What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Decent enough, but for the money we'd want better sound
Pros
- +
Good battery life
- +
Speakerphone mode
- +
Rugged design
Cons
- -
Treble is a little bright
- -
Short leash on volume
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Jabra straddles the space between portable music speakers and more business-orientated ‘speakerphones’ and headsets, and this Solemate is a good example.
A portable Bluetooth speaker that’s good for around eight hours’ playback when fully charged via USB, it can also switch to speakerphone mode and take voice calls via its built-in mic.
As a package it’s clearly aiming to flag up its portability with a fairly rugged design, attached carry handle, bundled bag and even an integrated 3.5mm cable.
But it’s Bluetooth wireless connectivity that brings the Solemate alive. It connects easily – just hold the Bluetooth button.
Jabra Solemate: Sound qualityThe volume of sound produced is decent: the Jabra sounds bigger than it looks and produces genuine hints of bass, but treble notes are a little bright.
Crank up the volume – don’t worry, you won’t bother the neighbours – and it starts to toughen up and lose composure.
All told, it’s fine – but for £150, we feel it should sound a bit better.
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