Jabra Solemate Max

Great Battery and sound quality but battery not replaceale it seems – I was looking for a replacement portable sound system for my Logitech S715i portable speaker which has been great but was definitely starting to deteriorate. Sound quality had faded and the device was having some clipping issues and turning off when trying to run at high volume. I listened to the Jabra and it was by far the best sounding device I had heard so far but I was drawn to it first by the design.

Firstly let me start by saying they have thought of quite a lot when they built this device. The top and bottom are moulded rubber which is quite thick and takes a lot of abuse.

The speaker surround is all metal and looks simple and clean as it should. On the bottom the speaker is angled upwards so that music is not bounced off the ground but aimed towards the users listening. In the base they have also moulded in a 3.5mm audio cable that sits inside a channel if you need to use it.

In saying that I have yet to use that cable, because the device works great on bluetooth and you then get accurate feedback of how much charge left through any device running bluetooth 3.0 or above (so iphone5 onwards works a treat).

The device claims 14 hours of battery life, and this may be so at lower volume levels but at full volume I had music from around 1:30pm through to 10:30pm. One thing that really impressed me is at Full Volume - no distortion. Provided you have your EQ set to flat - no distortion and no loss of volume as the battery depletes. When the battery does run out the device gives you about a 15 minute warning that the battery is low (audible warning) and then will turn off.

Sound quality wise this is comparable to some non portable speakers. Great range of tones and bass that is as good as can be expected from speakers this small. One thing that I didn't like with the Logitech was that when unplugged from power the rear sub's turn off - this device everything is exactly the same when powered or running on battery. Volume wise this device is loud enough to cause you to shout at each other in a standard size living room .

As mentioned the battery life is great and I think this can be attributed to the weight of the device. Battery life is directly attributed to how much a device weighs, and at 3kg's it's basically the same as a 15" laptop with a 9cell battery.

My only negative is the battery doesn't seem to be replaceable very easily - something which with the use that I will give it will need to do in a year (like I had to with the logitech which does have a removeable cover). I'm sure I'll figure out a way to get into the device at some stage but if this was changeable I'd be happy cause it means I could have a backup battery to swap in.

Never the less I'm completely happy with my purchase. The device RRP is quite high but you can find it for about $300 if you shop around.

Definitely recomended.