Big Jambox vs. Bose Soundlink?

[oluv]

i have to agree with homeyjay. the soundlink sounds more "expensive", it is more refined and despite the recessed treble, the sound is rounder and fits together better. the BJ can play louder than the Soundlink, but it distorts at high volume, while the Soundlink never distorts regardless of music played.

the only advantage i see is low volume listening, where the Soundlink bass becomes too strong, but outside and for portable use the BJ doesn't even come close.

what really bugs me ist that the BJ has nearly 2 liter, while the soundlink being smaller by 35% manages a deeper and fuller sound! i am no Bose fanboy, but those guys really seem to care about sound and tune it according to particular specifications, while the BJ justs "sounds"...

the funny thing is, that even a single ComputerMusicMonitor from Bose which is considerably smaller than the BJ sounds better with nicer bass... WTF? If only Bose could make a portable Version of the ComputerMusicMonitors, they would kick the hell out of little Jambox as well as the Big one!

[Geoffrey]

I have both of the original Jambox and the Bose Soundlink. I like them both for different uses: Jambox for portability and the LiveAudio is great when listening to music at my desk (the Jambox fits right under my iMac like it was meant-to-be). Soundlink for bigger, room-filling sound. I appreciate that the Soundlink has a user-replaceable battery! Jawbone - not possible. Soundlink requires a proprietary charger, so added travel bulk.

Interested in the Big Jambox, but the cumbersome size looks a bit off-putting. Hmm.

Sound quality - it's entirely subjective and perceptual. Having spent money and time on something will bias your perception significantly... the first five seconds of listening will tell you everything if your mind is open, the remainder is spent trying to talk yourself into or out of something. Your music choice, listening environment, speaker placement, emotional state, physiology (ear/head shape), and perceptual bias will determine whether you prefer one speaker over another. In the end, content is everything - are you enjoying the music, or not?

[homeyjay]

Dude, when you get the Big J and compare it to the Soundlink, all will become clear!

The issue is NOT Small Jambox vs Soundlink, it's Big J vs Soundlink - an entirely different proposition.

Report back when you have Big J and Soundlink!

[oluv]

the BIG one is just too big already.

Jawbone should have taken the original jambox, scale it up a little bit, maybe twice in volume, add a second passive radiator to the front in order to improve bass response even a bit further and avoid dancing around the table. maybe a stronger battery and larger drivers, some DSP processing to optimize output and avoid distortion.

if really engineered well it should sound pretty decent like that, but i won't like to carry around the BIG one all the time with me. 

[pupasani]

My 2 cents: Spent the last week comparing several bluetooth speakers including Big J, Bose SoundLink, Logitech Wireless Boombox, SoundFreaq Sound Kick, Philips Fidelio DS7700. Big J was the clear winner for me. Here's why:

Bose SoundLink: In short, bass overpowers everything else! Big J has just enough, tight bass and sounds a lot more balanced. Both can get very loud, Bose has almost no distortion at any volume. Big J gets a tad distortion at the very highest volume, but you have to really listen to notice. Bose's sound actually gets more balanced as the volume increases, but Big J has very good balance at all volumes! Plus love the 15 hr battery life on Big J (not to mention the battery indication showing up on my iPhone - Jawbone you need to advertise this!!).

Logitech Wireless Boombox: Had this for a few months. Also very good option especially at the $120 price range with also decent volume. The problem I found with this was the volume dropped quite a bit when running on battery and a tad less bass than Big J, plus a little bulky and only 3-4 hrs battery life. But great sound overall, definitely in 2nd place for me in terms of sound.

SoundFreq Sound Kick: Decent sound at $99, but cannot play with the big boys enough said :-) Also sound level goes WAYY down on battery when not powered.

Philips Fidelio DS7700: Very good sound quality but lacking in volume. Also tends to get drops in bluetooth connection. Big J never, ever seems to drop the connection!

Also ran: Philips Fidelio DS8550 - great sound but way too bulky!

[SiNUS]

What battery indicator in iOS? 

[macatari]

When the Jambox is connected via Bluetooth, there is a special icon that appears in the status bar at the top that shows the amount of battery remaining on the Jambox.

[PughPugh]

I returned my Big Jambox this morning after using it for a week - I was having issues using it with my MacBook and I got frustrated that I could only pair two devices. I think it's safe to say the Jambox sounded better in my opinion, but the Soundlink still sounds good and has great Bass. The pairing process is a little less slick, but I'm pleased it can remember 6 devices. I also like how I can keep the Aux plugged into my TV and toggle it on and off with a button. I do miss the great visual design of the Jambox and it's cool little voice, but I'm still happy with my move to the Soundlink.

Interestingly both devices do to not play well with my Macbook. I was annoyed that Jawbone gave me no hep with this matter and simply refered me to Comet. Comet were obviously of no help and simpy offered me and exchange/refund.

[birdynumnums]

I'm interested in your note that both devices do not play well with your Macbook. I am finding the same with my Macbook and the Bose Soundlink. Were you suffering audio interference when connected via Bluetooth? (intermittant crackling/popping). I contacted Bose who thought there must be an issue with my Mac and they sent me a script for increasing the 'Bluetooth bit pool minimum' but that didn't seem to help. Have since tried a replacement Soundlink  but am having the same problems. Not-so-smooth bluetooth connection and the interference. I was thinking of trying the Jambox but would be interested to know if you had experienced the same etc. 

[abundance]

Yes Please I am looking to purchase Big Jambox and I have a MacBook Pro, could I be looking at some difficulties ?