Goondu review: Jabra Solemate

On first impressions, the Jabra Solemate impresses with it’s packaging and design aesthetics.

Jabra’s foray into wireless bluetooth speakers ain’t priced at the mass consumer (read: inexpensive) market though. This speaker, which was released about a month and a half back, costs S$288 at recommended retail prices.

So how is the quality of the product? I’m not an audiophile like Aaron is, but even to a sound goondu like myself, the Jabra Solemate sounds pretty good.

For such a compact device, the speaker can amplify and churn out really loud sound to fill a space. It goes all the way up to 120dB according to the specifications, and I can envision it being the focal sound point at a party in the centre of a conference room.

I had absolutely no problem getting it to run out of the box. Connecting to bluetooth was a snap and I had it up and streaming music from my Android HTC Desire phone in five minutes.

I also liked the long battery life. I had the speaker run continuously — excepting lunch break — at my office the whole day and the battery didn’t go dry. According to the specifications, the battery can last 10 hours before needing a recharge.

Lastly, the Solemate can also serve as a sound conferencing device, as it comes with a built-in microphone.

I feel that the Solemate’s key selling point, beyond the speaker’s specifications, is in it’s design.

From the sleek form factor with only three buttons, to the 3.5mm music jack tucked away in a nice groove in the rubberised sole, to the “Go ahead and connect me” voice audio (with bass track playing in the background) that tells you what to do when you turn the Solemate on, everything about Jabra Solemate seems designed for the young, hip, fun crowd.

For the audiophile who wants both quality and a fun, funky design, the Solemate is worth checking out against other speakers in the market like the Jawbone Jambox.