Jawbone Big Jambox review

A fun-sounding box that will blast out your tunes anywhere Tested at £260

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Entertaining, hip design, portable and wireless – the Big Jambox is a cool product, but there are rivals with more detailed sound

Pros

  • +

    Funky design

  • +

    highly portable

  • +

    good Bluetooth connection

  • +

    goes very loud

  • +

    bold and lively presentation

Cons

  • -

    Could do with a touch more refinement and subtlety.

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The Jawbone Big Jambox is a snazzy, well-built box that’s finished in three hip styles: White Wave, Red Dot, and Graphite Hex.

It’s powered by a combination of two active drivers and two passive bass radiators, and the rechargeable battery gives a claimed 15 hours of continuous sound.

Jawbone Big Jambox

Jawbone Big Jambox

Jawbone Big Jambox: Technical specs

It comes with a host of features: a built-in mic transforms it into a speakerphone; you can log on to Jawbone’s MyTALK website and download customisable features, apps and updates; there’s a voice prompt for certain actions; and LiveAudio gives you the illusion of 3D sound with a more spacious soundfield (but also pushes back and softens vocals).

There are big control buttons on top, although you’re more likely to use your smartphone as a remote control if you’re connected via Bluetooth.

Jawbone Big Jambox

Jawbone Big Jambox

Pairing your Bluetooth device with the Big Jambox is simple. It’s a versatile speaker system, and can play audio from smartphones, tablets and computers/laptops. We used an iPod Touch and were listening to tunes within seconds.

There’s a 3.5mm input for wired connection, which will give you a cleaner sound, but the wireless stream was fast and uninterrupted.

Jawbone Big Jambox: Sound quality

The Big Jambox sounds fun and full of boundless energy, its portability and relatively compact size belying the big sound it can deliver.

Jawbone Big Jambox

Jawbone Big Jambox

Its bold, attacking and lively style, however, can sometimes compromise the finer subtleties of a song – rival hi-fi docks have more finesse and elegance. The Big Jambox, on the other hand, is far more content being the life and soul of the party.

Jawbone presents the Big Jambox as a 21st century version of the ’80s boombox; its portability and Bluetooth capabilities deserve to make it a popular product.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


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