HMDX Jam Party Review

Introduction:

Up until the late 90s, boomboxes were the staple for letting everyone around you know the kind of music you’re digging at the moment, as they blasted music with no bounds. As we’ve seen, these now regarded antiquated monstrosities have been phased out in favor of wireless Bluetooth speakers that pack an equal amount of punch. Billed as a modern day boombox, the HMDX Jam Party pays homage to the styling, but rather than being a bulky and gigantic sized thing, it’s been squeezed into a compact body that’s easily portable. Is this something that does justice to the boomboxes of yesterday’s era?

Design:

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t have that boombox-like design from back in the day, but instead, it’s sporting a very conventional compact design that’s prevalent in the space. Well, it’s nice that HMDX has the Jam Party available in a rainbow of color options to give it some allure, but there isn’t a dramatic approach with its entire design. However, we’ll admit that its construction has a very rugged aspect to it, which is mainly attributed to its sturdy plastic body that’s covered in a soft touch matte material. Don’t let its travel friendly size fool you, because it’s actually boasting some hefty weight for its size – it’s not a bad thing per se, but something that’s noticeable upon holding it. Seriously, we can’t get over the impeccable construction of the HMDX Jam Party, since it’s solid in all areas!

Occupying the majority of space on its façade, its tough metal speaker grill protects its two speakers – while an additional two oval shaped cutouts in the rear are meant to suck in some air and pump out some bass tones. Also found in the rear of the speaker, hidden behind plastic flaps, are the proprietary charging port to charge its internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and an aux-in connection to hard wire other audio devices to it.

Along the top ridge of the HMDX Jam Party, there are physical buttons that allow us to power it on/off, track reverse, pause/play, track forward, volume up, and volume down. They’re actually all incorporated into the same rubbery strip, but the icons help to distinguish each one. Surrounding both ends, we have LED lights for its Bluetooth connectivity and charging statuses. Paying its homage to the boombox, it discretely features a spring loaded handle that pops from the top edge – while on the bottom side of the speaker, there’s another spring loaded panel that helps to prop up the HMDX Jam Party.

Audio Quality:

Thankfully, we didn’t have issues trying to get the HMDX Jam Party paired to our device initially – and in this case, it’s a Samsung Galaxy S4. Once connected, we’re able to maintain a solid connection for up to 15 feet way, where upon it begins to cut in and out after that mark.

Now when you’re being marketed as a boombox, we’re expecting to hear something that is extremely powerful that we can feel the pulsating beats hit our face and body as we’re listening. Sadly, the HMDX Party Plus is insignificant in this particular area, as its quality is only capable of encompassing smaller rooms. Compared to the audio quality pumped out by our Samsung Galaxy S4’s internal speaker, the HMDX Jam Party is no doubt considerably stronger and louder, but at the loudest volume setting, it does sound rather strained with its output. However, what’s missing here is the prominent level of bass that we’d expect a ‘boombox’ to deliver. In reality, it’s subdued when it’s positioned at the highest volume level, which is a shame really. As it turns out, the HMDX Jam Party can’t really bring the jamming tunes to the party.

Battery Life:

Whether you’re at home in your office trying to get some work done, or at the beach soaking in some sun, the HMDX Jam Party ensures that you won’t skip a beat with its long battery life. Specifically, the manufacturer has it rated for 12 hours, which isn’t necessarily new heights, but nevertheless slightly ahead of the curve over some other comparable models.

Conclusion:

Obviously, the good in the HMDX Jam Party is seem mostly with is compact design and rock solid construction. Beyond that, however, there isn’t anything to make it a dramatic offering over Bluetooth speakers in the same category, as the combination of its $120 price point and its underwhelming audio quality doesn’t allow it kick start any party that’s trying to get off the ground. If you’re looking for something with stellar audio quality, you might want to think about the Cambridge Audio Minx Go, which is priced a little more at $150, but delivers audio that’s without question more superior to this. On the flip side, though, you can even pay less money to snag HMDX’s very own Jam Plus Bluetooth speaker, which seems to provide that good balance between price point and audio quality.

HMDX Jam Party Video Review: