Soul SM1CHR Magnum Wireless Bluetooth Ultra High-Definition Speaker System

I love this thing. Out of all of the bluetooth speakers I've sampled (eight, and counting), this little Soul is my favorite. Whether I'm in a hotel room, in the office, or out on the patio sipping a cold one, this guy is there, cranking out my iTunes with rich sound. Friends ask, "is that music coming from THAT little thing?" Wink, nod, sip. Don't know how they do it, and a I don't care. The highs cut through, the mids are lush, and the lows push bass beyond reason considering the footprint of this tiny brick house. As if function isn't enough, the form should be noted. This thing looks rad. Yeah, I said rad. I'm bringing that word back. Some of the other bluetooth speakers in this class are frankly hideous looking. The rest are just kind of...vanilla. This one is beautiful. It's the perfect height and diameter. It's so convenient to tuck away and carry with me, to the yard, across the country, and all points in between. And the charcoal finish is just dead sexy. My one tiny complaint is that most of the controls are on the bottom, which is covered with a rubber mat that picks up dust, dirt, crumbs and stuff from all the indoor/outdoor surfaces I put it on, so it's not something I want to see let alone touch. But, boo hoo, I'll suck it up. This speaker gets my vote for best all-around bluetooth speaker of 2013.

I have to give this unit 5 stars. All the reviewers who gave low scores to this unit...and then say "It doesn't compare to my Jawbone...or to my Bose...or to my this or to my that". People, compare it to other speakers within its price range.....more importantly compare it to other speakers in and around $20, and I guarantee this is the best option you will find. Its a well built product capable of filling a small space with sound. And since I don't always need a giant speaker, this is the perfect solution. The sound is clear, and boy can this thing wail. For a tiny speaker its loud. Add to that the speakerphone function...and this, in conjunction with the Ipad, has become my Skype setup of choice. Folks, if you are looking for a small, portable speaker to take with you to the beach, use while your BBQ'ing, or hanging out with some friends and just need a little background music, this is the device for you....and it won't break the wallet. A little tip, low bass is a bit of a limitation with this unit. No surprise there, its a single tiny speaker. If you place the speaker back in its box (with the cover off), and remove the accessories box...this little guy produces quite a bit of bass. The box acts as a bass amplifier. Not sure if the box was intentionally designed for this...but it helps to amplify the bass a bit.

I own one of these Soul bluetooth speakers as well as the Cambridge Soundworks Oontz Curve. Both are Bluetooth speakers with similar size and weight. Both have sturdy and good-looking metal shells. The Soul costs $20 and the Oontz costs $30 (both on Amazon right now). Both are very easy to pair with my Android smartphone. Both have similar volume levels, which is OK as a speakerphone or for background music, though neither will fill a living room with sound. Controls on both devices are similar; you really have to pick up the speaker to see and use most of the controls (forward/back, volume up/down, pause/play). The Oontz does have a well marked speakerphone button on the top, while the Soul puts that on the bottom with the other controls. I'm not an audiophile, but the Oontz has noticeably clearer sound to me at all volume levels. In summary, to me the Oontz is a better product in every way except for the 50% higher price, so you can make your own value judgement.

I purchased two of these. They are nicely constructed and paired easily to three different devices. Being a Soul product, I expected a minimal level of sound quality fully understanding that they were only $20 each. Unfortunately they sounded unbelievably bad. The sound that came from the iPad itself was not only better sounding - which in itself is hard to believe knowing how the internal speakers on mobile devices are, but even a bit louder... The little JBL micro I also have, is light years better. I called Soul and they said they must be both defective or not real Soul product. If they are counterfeit, they really did a nice job on the physical product and the packaging, but failed miserably on the sound quality. I also tried the line-in just in case it was a bluetooth issue, but the sound was equally as bad. They are both going back. Even at $20 they are ripoff considering their very poor sound quality.