Jawbone Mini Jambox review

When it comes to music, the Mini Jambox sounds surprisingly harsh, with an over-prominent treble and upper mid-range that made the speaker tiring to listen to. This was particularly noticeable on orchestral music and tracks dominated by a piano or church organ, but other test tracks were also affected, with high notes that sounded too pronounced in the mix. Acoustic percussion didn’t fare too well either, with drums sounding flat and distant. This flatness was shared by rock and metal with a strong bass or midrange emphasis, although we were pleased to note that overdriven guitars didn’t suffer the same harshness as our orchestral recordings. The speaker does best with pop and dance, with its bright treble complementing the aggressive synths of our hard dance test tracks.

The speaker lasted for a little over eleven and a half hours in our tests, which is pretty good given how small it is. It’ll certainly keep you entertained for a day, if not a weekend. Although the Jambox Mini looks fantastic, is small enough to fit in a coat pocket and has some interesting extra features, its sound quality doesn’t match up to that of its rivals. It’s also an expensive speaker, so you’re definitely paying a premium for the Jambox’s design. If you need a highly portable stereo speaker, the Scosche BoomBottle is nowhere near as pretty, but it’s tough, sounds good and has a battery that’ll last for ages.