like an old muffled transistor radio when I played some first tunes. The loud power on tone will sound more powerful than every music you throw at it and the Mini Jambox sounds even more veiled than the Bose Soundlink Mini. Especially at low levels I could hardly hear any of the claimed richness. <br />Before going into detail, I will first post a frequency response measurement which shows how the Mini Jambox compares to the Soundlink Mini. Volume was normalized with pink noise at 65dB for both speakers, which corresponds to pleasant background listening volume. As you can see the frequency response of the Mini Jambox is surprisingly flat (within +/- 3dB) from about 170Hz to 12kHz, but there is hardly any bass below 100Hz with rolloff already starting at 170Hz while treble already starts to fade above 12khz which seems to be the reason for the even duller impression the Mini Jambox gives over the Soundlink Mini. The Mini also has strong treble rolloff above 12kHz but the whole frequency-band above 3kHz is already boosted, so it won't stand out that much. You can also see from this curve how much more bass the Soundlink Mini is able to produce:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IzEEw5XCG6G4KDkINLju0292WIfFPriA4GwzNI92jw-QMKI6BmkX25wdkeivkjsCtLfy9vKp5Y5vkKVvdVE_5dINODoHQjWf8COICGy5tcDcHzHOW6QGxLjrule94xwXIbdlsQPvIrEi/s1600/minijambox-slmini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IzEEw5XCG6G4KDkINLju0292WIfFPriA4GwzNI92jw-QMKI6BmkX25wdkeivkjsCtLfy9vKp5Y5vkKVvdVE_5dINODoHQjWf8COICGy5tcDcHzHOW6QGxLjrule94xwXIbdlsQPvIrEi/s1600/minijambox-slmini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Now comparing the Mini Jambox to the original Jambox, the differences are not huge at the first look. The old Jambox doesn't have this strong treble roll-off, but it has quite a big dip at 12kHz.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin93uhhXGiaIYdYDA-qLaMz6RJAcx0Co1iQqL6ModfUXEA4cLVyL9HsUrM2hhaXWj5-aQnGTXxpxOaIgeBVclc0x3ciLwQW3PY-dcRAwBnwbSsP65inHdpGkA_F_-0VZ5BngP7JwXv5CdL/s1600/minijambox-jambox-75db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin93uhhXGiaIYdYDA-qLaMz6RJAcx0Co1iQqL6ModfUXEA4cLVyL9HsUrM2hhaXWj5-aQnGTXxpxOaIgeBVclc0x3ciLwQW3PY-dcRAwBnwbSsP65inHdpGkA_F_-0VZ5BngP7JwXv5CdL/s1600/minijambox-jambox-75db.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />This could be interpreted as a big advantage for the Mini Jambox being able to produce similar audio despite being nearly half the size, or also a big letdown because the Mini Jambox is not able to offer that much improvement over the old version. In reality it is indeed an improvement. Although both still sound pretty similar, the Mini Jambox sounds less stressed with a more solid sound, while the old Jambox sounds rather compressed and somehow dirty. This is especially noticeable at higher levels on the old Jambox, where you will hear distortion creeping in already far below maximum, while the Mini Jambox will overall sound cleaner. Both have a comparable maximum volume, depending on the music either the Mini Jambox or the old Jambox can be slightly louder. But while the old Jambox compresses dynamics to achieve a higher maximum volume (similar to what Bose does with the Soundlink Mini at levels above 75%), the Mini Jambox remains without that obvious dynamics processing resulting in a more natural sound but with slightly less bass at the same time. With some tracks you might even notice pumping effects with the old Jambox, which means that the whole music suddenly becomes lower when a bass sound is played to become louder again when there is no bass anymore. I haven't noticed anything like that with the Mini Jambox. <br /><br />Things change a bit if you enable "Liveaudio". Liveaudio does not only open the stereo-image quite much, but it has also some influence on the overall frequency response. With Liveaudio the Jambox gains quite a bit of bass and it becomes clearer with higher frequencies at the same time. The difference doesn't look serious from the graph, but including the enhanced stereo-field the sound becomes much more profound and large. I think it is especially the <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/3D3A/BACCH_intro.html" target="_blank">BACCH crosstalk canceling filter</a> (this is what Liveaudio is based on) which adds to the overall effect.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hzKvCGIkDMBs0qzV0vYQOcL0xpDXk_-2_FrSmLK_fzvtNYIjFNmdvEBsO6jYXAtKpy02Zt3rJab2VzKI-p2mLtSYu_LCNTWIzPv7UryYnpypF57M3vViRbtRl9l3d0yzIwF2xik_uqc-/s1600/mini+jambox-+liveaudio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hzKvCGIkDMBs0qzV0vYQOcL0xpDXk_-2_FrSmLK_fzvtNYIjFNmdvEBsO6jYXAtKpy02Zt3rJab2VzKI-p2mLtSYu_LCNTWIzPv7UryYnpypF57M3vViRbtRl9l3d0yzIwF2xik_uqc-/s1600/mini+jambox-+liveaudio.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Mini Jambox seems the first speaker where Liveaudio really is a benefit, assumed the listener and the speaker are located at optimum positions. I have tried Liveaudio on the old Jambox and on the BIG Jambox, but neither of them was sounding that convincing as the Mini Jambox. Maybe the filters were tuned even better now, or the drivers are just better in the new version, because with the old Jambox I got pretty heavy resonance issues when I tried to listen to some music with Liveaudio turned on. <br /><br />Liveaudio usually works best with binaural recordings, it works with normal stereo-recordings too, but you might get overly exaggerated stereo-effects. With binaural recordings the effect will be outstanding and very realistic though. I have listened to some <a href="http://youtu.be/Svlhwu4hjvI" target="_blank">nature recordings</a> and with the Mini Jambox placed directly in front of me I got the impression of being totally surrounded by sound, it is more impressive than a 5.1 surround setup. I didn't experience lots of back-localisation, but the sound comes much farther from beyond the speaker edges, than most other stereo enhancing algorithms I have heard so far. The best distance seems to be around 50cm from your ears. You can also try longer distances up to 1 meter, but 50cm seems to be the sweet spot. For biggest effect just lay down on your couch and place the Mini Jambox on your belly. You will probably have to lay it down flat, otherwise it won't stand upright, except if you have a hard and flat sixpack. Now play some binaural recordings like the youtube video above, or listen to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/up-close/id283982005" target="_blank">Ottmar Liebert's "Up Close"</a> which was recorded with a real dummy head, and enjoy!<br />Thanks to Liveaudio finally binaural recordings can be enjoyed through speakers as well, otherwise binuaral stereo only worked well with headphones.<br />The problems start when the speaker is not placed optimally anymore. Turn the Mini Jambox away slightly so that the drivers are not facing you anymore and you will notice that the mix starts sounding different. Reverb effects become more pronounced, background sounds might become too loud. Keeping Liveaudio on whole the time is not a solution if you just want to place the Mini Jambox somewhere and walk around, as it will really only sound good when placed in front of you at the perfect distance or close to it. <br />Another issue is Liveaudio introduces a slightly lower maximum volume, this is probably due to the crosstalk filtering, which has to compensate for some frequency loss and therefore boosts several frequency bands to avoid sound colorations. It is not that severe as on the old Jambox which became about half as loud with active Liveaudio, but on the Mini Jambox Liveaudio will still give a slightly lower maximum volume than without. When switching between both settings you will also notice how the volume-bar on your player jumps up or down, as Jawbone tries to match both levels not to make this difference that obvious. It is just at maximum volume, where you cannot match them anymore.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3cuDA1xn2zTu_SSPdPSRUAOxbqBMsEYq6CV6UTcUbbsvjoOZuyC60RMy6oCYWJ87xVzuvA61UVZJtKz4hiYskrXtTDYWj3z0SsWwmi05hdP9uel792s0qHNo3BqaQn-R1L-eFIwN-p_L/s1600/minijambox-jambox-max-vol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3cuDA1xn2zTu_SSPdPSRUAOxbqBMsEYq6CV6UTcUbbsvjoOZuyC60RMy6oCYWJ87xVzuvA61UVZJtKz4hiYskrXtTDYWj3z0SsWwmi05hdP9uel792s0qHNo3BqaQn-R1L-eFIwN-p_L/s1600/minijambox-jambox-max-vol.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A bigger issue is that the Mini Jambox cannot reach a very high volume at all. Good thing is, the Mini Jambox doesn't show any distortion issues even at top volume. Some reviewers seem to have noticed mid-frequency distortion, but I found the Mini Jambox to play very clean up to its maximum volume. The old Jambox was much worse in this regard as it showed both distortion and stronger dynamic processing while not being able to play louder at all. But meanwhile most comparable speakers play nearly twice as loud, like the JBL Flip for example. Even smaller mini speakers like the JBL Micro wireless will play louder than the Mini Jambox and just for fun I even tried putting a cheap <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Speaker-Portable-Speaker-Different-Available/dp/B007P9M6AG/ref=pd_sim_pc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=07DBZHV7YB69BXMXZN0V" target="_blank">Music Angel</a> which you can already get below 10$ against the Mini Jambox, and although the Music Angel sounds pretty harsh and by far not that balanced or full bodied, it will play nearly equally loud, which is a bit embarassing if you ask me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eqHozeMURgIKdZLgNYD9KuEfdr8ulQUyi0MFNHKGI8O0JhPEaNhC_QFho7NwwHU8hZoljXv69xBDFyjt_CTCvAgzKHr9EC_5t46Nf8qWnYIY9Qu62_xcMEhW2QiLxL5MYoQ75xarwHKf/s1600/musicangel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eqHozeMURgIKdZLgNYD9KuEfdr8ulQUyi0MFNHKGI8O0JhPEaNhC_QFho7NwwHU8hZoljXv69xBDFyjt_CTCvAgzKHr9EC_5t46Nf8qWnYIY9Qu62_xcMEhW2QiLxL5MYoQ75xarwHKf/s1600/musicangel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH0hda06YZHo0LPywPMsvGhysuokvpiZ34RWyV2z9dWiawwtim8dZKkbNdiaTKs692E-SxNj0JUOq4liInqoLIkLzu1QoLl6zOxvyT0jCeS5LHeGQTvm2IdmovPlSEivQwtO_6pojZU4F/s1600/mini+jambox+-+music+angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH0hda06YZHo0LPywPMsvGhysuokvpiZ34RWyV2z9dWiawwtim8dZKkbNdiaTKs692E-SxNj0JUOq4liInqoLIkLzu1QoLl6zOxvyT0jCeS5LHeGQTvm2IdmovPlSEivQwtO_6pojZU4F/s1600/mini+jambox+-+music+angel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The only speaker which has even more loudness-issues than the Mini Jambox is the Soundmatters FoxL (I still have the 2.2 Version). Although the FoxL can play quite a bit louder it will already distort quite heavily at levels where the Mini Jambox still sounds clean. But this is probably the price you have to pay for a speaker that small, still I would have loved a little bit more power and a little bit more bass-punch especially at low levels. I measured the Mini Jambox at 55, 65, 75dB and at maximum volume and you can notice a stronger bass reduction at maximum volume, but the claimed bassboost at lower levels is hardly noticeable: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyezcDxBcjIS0qlOOzW-L9H344rBrKeBvvW8-w81rM8WfBRJYupJycCx4CySnD7pzf1qrB1rMY1LAoIJ0WHu6Ws5Qu26p3UKe0aGjzgIFJTXR3JJnE-4wfH3csW8bmjb3KorGBunkd5FOw/s1600/mini+jambox+-+volume+range.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyezcDxBcjIS0qlOOzW-L9H344rBrKeBvvW8-w81rM8WfBRJYupJycCx4CySnD7pzf1qrB1rMY1LAoIJ0WHu6Ws5Qu26p3UKe0aGjzgIFJTXR3JJnE-4wfH3csW8bmjb3KorGBunkd5FOw/s1600/mini+jambox+-+volume+range.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>For a better view I normalized the graphs for all volume levels shown above, and you can indeed see slight differences in the amount of bass and treble depending on the volume, but from 65dB down to 55dB there is less than 4dB of bass increase, and while 55dB is already quite a low volume, the frequency response seems most linear at this level only to further reduce bass and treble at higher volume settings. In my opinion it should be the other way round, more bass-boost at lower levels, and a rather linear response at 75-85dB.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9R-NeYLwfROsungAJ0dYnz1xxVc3zZLPfOIN4k4SZOSSXnCSjE-hq8gwULgX78J9YRyOKXfy4wUgfkNMkBFdmuZxTFPlOKeqX5KnCGUJ6t4S9nW-bcFxMvnjrwMdjpQhfijjT5ng3NYD/s1600/mini+jambox+-+volume+range-normalized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9R-NeYLwfROsungAJ0dYnz1xxVc3zZLPfOIN4k4SZOSSXnCSjE-hq8gwULgX78J9YRyOKXfy4wUgfkNMkBFdmuZxTFPlOKeqX5KnCGUJ6t4S9nW-bcFxMvnjrwMdjpQhfijjT5ng3NYD/s1600/mini+jambox+-+volume+range-normalized.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoU0nowkA7JURyWsIg7Hvyue6M0uZ30e1nrDKQWPJf4n5eM2Br5wTpXH4gS81sa35V3Lxyz_Id9h_Xo_pcWYFFm-7wEwCiosMCoBays81ubaIwXLqZEd1aa1vKNx60rtHFNaLYjaHmUiK/s1600/mini+jambox+-+volume+range-normalized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>As the sound of the Jambox is quite thin on its own (missing any deeper bass frequencies) it will give an even thinner impression at low levels, due to the human ear becoming less sensitive for lower frequencies at low amplitudes. There should be much more of a bass enhancement at lower levels than now. You rather get a bass-reducer at high levels, than a bass-booster at low levels.<br />It is only when directly compared to the old Jambox or the FoxL, that the Mini Jambox sounds slightly more full-bodied at lower levels (the example below was measured at 55dB). Here you can really notice an advantage for the Mini Jambox and that the dynamic processing although subtle does its job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMZu237NgNJaqfeMb6QyXVxpc5hl2ysJUVJudt1Ex79ik_L8wPrVnl2kUrhxOkxGQwZnRj8bhki97NH7ixo0r4SRnzrrUIE5A2PfybW2phofYprlDGbyWsAJtJt3vQJZKF7GNwbF1vbtb/s1600/minijambox-jambox-foxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMZu237NgNJaqfeMb6QyXVxpc5hl2ysJUVJudt1Ex79ik_L8wPrVnl2kUrhxOkxGQwZnRj8bhki97NH7ixo0r4SRnzrrUIE5A2PfybW2phofYprlDGbyWsAJtJt3vQJZKF7GNwbF1vbtb/s1600/minijambox-jambox-foxl.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />For my taste it is just not enough, I don't expect the boomy kind of bass Bose usually does, but a bit more punch would be welcome, therefore I tried playing around with various equalizing apps for iOS and found that the Mini Jambox responds pretty well to stronger frequency boosts without producing any kinds of artefacts or distortion, this is probably also the reason why Liveaudio works so much better with the Mini Jambox, as the sound remains stable even with stronger equalizing. For my taste Bongiovi DPS gave the best result because usually with most apps you have to lower the gain if you boost some frequencies too much. Bongiovi DPS on the other hand seems to really boost the overall sound and manage to keep the same volume at the same time unlike the preset EQs from Apple like "bassbosster" that rather takes away high frequencies instead of boosting lower ones. With the Bongiovi DPS app the Mini Jambox sounded best when enabling the "Annapolis" profile and adjusting the EQ for additional bass and treble boost like this:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9cGLhO3IEuXeXWdJqneY_-UPsevx_Yl3Y4pzTvt_5NDDuzhKIUKl_EMzH01-LzHr2p7YPV38EeDCsYNfFbOpylTSnARMV-vmh5L767xYrSV4eWoWrznPkpxXrOwjA1qVwfJzFnmztrPk/s1600/DPSprofile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9cGLhO3IEuXeXWdJqneY_-UPsevx_Yl3Y4pzTvt_5NDDuzhKIUKl_EMzH01-LzHr2p7YPV38EeDCsYNfFbOpylTSnARMV-vmh5L767xYrSV4eWoWrznPkpxXrOwjA1qVwfJzFnmztrPk/s1600/DPSprofile.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIbei1ySPMFDr2WFmpZcj8GI9FgCePFzwXmVWOr7fKCqj0O1dKwib4kMKJ5dVq1FxkizVHsOs4wcA0QzkBhFkyxkSCXtMli1901DrFgvEvCO932KfbHAcJevAT1t0lrVD0Pz0AlEWU08k/s1600/DPStreble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIbei1ySPMFDr2WFmpZcj8GI9FgCePFzwXmVWOr7fKCqj0O1dKwib4kMKJ5dVq1FxkizVHsOs4wcA0QzkBhFkyxkSCXtMli1901DrFgvEvCO932KfbHAcJevAT1t0lrVD0Pz0AlEWU08k/s1600/DPStreble.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQxSgqxfOj0ARhOgmULzjsvw1t17pFz7FNFsQ5FhtmMeND1YYFOt28Q6-HixusLYgkyuNHym48T7FKEs6kn4-fWhb8Uqdu98TDqohKm_mhFDblmtB_Ws8zJL_8YOOk0dkLVPrOh_NIFCR/s1600/DPSbass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQxSgqxfOj0ARhOgmULzjsvw1t17pFz7FNFsQ5FhtmMeND1YYFOt28Q6-HixusLYgkyuNHym48T7FKEs6kn4-fWhb8Uqdu98TDqohKm_mhFDblmtB_Ws8zJL_8YOOk0dkLVPrOh_NIFCR/s1600/DPSbass.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />With this setup the Mini Jambox will sound fuller and larger and it will even play slightly louder than without any processing. Of course processed like this there might be some slight distortion introduced on very bassheavy tracks when played at higher levels, but overall distortion is still pretty well under control, what surprised me most. Such a strong bass-boost would not be possible with the old Jambox, because the whole body would buzz and rattle. However Bongiovi is better suitable for lower levels, as a kind of poor man's loudness function, which unfortunately is not dynamic. Of course one can go even further and try using Bongiovi together with Liveaudio for maximum effect, this will result in a really BIG sound and interestingly obvious processing artefacts or stronger distortion are still missing, at least if you don't exaggerate setting the volume too high.<br />I tried to prepare a video where I switch between normal audio, "Liveaudio" and the Bongiovi processing. I think Bongiovi DPS manages the most convincing audio boost, although it won't give you that strong stereofield from "Liveaudio". Both Bongiovi DPS together with Liveaudio sound most impressive although it might already appear a bit exaggerated, have a listen:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8BDow7_TdFE" width="853"></iframe></div><br />I also experimented with flat positioning which can boost bass even further on particular surfaces. It is a pity that Jawbone didn't think about this feature and made the back-side completely rubbered, because due to the single passive radiator the Jambox can vibrate slightly. When laying flat it tends to rattle against the base at higher levels, some cloth or fabric below will help to avoid any rattling.<br />The vibration is not as strong as with the old Jambox btw. and I didn't notice any problems with stonger creeping or dancing around, the Mini Jambox usually keeps its position, but the bottom surface only has 2 little rubber feet, which are not enough to securely keep the Jambox stable on uneven surfaces. I tried positioning it on concrete several times and I could feel how the aluminium was touching the base, instead of the rubber feet. The whole bottom should have been one big rubber foot, because as it is now any less smooth surface might scratch the body from below, especially at higher levels, where the Mini Jambox starts to rattle against the base.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AR52Qw_ePcDtYdCiJSe-3LTxeSuzWkMosecHU3HAbk5PJnv5Do2w5eUiszVTmNexkZsMCrB8oQJ0VyJcJB4qXk-rI61c7hGsonOclAVwOg6eP77u4qU-6nKyIK4wm8w9V80rF5Zr6eQC/s1600/minijambox-bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AR52Qw_ePcDtYdCiJSe-3LTxeSuzWkMosecHU3HAbk5PJnv5Do2w5eUiszVTmNexkZsMCrB8oQJ0VyJcJB4qXk-rI61c7hGsonOclAVwOg6eP77u4qU-6nKyIK4wm8w9V80rF5Zr6eQC/s1600/minijambox-bottom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I think as personal speaker and not so much as party speaker the Mini Jambox can mostly convince. It won't give you the heavy sound of Bose, but with enabled Liveaudio and the right recordings it can sound very appealing. I would have only preferred some stronger sound adjustment at lower levels. But even now the Mini Jambox sounds better than most models from the competition that are by far not as portable and compact. I found the Mini Jambox to sound more natural than the JBL Flip which has an extremly boosted treble, while having even worse bass extension despite being larger, on the other hand the JBL Flip doesn't suffer that much from treble loss when heard from an angle, while the Mini Jambox will sound rather dull, you cannot have it all!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhHZ_rpswPm8amQl06dkx93HDXVMfsDCAEFx0BoVGMnCIoY-bJiGyoMJ9dIcm-UEXnR5ZYfjD_V_unOyGNmnHfm2EaLHzNoAROzmldarU7NJonZivIMwOW8NTm1j9PdkTj2L6adH4uy89/s1600/flip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhHZ_rpswPm8amQl06dkx93HDXVMfsDCAEFx0BoVGMnCIoY-bJiGyoMJ9dIcm-UEXnR5ZYfjD_V_unOyGNmnHfm2EaLHzNoAROzmldarU7NJonZivIMwOW8NTm1j9PdkTj2L6adH4uy89/s1600/flip.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJYMrfmwllcMB_-lhLum9aIc87mksu1OU-ToGwfVPw7EcBDmW5RzOO8d5rFJqDw-mk8NM3n4vHWrjJuxiFG1jnEq1dM2vvk3GT30sb8Y7ya7SI_Kvn3QtEBWBPZ5tjHR6BTt3v_ZA9kZL/s1600/minijambox-flip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJYMrfmwllcMB_-lhLum9aIc87mksu1OU-ToGwfVPw7EcBDmW5RzOO8d5rFJqDw-mk8NM3n4vHWrjJuxiFG1jnEq1dM2vvk3GT30sb8Y7ya7SI_Kvn3QtEBWBPZ5tjHR6BTt3v_ZA9kZL/s1600/minijambox-flip.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  <br />I also found the Mini Jambox to outplay the Sony X2, especially with enabled Liveaudio the sound coming out of the Mini Jambox was heavier and more impressive.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgt1BKhCb0vTz-CPOpJshKYxSL2ehv7Q7oRu0ha2nf4m-kT1oAHp3BzY-i7uNBjrCUNLE-567rDyFCp6Tvlpdb32uXiAhQdHSv2DTvY8tRKgjPVT43_DA-vZ47dojtdXRfw1nO9GISySP/s1600/x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgt1BKhCb0vTz-CPOpJshKYxSL2ehv7Q7oRu0ha2nf4m-kT1oAHp3BzY-i7uNBjrCUNLE-567rDyFCp6Tvlpdb32uXiAhQdHSv2DTvY8tRKgjPVT43_DA-vZ47dojtdXRfw1nO9GISySP/s1600/x2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsUhgRAnJ3mkS7PtbczEj1h4uXHKpKN4Y0BK-Tj4jdWwEBmHx2HcZ37UViKhAFtilnhlDCQMGIyJxRu4JV8C_csN4WwRAfZB2XElDdYMVEv5TtFJTR1Pr3k0IwISjWIDi3nm7-OTQ9nH3/s1600/mini+jambox+-+x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsUhgRAnJ3mkS7PtbczEj1h4uXHKpKN4Y0BK-Tj4jdWwEBmHx2HcZ37UViKhAFtilnhlDCQMGIyJxRu4JV8C_csN4WwRAfZB2XElDdYMVEv5TtFJTR1Pr3k0IwISjWIDi3nm7-OTQ9nH3/s1600/mini+jambox+-+x2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I prepared a video with a direct comparison to the original Jambox. I think you can hear that the Mini Jambox sounds somewhat less stressed, especially at maximum volume the original Jambox shows obvious distortion, while the Mini Jambox stays pretty clean even with active Liveaudio, which becomes pretty distorted on the original Jambox.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WamL-yVE5XY" width="853"></iframe></div><br />Here is another video comparing the Mini Jambox against the Bose Soundlink Mini which might appear a bit unfair due to the size difference. But originally the price difference between both was not that high, therefore someone how doesn't care much about size, will probably decide on sound quality alone:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JTgQadxM_LY?rel=0" width="853"></iframe> </div><br />The only thing you might be missing from the Mini Jambox is high volume. So if you need high volume by all means, look somewhere else!<br />I would have never paid the original asked price, but below 100$ the Mini Jambox might be quite a good choice for an ultraportable speaker. Although meanwhile there are lots of different options from other companies, none of them is really that small, and none of them sounds really that much better (except louder of course)! In any case the Mini Jambox is a big improvement over the old Jambox, which now gives an even more toyish impression. I am also finally going to sell my FoxL now, as it will be replaced with the Mini Jambox. The FoxL has still a surprisingly more refined sound although I was finally hoping for something that would outperform the FoxL. Nevertheless the Mini Jambox is the much better speaker with considerably better features, longer Bluetooth reach, better shielding against mobile radio and just better design, not to forget Liveaudio which really sounds great with the Mini Jambox now. <br /><br />Now I still hope for some similar sized model, which might add a bit more loudness and even better bass extension with all the nice features the Mini Jambox already offers now. <br />By the way what about a "Soundlink Micro", Bose are you listening?<br />Maybe such a small speaker from Bose will finally sound more balanced, as they probably won't be able to push bass as much! <img alt="B�se grinsender Smilie mit gekreuzten Knochen" border="0" src="http://www.hifi-forum.de/images/smilies/angry.gif" /><br /><b><br /></b> <b>+ great design and high quality aluminium finish</b><br /><b>+ smaller and more portable than similar models</b><br /><b>+ balanced sound without obvious frequency-humps</b><br /><b>+ Liveaudio adds fullness to the sound and incredible 3D-effect to binaural recordings</b> <br /><b>+ multipoint Bluetooth connections with automatic repairing</b><br /><b>+ pairing of 2 speakers for unisono mode or wireless stereo</b><br /><b>+ synced volume between streaming device and speaker</b><br /><b>+ track control through the speaker</b><br /><b>+ no distortion up to maximum volume</b><br /><b>+ all unnecessary voice prompts or sounds can be turned off completely</b><br /><b>+ long battery life </b><br /><b>+ allows firmwareupdates  </b><br /><b></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>- muffled treble (no upper treble above 12kHz)  </b><br /><b>- too light on bass (hardly any response below 100Hz) </b><br /><b>- maximum volume lower than the competition</b><br /><b>- hardly noticeable dynamic equalization, thefore thin sounding at lower levels</b><br /><b>- Liveaudio might sound overdone with many standard stereo recordings </b> <br /><b>- can rattle on particular surfaces</b><br /><b>- very small rubber feet, so bottom can scratch easily</b><br /><b>- original price too expensive for given performance</b></p>

  We all know that the Jambox is just a piece of overpriced garbage... well the truth is, the original Jambox was nevertheless something lik...

Portable Lautsprecher von der IFA

<p>Jawbone hat die <a href="https://jawbone.com/speakers/minijambox" target="_blank">Mini Jambox</a> vorgestellt, die in etwa halb so gross bzw "dick" ist wie die normale Jambox. Keine Ahnung wer die Zielgruppe sein soll, au�er vielleicht wie im <a href="http://youtu.be/t9tXNtLhlF4" target="_blank">Video</a> zu sehen: hippe schlanke M�dels auf einer Yacht, oder durchtranierte Rastatypen, die am Hafen auf erstere warten.<br />War bereits die normale Jambox ein �berteuertes billig wirkendes Spielzeug, was vor allem mit dem Erscheinen des Bose Soundlink Mini nochmals verst�rkt wurde, wird die Mini Jambox kaum besser klingen als die gr��ere Version, das jedoch zu einem stolzen Preis von 179,-$<br />Ich vermute im Inneren die selben neuen Schallwandler von Soundmatters, die auch im schlanken FoxL Dash7 zum Einsatz kommen.<br />In vielen bunten Farben und Mustern erh�ltlich, soll die Mini Jambox in den n�chsten Wochen zu kaufen sein. Ich bin echt gespannt, wie die ankommen wird, wo es bereits um einen Bruchteil �hnliche vermutlich sogar besser klingende Lautsprecher von <a href="http://www.theoontz.com/oontz.php" target="_blank">Cambridge Audio</a> zu kaufen gibt.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsLHjTrPoCy9sz3s8vatC7LEzVVR_5SO6IdOhyOZHWd92e9wgGDAPAaB3KBW7zW2DPeLHXT5mtUWQ86xFAfoudtsKfTXENjka4FirYEGvGCYEMNux-CiSZtHyQO2nXGXKm8YPRigdfyS-/s1600/jawboneminijambox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsLHjTrPoCy9sz3s8vatC7LEzVVR_5SO6IdOhyOZHWd92e9wgGDAPAaB3KBW7zW2DPeLHXT5mtUWQ86xFAfoudtsKfTXENjka4FirYEGvGCYEMNux-CiSZtHyQO2nXGXKm8YPRigdfyS-/s640/jawboneminijambox.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Auch Jabra hat nun eine Mini-Version des <a href="http://www.jabra.com/products/speakers/jabra_solemate_mini/jabra_solemate_mini" target="_blank">Solemate</a> vorgestellt. Hat mich schon der gro�e nicht wirklich begeistert, wird der kleine, der diesmal wohl eher der Gr��e der normalen Jambox entsprechen wird, wohl �hnlich schlecht oder noch schlechter klingen:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW17XTVO6xCgRYLqQXxUW0IjfsZlUXEm3EkQMNdA7ct6wfVbk3c9e_5eOLqaRx3kdZqDf1DnjZk6gWeWDZdLLiI0gvEthcVl-aQAMOIaHfE4PdZYEUjIAGBb9EfZgIydlsa5xG9dout1o-/s1600/solemate-mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW17XTVO6xCgRYLqQXxUW0IjfsZlUXEm3EkQMNdA7ct6wfVbk3c9e_5eOLqaRx3kdZqDf1DnjZk6gWeWDZdLLiI0gvEthcVl-aQAMOIaHfE4PdZYEUjIAGBb9EfZgIydlsa5xG9dout1o-/s1600/solemate-mini.jpg" /></a></div>Interessanter sind da schon die Neuvorstellungen von JBL bzw. Harman Kardon, wobei ich hier den Onyx am aufregendsten finde, der sogar ein klein wenig vom Designerbe des go&play fortsetzt:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4S8BF6GK4MUGPtuOsalBaQAh2FwT-AYzxuYVzXxfvXsJ65DQ5Afmy_5cmhwQ0Hodw_vuaok7SjH4k6K9WJRt-iMiU3V4WM0RlD3ijbPieU7A5NxksjJFiqpr9ue_Btses4ydyes1tVz7/s1600/Onyx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4S8BF6GK4MUGPtuOsalBaQAh2FwT-AYzxuYVzXxfvXsJ65DQ5Afmy_5cmhwQ0Hodw_vuaok7SjH4k6K9WJRt-iMiU3V4WM0RlD3ijbPieU7A5NxksjJFiqpr9ue_Btses4ydyes1tVz7/s1600/Onyx.jpg" /></a></div><br />Der Onyx soll sich mit allen derzeit aktuellen wireless-Protokollen verstehen, darunter Bluetooth mit Apt-X Unterst�tzung, NFC, aber auch Upnp oder Airplay. Der eingebaute Akku soll 6-8 Stunden Musik erlauben (hier driften die Angaben etwas auseinander).<br />Mit 2 Tieft�nern, 2 Hocht�nern, sowie 2 Passivradiatoren aus Aluminium ausgestattet, die von einem 60 Watt Verst�rker angetrieben werden, k�nnte das futuristisch wirkende Ufo durchaus ernsthaften Klang liefern. Leider �hnlich ernsthaft der angek�ndigte Preis von 499,-$<br /><br />Trotzdem k�nnte der Onyx eine richtige Alternative zu klobigen Boomboxen sein, wenn er ansatzweise die Klangf�lle vom go&play erreicht, denn der Onyx wirkt durchaus kompakt. Sch�n w�re es gewesen, wenn man den Edelstahlgriff zus�tzlich plan mit dem Geh�use eindrehen k�nnte, um f�r den Transport etwas Platz zu sparen.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/06/harmon-at-ifa-14_610x407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/06/harmon-at-ifa-14_610x407.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Cnet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ocdn.eu/images/pulscms/ZGU7MDQsMiwwLDJiNywxODc7MDYsMzIwLDFjMg__/4583b21e673b7b68c0a219cf9e46fd45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://ocdn.eu/images/pulscms/ZGU7MDQsMiwwLDJiNywxODc7MDYsMzIwLDFjMg__/4583b21e673b7b68c0a219cf9e46fd45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /></p>

Jawbone hat die Mini Jambox vorgestellt, die in etwa halb so gross bzw "dick" ist wie die normale Jambox. Keine Ahnung wer die Zi...

H�rtest: BIG Jambox vs. Bose Soundlink

<p>Ich hatte heute die Gelegenheit die neue BIG Jambox mit meinem Bose Soundlink direkt zu vergleichen. Die BIG Jambox habe ich bei keinem H�ndler ausgestellt gefunden. Direkt von Amazon wird sie auch noch nicht angeboten, weshalb ich sie bei einem lokalen H�ndler in Wien extra bestellen musste, mit der Option sie vor dem Kauf anh�ren zu d�rfen. Ich habe auch gefragt, ob ich meinen eigenen Soundlink zum Vergleich mitnehmen d�rfte und habe davor extra noch eine spezial Playlist erstellt,  um einige besondere Titel auf beiden Lautsprechern durchh�ren zu k�nnen.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BQsSsLTASO3KDrdI77LJaYwQXNQCwwZPTvcob7_fuewocgX9ZFEkHRfAc8ytm6FnFj9iQDoFHinvtS5dXSg4HglM639PHRl8rPy4yTBPwgwKVes7e8b8UR5504rGHWD67J3ljbs47frd/s1600/BJ-Soundlink1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BQsSsLTASO3KDrdI77LJaYwQXNQCwwZPTvcob7_fuewocgX9ZFEkHRfAc8ytm6FnFj9iQDoFHinvtS5dXSg4HglM639PHRl8rPy4yTBPwgwKVes7e8b8UR5504rGHWD67J3ljbs47frd/s640/BJ-Soundlink1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ausgepackt wirkt die BIG Jambox in der Tat relativ gro�. Ich habe von den Fotos allein nie wirklich absch�tzen k�nnen, wie gro� sie in Wahrheit ist, aber nach den Ma�en gerechnet, sind es beinahe schon 2 Liter, also 2 gro�e Tetrapaks! Wo ich den Soundlink unterwegs aufgrund seiner Ma�e einfach wie ein Buch unter den Arm klemmen kann, ist der Transport der Jambox nicht ganz so komfortabel, sie wirkt jedoch aufgrund der Gr��e auch leichter als der Soundlink, obwohl beide in etwa gleich schwer sind.<br /><br />Nach der erfolgreichen Paarung beider Lautsprecher mit meinem Iphone habe ich einige Titel angespielt.<br />Schon beim ersten H�rtest f�llt positiv auf, dass die Jambox auf jeden Fall ein angenehmes und volles Klangvolumen schafft, durchaus vergleichbar mit dem Soundlink, was bei dieser Geh�usegr��e auch nicht verwundert. Nach dem Umschalten zum Soundlink merkt man dann aber doch, dass dieser noch eine Spur feiner und differenzierter klingt. Nicht nur der Bass ist ausgepr�gter, sondern auch die H�hen scheinen besser definiert, trotz aller Kritik wegen zu dumpfen Klanges usw.<br />Die BIG Jambox hat genau die gleichen Probleme bei der H�henwiedergabe wie der Soundlink. Aufgrund der fehlenden Hocht�ner ist die H�henwiedergabe ziemlich gerichtet und h�rt man nicht auf Ohrenh�he sondern von schr�g oben/unten, klingen die H�hen eher dumpf und metallisch. Beim Soundlink wird der Klang dann einfach dumpf, bei der BIG Jambox �ndert sich der Gesamtcharakter. Die BIG Jambox betont die Mitten auch etwas mehr, weshalb der Klang insgesamt auch einen etwas topfigeren Charakter bekommt, der Bass obwohl druckvoll, hat nicht den warmen Grundton des Soundlink, der in der gro�en Gesch�ftshalle beinahe schon unterging.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGwWIKwUNvu1ewQ6YYg9Vvxl7nnFpqPBzQV5r4PG3gYwwKwj1DwMIthyphenhyphenV_kOBeGyEg-0wnyI_-0nR-hvpFGCtAjyM9P7AoFZy-M4AMBYQHsfwi28fXGsFi1pYxRNCT8DD6MK6yn-Ppros/s1600/BJ-Soundlink2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGwWIKwUNvu1ewQ6YYg9Vvxl7nnFpqPBzQV5r4PG3gYwwKwj1DwMIthyphenhyphenV_kOBeGyEg-0wnyI_-0nR-hvpFGCtAjyM9P7AoFZy-M4AMBYQHsfwi28fXGsFi1pYxRNCT8DD6MK6yn-Ppros/s640/BJ-Soundlink2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Ich muss dazusagen, dass ich die Vergleiche eher bei mittleren bis h�heren Lautst�rken gemacht habe, um in der Halle eine entsprechend befriedigende Klangkulisse er erhalten. Es kann durchaus sein, dass die Jambox bei leisen Lautst�rken einen angenehmeren und weniger wummigen Klang als der Soundlink produziert. Die BIG Jambox schafft sogar eine h�here Maximallautst�rke als der Soundlink, verzerrt dann aber doch erheblich. Der Klang wird unsauber und f�ngt an zu kratzen. Der Soundlink verzerrt selbst bei maximaler Lautst�rke nicht. Vorteil bei der BIG Jambox sehe ich nur bei leiser aufgenommenen St�cken, die man dann entsprechend lauter stellen kann als beim Soundlink.<br /><br />Klanglich sehe ich pers�nlich keinerlei Vorteile f�r die BIG Jambox im Vergleich zum Soundlink. Das Klangvolumen und auch die verzerrungsfreie Lautst�rke ist auf �hnlichem Niveau wie beim Soundlink, wobei der Soundlink klanglich einfach einen differenzierteren und teureren Eindruck hinterl�sst. Auch der Verk�ufer, der w�hrend meines Tests dauernd anwesend war, hat dem Soundlink den besseren Klang attestiert. Aufgrund des eher unvorteilhaften Formfaktors, sehe ich die BIG Jambox auch nicht als beste L�sung f�r echt mobile Nutzung. Mein Wunsch w�re lieber kleiner als gr��er.<br /><br />Die BIG Jambox beh�lt dennoch einen gewissen willhaben-Faktor, aufgrund des peppigen und schlichten Designs. Die Akkulaufzeit sollte vergleichbar sein. Trotz angegebener 15 Stunden, berichten viele BIG Jambox Nutzer von eher 10  Stunden, die ich mit dem Soundlink selbst bei hohen Lautst�rken auch locker erreiche. Auf die Mehrfunktionen wie Freisprecheinrichtung kann ich pers�nlich gut verzichten, nett hingegen finde ich die eigenen Tasten f�r Titelwechsel.<br /><br />Sch�n finde ich auch, dass man die BIG Jambox einfach hinstellen oder schnell wo anders umstellen kann. Beim Soundlink ist dabei meistens das h�ngende Cover im Weg, das beim Hinstellen jedes mal wieder umgeklappt oder justiert geh�rt.<br />W�re die BIG Jambox g�nstiger, oder kleiner, w�re sie eine echte Kampfansage an den Bose Soundlink, so aber punktet sie h�chstens aufgrund des Designs, denn sogar der 1/3 g�nstigere <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.co.at/2012/06/review-philips-ad7000w-airplay-fur-arme.html">AD7000W von Philips </a>klingt besser als die BIG Jambox, wobei dieser nat�rlich nicht f�r mobilen Betrieb gedacht ist. Bei Akkubetrieb klingt die BIG Jambox nat�rlich voller als eine Logitech Z715 Wireless Boombox, f�r reinen Strombetrieb wiederum w�rde ich den Logitech nehmen, der weniger als die H�lfte kostet. Logitech hat es leider vermasselt, einen echten Kn�ller abzuliefern und hat dem Z715 einen zu schwachen Akku spendiert.</p>

Ich hatte heute die Gelegenheit die neue BIG Jambox mit meinem Bose Soundlink direkt zu vergleichen. Die BIG Jambox habe ich bei keinem H�nd...

Bose, Jawbone, Monster, Soundfreaq, Supertooth,... m�ge der "Beste" gewinnen!

<p>Neben der neuen <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.com/2012/05/gedanken-zur-big-jambox.html" target="_blank">Big Jambox</a>, dem <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.com/2012/04/neues-von-soundfreaq-soundkick-der.html" target="_blank">Soundkick</a>, dem bereits zum alten Eisen z�hlenden <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-bose-soundlink-wireless-mobile.html" target="_blank">Bose Soundlink</a>, kommen t�glich neue Vertreter der Gattung "ultraportable Lautsprecher" dazu. Der Markt scheint im Moment besonders heiss umk�mpft zu sein. Die meisten Ger�te bieten beinahe die selben Fetures wie "Bluetoothstreaming" und "Akkubetrieb" an und Unterscheiden sich eher in Details und Design,... und nat�rlich auch Klang. Jeder will sein eigenes Ger�t an den Mann bringen, vermutlich durch den �berraschenden Erfolg der originalen <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-jawbone-jambox-derdie-kleine.html" target="_blank">Jambox </a>angespornt.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.supertooth.net/EN/DISCO2/GALLERY/face1-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://www.supertooth.net/EN/DISCO2/GALLERY/face1-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Schon im J�nner angek�ndigt, hat Supertooth nun ausgiebig den neuen <a href="http://www.supertooth.net/EN/DISCO2/#page=page-1" target="_blank">Disco2</a> vorgestellt. Das Design ist sicher <a href="http://faos.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-6618614dt.jpg" target="_blank">nicht jedermanns Sache</a>, aber der Lautsprecher ist deutlich kleiner und leichter als der Soundlink oder die Big Jambox, hat laut Angaben dennoch 16 Watt Ausgangsleistung zu bieten, die auf 2 Hoch/Mittelt�ner und einen Woofer verteilt werden. Zudem wird der Klang 360� abgestrahlt, was frei aufgestellt im Gegensatz zum Soundlink einen deutlich frischeren Klang erlauben d�rfte, da dieser wirklich nur gut klingt, wenn man genau davor sitzt. Das besondere Feature ist jedoch, dass sich 2 Disco2 kabellos zu einem Stereosystem verlinken lassen sollen. Eine Funktion die ich mir schon lange von Jambox usw gew�nscht habe.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.technologytell.com/gadgets/files/2012/01/Monster-ClarityHD-Micro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="http://www.technologytell.com/gadgets/files/2012/01/Monster-ClarityHD-Micro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Nun hat auch Monster den ClarityHD Micro angek�ndigt (nicht zu verwechseln mit dem <a href="http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=5917" target="_blank">ClarityHD "Precision" Micro</a> hehehe...ganz einfallsreich ist Monster mit den Produktbezeichnungen offenbar nicht). <br />Der neue ClarityHD Micro ist deutlich gr��er als der alte, jedoch trotzdem kleiner als Soundlink usw.<br />Neben der bereits bekannten und mittlerweile fast schon langweiligen Lautsprecherkonfiguration mit 2 Stereotreibern und einem Passivradiator hinten, funktioniert das Ger�t auch als Freisprecheinrichtung und verwendet f�rs Bluetoothstreaming den qualitativ besseren AptX Codec. Dar�ber hinaus sollen sich auch 2 Ger�te zu einem Stereosystem verbinden lassen k�nnen, ob per Kabel oder kabellos ist leider nicht bekannt. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/audio/portable-audio/hands-on-monster-clarityhd-micro-1079619" target="_blank">Techradar</a> und <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-57430537-10356022/monster-clarityhd-micro-hands-on/" target="_blank">Cnet</a> konnten den ClarityHD Micro bereits ausgiebig begrapschen, und Techradar demonstriert sogar die M�glichtkeit der auswechselbaren Lautsprechergitter, die in unterschiedlichen Designs verf�gbar sein werden:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.com//art/events/CTIA_2012/Monster%20ClarityHD%20Micro/IMGP0161-900-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.com//art/events/CTIA_2012/Monster%20ClarityHD%20Micro/IMGP0161-900-90.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Jetzt heisst es zur�cklehnen und warten bis alle Ger�te endlich am Markt sind, dann in Ruhe testen und f�r sich entscheiden!<br /><span id="goog_71468654"></span><span id="goog_71468655"></span></p>

Neben der neuen Big Jambox , dem Soundkick , dem bereits zum alten Eisen z�hlenden Bose Soundlink , kommen t�glich neue Vertreter der Gattun...

Gedanken zur "Big" Jambox

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.technikblog.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Big-Jambox-Inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.technikblog.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Big-Jambox-Inside.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />Nach den <a href="http://oluvsgadgets.blogspot.com/2012/02/kleiner-subwoofer-groe-jambox.html">ersten Gr�chten</a> �ber eine neue "Big Jambox" anfang dieses Jahres, wurde die gro�e Jambox letzte Woche endlich offiziell vorgestellt.<br />Es sind bereits mehrere Testberichte verf�gbar, darunter <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/jawbone-big-jambox-review/" target="_blank">Engadget</a>, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/1/2986217/Jawbone-big-jambox-speaker-review" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/speakers-speaker-systems/jawbone-big-jambox-black/4505-6467_7-35244085.html" target="_blank">Cnet</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/05/big-jambox/" target="_blank">Wired</a>, <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1166570/big_jambox_is_like_the_original_only_bigger_and_better.html" target="_blank">Macworld</a> und manche andere, wobei die meisten sich durchaus positiv �u�ern. Nur <a href="http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/jawbone-big-jambox-wireless-speaker/" target="_blank">Ilounge</a> l�sst sich nicht vom Design blenden und sieht die Big Jambox eher kritisch, vor allem aufgrund des �berh�hten Preises.<br />Auf jeden Fall soll die Big Jambox verglichen mit dem Vorg�nger klanglich einen deutlichen Sprung nach vorw�rts gemacht haben. Cnet hingegen behauptet, dass der Bose Soundlink dennoch ein angenehmeres Klangbild liefert und die Big Jambox da nicht ganz mithalten kann. Macworld wiederum meint, dass die Big Jambox nun �ber eine dynamische Bassanpassung verf�gt, die auch bei leisen Lautst�rken entsprechend den Fletcher-Munson Loudness-Kurven den Bass verst�rkt, was ich pers�nlich f�r eine besonders willkommene Neuerung halte, da mich gerade der flaue Sound der urspr�nglichen Jambox bei leisen Lautst�rken genervt hat und ich mich immer dabei ertappt habe, lauter drehen zu wollen.<br /><br />Ich bin ehrlich gesagt etwas �ber die Gr��e der Big Jambox �berrascht, die volumsm��ig beinahe schon 2 Liter erreicht. Ich habe eine kleine Grafik vorbereitet, in der ich versucht habe die Gr��enverh�ltnisse einiger Kompaktlautsprecher zu verdeutlichen:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0K6vP5HDg1YHnwqM4OPZZO7WhYfn4JCo712e7rld3u9s-inUBcw291V6m-kEMfSdIXJRhSBroHoQkmyq1yc8Jda0DKqovJc_b90KGiHLFHFymjoVSLpO_rwTAnRTlk5Btcl4ILZFr31V/s1600/bigjambox-size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0K6vP5HDg1YHnwqM4OPZZO7WhYfn4JCo712e7rld3u9s-inUBcw291V6m-kEMfSdIXJRhSBroHoQkmyq1yc8Jda0DKqovJc_b90KGiHLFHFymjoVSLpO_rwTAnRTlk5Btcl4ILZFr31V/s640/bigjambox-size.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Die neue Jambox hat demnach 35% mehr Volumen als der Bose Soundlink, oder anders ausgedr�ckt h�tten sogar 3 Bose ComputerMusicMonitors darin Platz, wobei die MusicMonitors wohlgemerkt �ber keinen internen Akku verf�gen und somit keinen stromlosen Betrieb erlauben.<br />F�r mich stellen die MusicMonitors aber nach wie vor das Paradebeispiel eines m�glichst kompakten Lautsprechers mit m�glichst gro�em Klang, ohne allzugro�e Kompromisse dar. Sie klingen f�r meinen Geschmack ausgewogener und im Bassbereich angenehmer als der Bose Soundlink. Bereits ein einzelner Lautsprecher davon schafft es einen beeindruckend vollen Klang zu erzeugen, der den �hnlich gro�en Geneva XS locker �berspielt, ganz zu schweigen von der kleinen Jambox.<br />Die Big Jambox sollte volumsm��ig bereits dem Soundlink Konkurrenz machen k�nnen, wenn ihn nicht sogar �berspielen. Wie die Realit�t aussieht, kann ich aber erst beurteilen, nachdem ich eine Big Jambox selbst geh�rt und verglichen habe. Aus den Testberichten l�sst sich rauslesen, dass die Big Jambox jedenfalls klarer als der Soundlink klingen soll, bei gleichzeitig schw�cherem Bass. F�r jene, denen der Soundlink zu wummig und dumpf klingt, k�nnte die Big Jambox eine willkommene Alternative darstellen. Ich jedoch m�chte den vollen Klang vom Soundlink gerade draussen nicht missen, f�r drinnen und kleinere R�ume, d�rfte die Jambox aber durchaus einen angenehmeren Klang liefern.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/slimstage-30-nogrille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/slimstage-30-nogrille.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Neben �blichen 2,2" Chassis, die vermutlich von Soundmatters stammen und denen aus dem Slimstage entsprechen k�nnten (wie im Bild oben zu sehen), ist die Big Jambox nun auch mit 2 gegen�berliegenden Passivradiatoren, �hnlich dem Soundlink ausgestattet, was Vibrationen vom Geh�use im Vergleich zum Vorg�nger stark reduzieren sollte. Schade finde ich, dass Jawbone nach wie vor nicht an eine Kopplung mehrerer Ger�te gedacht hat, sodass man aus 2 Jamboxen ein wireless Stereosystem machen k�nnte, �hnlich wie Nokia's Play 360�, der klanglich leider nicht vollends �berzeugt. Die Vorschl�ge dazu kamen zu gen�ge von diversen Jambox-Enthusiasten im Jawbone eigenen User-Forum. Jawbone war das jedoch offenbar egal, genauso wie die M�glichkeit zum Deaktivieren der nervigen Tastent�ne, die bei der neuen Jambox offenbar nach wie vor aktiv sind.<br /><br />Auch das Design empfinde ich als etwas langweilig. Mir gef�llt gerade das w�ste Innenleben der Jambox sehr gut, und sollte mehr exponiert werden, anstatt mit seltsamen "Behar"-Mustern verdeckt. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mashable.com/wp-content/gallery/p4277107/P4277094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mashable.com/wp-content/gallery/p4277107/P4277094.JPG" /></a></div><br />Mein Wunsch nach einem batteriebetriebenen wireless MusicMonitor Stereo-System bleibt somit nach wie vor bestehen. Klanglich sind die Musicmonitors eine echte Wucht f�r ihre Gr��e. Jetzt m�sste Bose das ganze nur noch optimieren und modernisieren, dann k�nnen sich Jawbone und alle anderen warm anziehen.<br /><br />Sobald die Big Jambox bei uns verf�gbar ist, w�rde ich sie mir dennoch gerne mal anh�ren. Bin sehr gespannt, was mich da erwartet.</p>

Nach den ersten Gr�chten �ber eine neue "Big Jambox" anfang dieses Jahres, wurde die gro�e Jambox letzte Woche endlich offiziell ...