Jawbone Mini Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Graphite Facet) Standard Packaging

I'm an avid online shopper but rarely do I write reviews unless the product is noteworthy (good or bad) of, well, a review. I would consider myself an audiophile when it comes to music and speakers, and I can say the mini Jambox has exceeded my expectations at all levels. I have owned its bigger brother, the Big Jambox, for over 3 years now and am pleased with its technological performance (i.e., sound quality, battery life). Needless to say, I have been looking for something more portable and carries at least the same quality as the Big Jambox --- so when I saw the MINI Jambox go on sale for $49 (plus tax), I had no doubt this smaller speaker would carry the same proportional performance as its bigger sibling. The Mini Jambox has an outstanding clean sound with a powerful bass (and I'm surprised that it carries a lot of power for a small speaker). Some people have to be realistic --- you're not going to expect it to deliver any "earth-shaking" bass, but the sound is SUPERB coming from its size, even better than the original Jambox. The sound stays clean and powerful even at high volumes --- I have yet to hear any distortion. I especially love sound and feel of the bass drop it makes on startup. The Liveaudio feature is also remarkable, creating a surround-sound feel with movies and easy listening music. Obviously, the speakerphone feature is also a plus. Connecting via bluetooth is flawless and stress-free. Overall, as cliche as it may be, this speaker was worth every penny. Probably the only downside is the lack of an outlet charger, but it comes with a USB cable (in addition to an AUX cable) and fully charges the unit in 1-2 hours for at least a good 6 hours (maybe even more) of nonstop music playing. Also, with its powerful sound, Jambox could've done better with the rubber bottom to keep the unit still, but this is a very minor issue which is overshadowed by its performance. You're welcome, Jambox, for this review.

I've been searching (and buying) near and far trying to find a decent BT speaker for my room. I have a Bose Soundock (5+ years old) and it sounds great in the living room. I didn't want to spend the $199 for a Bose mini since the bass was simply overpowering the treble and for a small- to- mid-sized room it doesn't work terribly great. I tried a JBL Flip and found the audio overly compensated in treble and no bass. However, I liked the design and button layout and didn't care for the proprietary power plug. Be gone with you Flip and enter the JBL Charge! Ugh, no. Not what I expected. It had a tinge more bass than the Flip at bigger. I expected somewhat more decent bass considering all the positive reviews about the unit. The Charge left me unsatisfied hungering for better. I ordered the Mini Jambox on a whim and anxiously compared it side-by-side to the Charge. Wow, the difference between the two was quite noticeable. I was amazed when I first turned on the unit and played the same music with the Charge. The Mini Jambox exhibited better, richer bass than the Charge and the tones I found were very well balanced. The output on the unit is rich and full compared to the other two JBL anemic sounds. What's more amazing was that the diminutive size of the Mini Jambox outperformed the Charge and the Flip! Now setting expectations for those readers expecting booming bass from the Mini, it will disappoint. It's just enough to make your music pop from a small unit. I find the Mini Jambox a fantastic little unit for a small room. A medium sized room may be pushing it. This unit is not designed for big sound from larger, more expensive units. I did find the max volume a little limiting. However, given where and how I'll be using the unit I don't find it to be a concern. Later I'll be looking into something with more volume and bass for outdoor use. I highly recommend putting the Mini Jambox in your list of BT speakers to consider! If you know what you're looking for the Mini Jambox will not disappoint. For anything bigger there's always the Jambox (regular) and BIG Jambox.

Since I feel most electronics aren’t horrible or outstanding but rather fit some individual’s needs better than others, I will approach these next few reviews as a listing of features (or lack thereof) and who I think they are a best fit for. I will be comparing a few units in this review but my focus will be on the Jambox Mini. See my reviews for the other components for more specifics on those. Note – I’ve had all of these for at least a few months and some for over a year. Enjoy! Units compared: Jambox Mini Braven 440 Monster Superstar Boom Urchin Sound – The Jambox Mini has the best sound out of the bunch in my opinion. For a unit so small and that is built around Bluetooth (which was not even originally designed for sound), it sure does pump out very nice sound. Of course, it does not have very much bass, but neither do any of these other units. With the added feature of the ‘LiveAudio’ sound enhancer, Mini Jambox is the winner by far. Alas, the output is just very low. A little louder than the internal speaker on an iPhone and that’s it. For a unit that’s advertised as ‘portable’, this just isn’t loud enough for any outdoor application. Features – Again, the Jambox Mini is the clear winner here. Some of the features, however, most mortals will not care about. These include multi-point pairing, the aforementioned ‘LiveAudio’, source volume sync, Siri activation, full source control (i.e. track forward and back), a full featured app (this thing actually notifies you when your unit is finished charging!!), and speaker phone capabilities. It also has voice prompts that can be customized somewhat through their website. A battery meter appears on iOS devices as well. Design – This is completely subjective but I feel the Mini Jambox is the ‘prettiest’ of the bunch. It is so slim and …well…pretty that you just want to take it everywhere and show it off to people. How useful is this design? Not very, unfortunately. The edges are quite sharp and it’s surprisingly hefty for its size so it becomes uncomfortable in your pocket after a while. It’s also not water resistant at all, so you can’t take it to the beach or pool or have it close by while washing dishes. You can get it treated with water resistant Liquipel but that’ll be extra. Value – The Jambox is retails for around $129 but can be had for $100. I think the others, other than the Monster, can be had for less because they are now discontinued but were originally retailing for the same. I think the Jambox wins this category again because it has far and away the most features and best sound out of any. As mentioned previously though, some of those features may not be of value to some. Best fit for: If you are in the market for the prettiest mini Bluetooth speaker, you’re planning to use this indoors, and you need a full featured speakerphone/siri trigger, this is for you. However, if you want to take it everywhere, might expose it to water and/or drops, and need something that can be heard outside, look elsewhere.

Overall, this is an excellent product. It's great for its size - decent sound quality, decent size, not very heavy, good features, and comes with a very reasonable price tag. Bluetooth integration is dead simple and very reliable. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it's a mic as well as a speaker, so it also serves as a speakerphone (when connected to your phone via bluetooth). All that said, don't expect huge, amazing sound, or absurd amounts of volume. It's very good for its size, but it is quite small, so it isn't great. It has a surprising amount of bass for such a small speaker, but it will be easily outdone by your home or car audio system. The same can be said for its overall volume. As an alternative to your phone's external speaker (or maybe a speaker built in to a computer monitor), this thing is absolutely amazing. As an alternative to a home stereo, or a good set of PC speakers, it's not so great. What is great about this speaker is its convenience. It's small and light enough to fit in your pocket. Its batteries seem to last forever. You can connect to it via bluetooth or analog line-in (like you would with PC speakers). It has its own volume controls that will change the volume of your bluetooth device or attenuate the analog signal. I purchased it to listen to audio books while dragging a uhaul trailer on a 9 hour trip. The truck only had am/fm radio, and the little FM transmitters I've used in the past don't work well when traveling through cities. With this speaker sitting in the seat next to me, running at full volume, I was able to clearly hear the book (but it did require full volume from the speaker). I also listened to some music, but the small size and lots of ambient noise (from driving) meant that the sound fidelity was just so-so... definitely better than listening to AM radio talk shows, but not as good as the truck's own sound system on FM radio with good reception. However, now that I own it, I sometimes turn it on in the house when I'm doing chores where there isn't otherwise a radio, and I find the sound to be perfectly acceptable. It's nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done. I would absolutely recommend this product, but don't set your expectations too high when it comes to sound quality.

I love this little speaker. I got it because I wanted something I could easily take with me and use to play music at low volumes. This fits the bill perfectly. I use it all the time at work in my cube. Works great to play music from my phone at a low level so as not to disturb my neighbors. It's also great at higher volumes, and while at max volume, it may not be ideal for outdoor parties or gatherings, it's still powerful enough to enterain a room. Small & compact enough to fit in a bag, or a pocket, it is great for travel. I give it five stars for portability, performance, and clarity of sound. Some may disagree but I'm not an audiophile. One can pick apart things that maybe very important to them when it comes to full sound, frequency response, bass response etc, but for they lay person, this works well for what it is. What it is, is a compact, portable, bluetooth speaker. You're not going to get the booming full sound larger, more expensive speakers provide, but if you're considering this speaker, that's probably not what you want in the first place. It works great and is surprising for what it is. I also love that it can take calls through the speaker. Comes in very handy when listening to music and the phone rings. With one touch answer on the device, it's great for example, when cooking and your hands are dirty. The only thing thing I would like on this device that it doesn't have is some weatherproofing. however, since that's fairly new to devices and this device has been around for years, it's not worth downgrading my rating.

Stumbled upon this as a daily deal for $59.99. I have a bose mini soundlink at home along with a few sub $30 speakers I use at work. I absolutely LOVE the mini sound link. It truly is an amazing product. At $200, it just isn't feasible to bring to work with me with the risk of splashes/drops etc. In purchasing the mini jambox, I wanted something to split the difference between the bargain speaker and the bose. I certainly did not expect this to come close to the bose, however, I also did not expect it to perform just marginally better than the bargain speakers. First, the size is incredible. If you truly need to bring a speaker with you in your jeans pocket or small purse, then I suppose this is a good option. That being said, I will never do that, and I carry speakers in my messenger bag, so it's small footprint is more form over function for me. Its design is certainly more appealing than bargain speakers, but its metal frame seems almost excited to be scratched or dinged. The sound is good. After a bit of frustration, I updated the software to incorporate Live Audio. If you plan on listening to this at your desk in front of you, there is an appreciable difference where the sound honestly feels "surround." I would use this in a medium sized room, not facing me, and the differences are less noticeable. With Live Audio off, the sound is marginally better than my $30 speakers from more than 15 feet away. The difference is more noticeable from a closer range. Regarding the volume, though up for debate depending on what review you read, it's loud enough for most situations, however, even at its loudest, you can carry a conversation over it. That should help you determine if its loud enough for your needs. In closing, given my intended use for this product, it didn't provide enhanced performance enough to warrant the extra $30 over some cheaper alternatives. At a price point closer to $90, it definitely does not. For those looking to keep this on their desk, the Live Audio function definitely works and this may be a good choice for you.

I was a bit reluctant to get this guy, because my original Jambox stopped working shortly after the warranty ended. It was a common problem where the bluetooth gets flaky unless a mini stereo plug is plugged *ALMOST* all the way in. I contacted support and didn't have a good response, though I wasn't expecting much because it was out of warranty. For something I paid $250 on, I was expecting more than 16 months of light use. But I did love the old one, so I decided to give this one a try. I'd say it sounds as good as the old one, though it's not QUITE as loud. Maybe it has that mode turned on where it reduces the max volume slightly? It is loud enough to work in the shower, which is one of the places I need the volume -- for when I'm traveling. One thing I *LOVE* about this unit is that it finally has a "skip song" button, you press the button next to the volume buttons twice and it skips the song. Three times and it skips back. It seems a bit sturdier than the original. In particular the grill, which I never had a problem on the old one but was always a bit afraid of bending it up. This one feels super solid. I'm quite happy with the sound from it. If you like the "Bose sound", this probably isn't the box for you. I found the Bose version sounded too "compressed" -- too much like radio. Some people like it, but I find I get tired of it quickly. The Jawbone I find sounds much more to my liking, I have a bit of audiophile history, and like my audio fairly neutral, to give you an idea. If you want something that sounds clean, this is a good choice. If you prefer something that sounds more dramatic, either use an equalizer app or get another brand of speakers. Jambox in half the size? What's not to like?

I have 12 bluetooth speakers, each for a different use. This does not "adequately" fill any room with music. But for personal use, having it close to you, this little guy is awesome. For my living room, I've got my Creative Roar in the corner on top of my wine tower, and it produces awesome, flat, clear, smooth, rich music. But I cannot put it in my pocket, take it every where I go...to work, buddy's house, etc...I'm a music lover, and I cannot "practically" take it everywhere. And this is where the Jambox Mini shines. For it's size and portability, I have not heard a better sounding speaker. It is true that is doesn't get that loud. But this is a lifestyle companion speaker and is sufficiently loud for its purpose , and battery life is great. I get 8-10 hours on normal use. And about 15 hours if I keep the volume on low for light background music. What is amazing about this speaker is its Live Audio feature. You won't notice or appreciate it unless you listen to the right song or file. If you ever get a chance, listen to the song Riders of the Storm by the Doors. Close your eyes, keep the speaker relatively close to you at ear level....and you will "experience " the music. There is more I want to say about how it sounds, but I don't want to spoil it for you. It will "trip" you out. Again, this is not a "volume " speaker. But for its size and what it's intended for, it is exceptional.