ALDI Bauhn Soundmax 3

will no longer charge – hardly used, he probably has less than eight hours on it for the direction I owned. It is such a shame it does not Georgia. I checked my USB cords they charge my other devices. If someone from Aldi or baun can explain How to fix the problem or send me an exchange I will give this item 5 stars.  Show details

Not a bad speaker for the price – Unfortunately it misses out on five stars as the soundmax iTunes app cannot turn the speaker on. I've had this for over two years and it doesn't get the use it could as it needs to be physically turned on by pressing the power button. A firmware update is probably needed, but the developers have not pushed any out to my knowledge. That feature is… Read more

a deal breaker for me. I have a Sonos (admittedly more expensive) but that feature makes it way more useable.

Basically, I'm agreeing with previous reviewers.

When working very good. Connectivity on network frustrating – I spent 3 days trying to get all 3 of these to display continuously on the app. When it worked they were great but I had to keep pairing to the network. It was bizarre. This meant I would not use them enough, so I took them back. If you buy 1 only they're good or if you pair direct on wifi or Bluetooth.  Show details

A suprisingly decent Wireless speaker system – These speakers pack great value into their purchase price which includes many connectivity options, good sound and an average but passable app(s) that don't need registration which basically means it'll keep working long into the future. The Sound is good, not as Bassy as my Sonos but more "natural" sounding. I got mine on clearance from Aldi… Read more

and internally all 3 are essentially identical apart from the configuration and physical cabinet size: Soundmax 1 is Mono (10W) and has no battery, Soundmax 2, is Mono (20W) but has a battery and the cleanest sounding, Soundmax 3 is stereo (2x20W) and has a battery. The capabilities are great, the speakers support:

Direct streaming - Airplay (apple) Bluetooth and streaming Wifi connections

Direct connection - Tunein, iHeartRadio. The speaker directly connects to the streaming servers without the mobile or mobile apps even being needed so will stay playing when the app is closed.

App direct connection - Spotify's app will locate the speaker on the network as a "device" and can use it to connect to Spotify server and play. (spotify can then be closed on the mobile)

The bad: 1. The units go to standby when left idle for a while, rather annoying as you have to access to the speaker in order to wake it up which prevents putting it up high. 2. The units voices are extremely annoying: "Enjoy Aux music" "Enjoy Wifi Music" "Waiting for connection" These should have been removed for the standard chime effects.

Tech info: These "Soundmax" speakers are made by a Chinese company called CVT under various incarnations are sold under numerous brands such as GGMM, Smartsonix, Polaroid, Doss, MUZO, Dayton, HI-Fly, iEast Play, EARTHQUAKE Sound, iDea Home, Soniq boom. The speaker contains a dual axial driver with a tweeter in the center similar to a car speaker.

Great value and performs well – This unit is very good value for money when you consider what you have to pay for the Sonos multiroom speakers. The Soundmax 3 can be used as a stand alone bluetooth speaker and the battery life is very impressive. You can easily connect other Bauhn speakers of varying sizes and outputs to different rooms and control them all from you smartphone… Read more

or tablet. Comes with a charger and unlike other brands will play whilst charging.

You do not need to download recommended app if just using it alone.

Looks and sound good with 20W but does lack a bit of bass. However plenty of volume. If you want more power and bass go for the Soundmax 5 which has 40W. 1/3 the cost of the Sonos and good performance for the money.

With Aldi you can always try it and if its not up to expectations you can return for an easy refund.