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Too bad the company hasn't after all this time provided a "silent startup" feature in MyTalk. You're stuck with a stupid voice at maximum volume annoyingly proclaiming "I'm activated. Ready for action!" when you power the speaker on. Now, I don't know about you, but the fact that this "cool" gimmick still can't be turned off after many, many requests from users who have compained about it makes me hesitant to purchase anything else from this company that ignores its customers. I like my speakers to make loud noises only when I turn up the volume and I shouldn't have to remember to hold down the round button to disable it when I turn it on. At the very least put a warning label on it, "BE WARNED. JUST TURNING ON YOUR JAMBOX WILL AWAKEN DOGS, CATS, CHILDREN AND NEIGHBORS. USE AT YOUR OWN PERIL!"
It's surprising this annoyance is glossed over by the reviewer.

Anyone have customer service experience with this company? Lots of complaints on Amazon (the smaller version) and the web. I'm trying to decide whether to buy this or spend another 100 bucks and step up to the Sonos 5.

Thoughts?

rednoser, on 30 April 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

Huh? I just bought a Jambox (standard size) last night and, by default, it's set to just the power on tone; no voice at all.

rednoser, on 30 April 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

Hmm. In the video I posted on TechHive, you can see that—by default—the Jambox makes a single sound effect when you turn it on.

That a speaker makes noise when turned on, however, doesn't strike me as much of a criticism.

I just bought a Bose SoundLink. Curious to see them in a head-to-head competition.

Does anyone know when bluetooth 2.0 will catch on?

Can this thing really sound like $400?

Will this work with a Mac as well? My wife often listens to music and podcasts while in the kitchen, but through her MBP, so you know it doesn't sound great. I'd love to have a nice speaker in the kitchen.

rednoser, on 30 April 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

You can turn off the voice announcments via MyTalk. http://forums.jawbon...loud/td-p/30239

"Anyone have customer service experience with this company? Lots of complaints on Amazon (the smaller version) and the web."

As always, you have to be careful with these open Internet complaints, especially the products that are cutting edge in terms of technology. I never ceased to be amazed how clueless people often are with computers.

In any case, I've had my Jambox for a year now and I've never had a problem with it. I use it all the time and, as Apple would say, it just works. The build quality is great, and for its size the sound is awesome. The battery lasts forever. I use it a lot for travel, and it's perfect for hotel rooms or sitting next to a pool and the like.

I also have a Jawbone ERA headset, and my experience has been the same--it's a great product. I consider the company first rate.

A product that looks like a cargo container. Wait, what?

I have the original Jambox (red!) and it is a pretty neat piece. The only real downside is the volume - it doesn't exactly fill a room, but on the other hand it's really small. As with any speaker, low frequency response is hugely dependent upon placement. In some locations it can really be impressive, while in others it sounds almost as small as it looks.

As to the startup voice - you can kill that by holding down the (minus) key at startup.

To the person who asked if this works with a MacBook - yes, it does. It works with anything that does Bluetooth audio, and that includes nearly all laptops.

I haven't heard the Big Jambox yet, but it has its work cut out for it with the Bose SoundLink. The Bose is much, much more powerful than the little Jambox and sounds good in a wider variety of locations. I'll have to hear the new one to see how it compares.

exactly my thoughts! i also own the original jambox as well as the bose soundlink and although the small jambox can somehow impress soundwise when set up near a wall or in a corner, it mostly disappoints, especially outside, where it doesn't sound better than a mobile phone speaker. the bose soundlink on the other hand shines outside with really powerful bass and enough volume while still being acceptably small, unfortunately the soundlink's treble is somewhat muffled especially when listened at lower volumes and off-axis.

i am very curious to hear the new BIG jambox and compare it to the soundlink. it might be a better compromise in sound than the soundlink for smaller rooms, where the soundlink sounds too boomy and bassy. but the big jambox is in reality already 35% bigger than the soundlink, so it should be at least as good and powerful or even better, in order to make me consider it further.