Also see: Best Black Friday Speaker Deals
Jam Double Down Bluetooth speaker review: Pricing and availability
Jam Double Down Bluetooth speaker review: Design and build quality
Jam’s Double Down Bluetooth speaker broadly resembles the shape of a bongo drum with a rounded body and flat top, which is where the single 4W speaker is housed. It’s mainly clad in a rubber-like material which should give it some extra grip when playing bassy tunes, as well as extra protection if/when it gets dropped – normal plastic would simply crack, where rubber is more durable. It’s also available in three colours – red, black or blue. The Double Down is fairly robust, but is still portable enough to sit in the palm of your hand, measuring in at 88 x 89.5 x 89.5mm. It’s lightweight too, weighing in at 363g, making it an ideal travel companion as it can be left in a rucksack/bag and forgotten about until required. The Jam Double Down features physical buttons on the front of the speaker to control audio playback, allowing users the option to control music via the speaker itself and not the source of the audio. We prefer the use of standard buttons opposed to touch-sensitive buttons that are becoming commonplace in Bluetooth speakers, as touch buttons can become unresponsive and unreliable. Looking for something a little more high end than the Double Down? Take a look at the best high-end Bluetooth speakers available in 2016.
Jam Double Down Bluetooth speaker review: Features and connectivity
So, what makes the Jam Double Down stand out from the competition? The main draw for the Double Down is arguably the ability to pair the speaker with another Double Down, providing users with wireless stereo audio. Doubling up on speakers provides users with louder, stereo audio and is a handy setup for trips to the beach, small house parties, etc. although we couldn’t put this to the test for ourselves, as we only had one speaker. Along with the ability to pair with another Double Down speaker, the speaker also boasts water resistance – although we’re not sure to what level. As ports and the speaker are fairly exposed, we imagine it’ll survive a splash of water from a swimming pool or a stint in light rain but nothing more. In terms of connectivity, the Jam Double Down features Bluetooth 4.1 built-in along with a 3.5mm auxiliary input, allowing the speaker to be used with non-Bluetooth enabled devices (although we must admit that most media devices come with some kind of Bluetooth connectivity these days). It also features a built-in mic for hands-free calls, and will last an average of six hours per charge – but don’t worry, it requires a readily available micro-USB to charge. Read next: How to connect a Bluetooth speaker in Windows 10
Jam Double Down Bluetooth speaker review: Audio
So, what is the Jam Double Down like in the Audio department? For a £59.99 speaker, it doesn’t sound bad. The Jam Double Down features a 4W speaker that provides punchy, rounded bass tones ideal for dance/Dubstep songs, although the bass levels did start to decrease as the volume levels rose. However despite the slight drop in bass at high volume, it didn’t ruin the overall audio experience for us – if you continuously desire loud music, think about buying two and pairing them up. Despite the above-average levels of bass provided by the Double Down, it doesn’t drown out the mid-tones, although the vocals weren’t always as clear as we’d have liked. Essentially, it’s a decent all-round speaker and although it won’t be able to compete with more premium Bluetooth speakers, it’s great for its price range. Looking for something a little more premium? Take a look at Jam Double Down’s bigger brother, the Jam Heavy Metal Bluetooth speaker. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
