Back in December we did a post and video comparing the Spar Zephyr 300 and the JawBone JamBox. (Read the post.)
The Spar speaker promised excellent audio and the ability to double as an external charger.
Unfortunately it didn’t deliver on the audio front. I returned it and let the company know why. They were gracious about it, refunded my purchase immediately and then shared their own disappointment with how the speaker turned out. I went bcd to using my JamBox.
They stopped shipping.
Fast forward and a few weeks ago Spar rebranded as BRAVEN and released not one but three different portable Bluetooth speakers. (Read our post here.) Each offers the ability to function as a wireless OR wired speaker. Each doubles as an external battery. And with a price point starting $50 below the JawBone JamBox, the BRAVEN is ready to take on the popular speaker accessory. But does the new speaker sold the old issues? Does it sound good? Can it step into the JamBox’s shoes? We go head-to-head in this video so you can decide for yourself.
The BRAVEN 600 is the least expensive of the three spears the company recently released. Coming in at $149.99 it is a full $50 less than the JawBone JamBox. The BRAVEN 600 Features:
Bluetooth 3.0
(A2DP)1.2 Support
33 ft. operating distance
Hands Free Profile
3.5mm line-in for non-bluetooth enabled devices
3.5 out port to connect to other BRAVEN speakers
The speaker is a bit larger than the JawBone JamBox coming in at 6.25 in. x 2.5 in. x 1.75 in. It weighs 12 oz. which makes it simple to bring along when ever you want portable sound.
Having reviewed the Spar Zephyr 300 I found the packaging to be familiar. Inside the rigid clear plastic box (read: wasteful packaging) was
The BRAVEN 600 wireless speaker
A 40” USB to micro USB cable
A 24” 3.5mm audio cable
A USB Wall Plug
A Quickstart card
A Carrying Bag
The timing was perfect as my car was hit and spent a week in the body shop being repaired. The rental had a horrid sound system so I brought the BRAVEN 600 along and used it. The sound was quite good and I was impressed with the ease of use, battery life and style. But the question remains- is this something you should consider instead of the JamBox? You decide.
Yup, the BRAVEN 600 impressed me and is the speaker I’ll carry on the go. It sounds good, is quite compact, gets good battery life per charge and the ability to double as an external charger for my power-hungry iPhone 4S… that’s a bonus.
You can learn all about the BRAVEN 600 and its higher-end siblings here on the Brave website.
The BRAVEN 600 retails for $149.99, the 625s for $179.99, and the 650 for $189.99.
MSRP: Starting at $149.99
What I Like: Small; Well-priced; Sounds good; Doubles as a speaker for your phone; Works wired or wirelessly; Doubles as a charger on the go
What Needs Improvement: Nothing, I’m quite impressed with the speaker and love that it comes in at under $150