Beat by Beat: JAM Audio Xterior Max Speaker Review
If a heart were augmented to transmit music and amplify the sound throughout two floors, it would be a close neighbor to the Xterior Max Portable Bluetooth Speaker from JAM Audio. From dynamic quality to refreshing sound clarity, JAM Audio has done it again. They stand as an underdog in a competitive field; with their newest device, they now have a beating heart. Let’s take a closer look in this JAM Audio Xterior Max Speaker Review.
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• Great Sound, Strong Bass
• Water-Resistant Protection
• Battery Life of 12 Hours
• Solid, Rugged Construction and Feel
• Attractive Price ~ $100
• Lack of Color Options
Xterior Max Body: Design and Features
Black and gray are separated on a dense, ergonomic rubber. This material fulfills two functions: dexterity and desire. On one hand, the material sufficiently clings to the fingertips and is drop, dirt, and waterproof. On the other, it is the perfect balance of smooth with the slightest degree of friction, enticing touch, and satisfying fruition. The speaker has an IP67 rating with dimensions of 7.87 x 3.35 x 2.76 inches.
The two wider sides, implanted with holed panels to disperse sound, are zigzagging grids. Not only does this addition enhance the speaker’s grip, but it also causes the aesthetic to be more dynamic, robust, and meticulously finessed. A creative multi-serving installment to not only reinforce the speakers but the consumer’s confidence in their purchase.
On the underside, there’s a screw mount to adapt the speaker to a bicycle rack or something more stationary such as a stand.
There are six buttons on top: Power, Skip Back, Play/Pause, Skip Forward, Decrease Volume, and Increase Volume.
In addition to the top button scheme, there’s an Aux, DC, and battery jack on the left flank, all ergonomically spaced, sized, and labeled. Happening upon a device both simple and versatile is rare. Charging time was approximately an hour.
Jam Xterior Max feels like a standalone device, not a rough stand-in version, built deficiently and disposable, to force consumers into purchasing the newest model the following year. A brave and noble act by a company swamped in a market of greed.
Also, there’s just something about its precise weight, 2.85 lbs to be accurate, that feels… masculating. (⇐ This is a word, just not familiar enough to be marked as one.)
Be careful with the Xterior Max. While it’s built and shaped like a brick, it too will sink like a brick if you drop it into a swimming pool. It’s not a floating speaker.
What’s In The Box?
- Xterior Max Speaker
- USB Charging Cable
- USB Adapter
- Manual
The Pulse
JAM Xterior Max calls to your heart, or at least reverberates within your chest.
At the maximum volume setting, JAM Xterior Max confidently straddles the line between gorging and shattering the consumer’s eardrums. However, it may land the user in a bit more trouble if they cannot hear the police knocking at their door. In this writer’s case, the Emerson College Police.
Even at the highest volume setting, coupled with the quaking bass, it is still possible to discern each sound within a song. The power and clarity of JAM Xterior Max transcends sensory ingestion to produce one pure effect: palpability. It vibrates through you. From Kanye West to Beethoven, this speaker is just as versatile as it is powerful.
Playlist
- Rap/Hip-Hop: Drake, Frank Ocean, Kayne West.
- Indie Rock: Glass Animals, Oh Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel.
- Classical: Beethoven and a few German-composed symphonies.
Overall
Decades ago, avid and casual listeners, alike, would click a record into their record player and listen to sensational songs through the device music deserved. Since then, there has been an apocalyptic decline in this listening format, as well as the quality of current speakers, in comparison. So far, it seems that the JAM Xterior Max portable Bluetooth is a welcome runner-up in this digital age.
Though the sound quality still cannot match that which is produced from record players, the device is compact and attractive, convenient and intuitive, and geared with such crisp, booming quality that it is clearly a formidable contender in the speaker market. JAM Xterior Max is not a generic forearm sized pill with a “b” slapped in the middle, along with a gross overprice. It is cost efficient, security efficient, and sound efficient to a degree far above its towering competition.
With appeal and quality like this, JAM Xterior Max just hit the perfect note, and hopefully, for its competitors, struck the wrong chord. It’s difficult not to get behind such an earnest heart.
The JAM Xterior Max speaker can be purchased directly from the JAM Audio website for $119.99, or from Amazon (see below) for $99.99.
What do you think of the Xterior Max portable speaker? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.
Feel free to follow JAM Wireless Audio on Twitter and Facebook as well as this very blog on Twitter and Facebook.
FTC Disclosure: JAM Audio Inc. provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Xterior Max Bluetooth speaker sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador.
All photographs are the copyrighted property of Beantown LLC © 2016.
