Jabra Solemate user reviews (black)

Pros 1. Battery life is great
2. Build Quality is very good. Switches and buttons are also great quality and give this device an upscale feel to it.
3. Rubberized base keeps it from vibrating, or moving when music is loud
4. Very easy to connect

Cons 1. It's overpriced, at the time of this review, this was $200 US - too much money to ask for this device.
2. Sound Quality - it gets crunchy with music with a lot of bass
3. Maximum volume is not loud enough - this is the deal-breaker

Summary I bought the Solemate a week ago, the portability aspect of this device is what got my attention - so I could take it into work or wherever. The build quality is top notch, and voice commands/prompts make it very easy and intuitive to connect. I had no issue connecting it to different devices, including an iPad and Macbook.

I like the design and look of the Solemate, some people won't. Rubberized base is another great feature. I wish other manufacturers would take note. Nothing worse than manufacturers who don't pay attention to how music can make a device hum or vibrate, or even move on a counter or table surface.

The Solemate's battery charges to full in a short amount of time, and battery life is impressive, and it's also good to be able to check the battery life with a touch of a button. The carrying bag is also another smart idea, where you can listen to the SM inside the bag and it does not diminish or change the sound quality. Also having the auxiliary jack as part of the bottom Sole design, so that you carry the Aux jack with you all the time is a smart idea.

And then a few things I didn't like about the Solemate:

It's overpriced, at the time of this review, this was $200 US. I have no interest in the speakerphone features on the Solemate, and I am sure that others will factor this into justifying the value and price of this product. Even if I was to consider just the sound quality of this device on that criteria, I would still say that this is overpriced, especially being that maximum volume is not that loud.

Sound Quality - it is impressive for its size. I read a few reviews on the Internet that claimed that the SM was just as good as the Bose Soundlink or the Jawbone Big Jambox. It can't compare, especially with the Solemate's limited maximum volume.

The one thing I do agree with that I read in a couple of reviews regarding the Solemate is that it gets overwhelmed if there's too much bass and it does distort and get crunchy at max volume with some music. It handles the highs much better than bass.

Also, I bought the Logitech Wireless Boombox a couple of days ago on clearance - for less than half the price of the Solemate, and compared the two. This may be sort of an apples to oranges comparison, being that the Wireless Boombox is much larger, and has limited and less ability to run on battery power compared to the Solemate (the Logitech loses some volume and bass when running on battery power and also does not run on a battery charge nearly as long as the Solemate). Comparing the sound quality of the Logitech Boombox unplugged from the wall to the Solemate, the Logitech still sounds much better and still gets much louder than the Solemate. Again, it may not be a fair comparison, but, if you're trying to save money, I'd definitely compare the Solemate to other devices, especially less expensive alternatives if you can go with a larger device.

If you want maximum portability, and something that is well designed and has great build quality and amazing battery life and has good sound quality, then I'd go with the Solemate. I just like bigger sound, I like bass, not overwhelming bass, but a good balance of sound that includes bass. I like to turn up the sound and be able to work in a room, and be more immersed in the music. The Solemate is more of a device that you put on your desk, or counter right in front of you, or on your nightstand when you're trying to fall asleep. I will be returning the Solemate. If the price of the Solemate comes down to something more reasonable, then I'd reconsider it in the future.