Aiwa Exos-9 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

When I was looking at opening a retail location, I looked into ceiling and wall mount speakers. The problem was, for the price that I wanted to pay, I would never get the bass response I wanted or the quality. I decided to go to a big box store and see what they had. That is when I came across the Soundtouch series from Bose. As with all things Bose, the prices were a little painful but the in-store demo was impressive, especially with the Soundtouch 30 Series III. Plenty of bass, clean at loud volumes, all in something I could put on a shelf.I went to Amazon to look at reviews and see if there were any comparable products. That is when I was introduced to the Aiwa Exos-9. At the time it had 150ish reviews and was sticking at 5 stars. If you frequently shop for consumer electronics, you'll know that there are always a few bad reviews on ANY product based on unrealistic expectations, user error, a rare slip in quality control, etc. But the Aiwa had virtually none of that. And it was coming in at $200 cheaper than the Bose.So I did what any sane person would do in this situation. I bought both and decided to test them head to head.Now, to be fair, the Soundtouch 30 has more built in features. It can launch media apps on its own without being connected to a computer or phone over wifi. It can also be linked to multiple Soundtouch units where the Aiwa can only link to one other speaker. The ability to play independently on wifi might be reason enough for some people to choose it over the Aiwa. It also includes a remote (a feature I'd appreciate for the Exos-9) and has an app to allow control from your phone.Since I have an old phone that produces high quality audio from its headphone jack (a trait I didn't realize was different in each phone) that I use as my "controller", I wasn't worried about the missing wifi features of the speakers. The ability to charge my phone through the Aiwa is a very welcome feature that reduces cable clutter. I also could ignore playing over bluetooth because no matter the speaker, the quality isn't the same as a direct wire.The thing I wanted to know was, which sounded better. I tried both at various heights and at different distances from the wall to see how much the bass relied on wall reflection to project. I messed with EQ settings on my phone, apps and on the Aiwa and tried every genre of music I could. In store, the Bose had almost an overwhelming amount of base and crystal clarity. It didn't have the EQ settings the Aiwa did, but I wasn't sure it would matter. I was in for a surprise.With rap and bass heavy music, both sounded good though the Aiwa was capable of producing a decent amount more kick. With the EQ on the Aiwa, I could get pretty identical sounds on both. Once I switched to rock music, however, the Aiwa pulled very far ahead. That crystal clarity of the Bose turned harsh and brittle. The mids of the guitars got lost in the mix and tight, punchy rock bass tended to be very subdued. If I didn't have the Aiwa to compare to, I am sure the Soundtouch would have been good enough. But even when cranking the bass via phone EQ and trying everything I could, rock bass never sounded the way I wanted. On the other hand, one the Aiwa, I actually turned the bass down from maximum levels because it had a tendancy to be a little overwhelming and boomy. On metal, it was no contest. Again the mix sounded overly bright and without enough punch on the Bose. With acoustic style music, both worked very well and maybe the Bose was a little better in this regard since that high end sparkle was a boon for this kind of music.After a few hours of these test, I knew I had a winner and returned the Soundtouch 30. Having used the Aiwa for a few weeks now, I am just as impressed as I was at first. I put it on top of a bookshelf against a wall, so I had to dial the bass back a bit since the reflection against a corner and wall was a bit much. I'd compare it to a guitar amp in that you have to play with the settings a bit, between your audio source and the on-board EQ to find the sweet spot for your music and the space you will be listening to it in. Everyone that hears it can't believe I get that quality sound out of something I spent $300 for. Heck, I spent $200 on the tiny Soundlink Mini for traveling and for only $100 more I have something that can fill an entire retail space with a dance party.Consider me impressed and now a loyal customer. I will definitely be grabbing another one of these down the road to link!

I purposely waited around 6 months before providing an update for this review. This was due to the fact that this is the fourth speaker that I owned of theirs (the other three speakers had issues and were promptly replaced, read initial review to find out more) and I was genuinely concerned, given some time, that this speaker would exhibit some of the same issues I had with the previous speakers they sent me. Now having owned this speaker for around half the year and using it almost daily had high volumes, I must say this a must buy! You will not find a portable Bluetooth speaker with such clarity and contrast between the high - mids - and lows. The base production in this speaker is also top notch, easily filling a fairly large room with supreme sound. I have always been a fan of this product, but what concerned me was the durability. This is the fourth speaker that I owned of their since the other 3 speakers either had the base blown out or started skipping. I was skeptical at first and assumed they were giving me refurbished products, but considering that the other reviews have not had an experience similar to mine, I assume that myself was simply a one of case. What really WOWED me was their customer service. I had originally bought a 4-year protection plan with the speaker in case the speaker gets damaged I could replace it, yet I never needed to use it since whenever a fault would occur with the speaker, customer service would send me a return label and take my faulty speaker and give me a brand new one. There was even a time where I was supposed to return my faulty speaker to them 10 months ago and simply forgot to do so. When I reached out to them to receive a new return label, they were within their right to deny me the service; however, they did not and replaced my speaker free of charge. Not only have they replaced the speaker but they have sent me an upgraded version of the speaker that I originally bought. They have upgraded their Bluetooth so that I can walk anywhere in the house with my phone and it will still stay connected with the speaker. They have sent me an upgraded version of their speaker, not once, but twice, and completely free of charge. They really do go above and beyond to make sure you are satisfied with the product, and I could not be any more satisfied. Customer service works promptly as well so there is minimal waiting time if there is ever an issue with your device. The speaker that is sold now is far superior to the speaker that I bought around 3 years ago, they even increased the volume of the speaker which was my one small complaint that I had with the original speaker that I purchased in 2016. If you were purchasing the speaker that I first purchased in 2016, I would have told you that this is a steal for that price, but now with the upgraded that they implemented on the speaker in the last 3 years (improved Bluetooth, increased battery wattage power, increased volume, and base) you would be a fool to believe you could find a better portable Bluetooth speaker for this price!------------Iowa create some great speakers and typically have some great customer service however I have had two speakers replaced, 3 in total and each one of the speakers have failed on me. The first two speakers they shipped me failed due to the bass blowing out at around half volume and this third speaker (the one that I own now) now skips if you increase the volume more than halfway. I regret to have to make this review due to the fact that they generally have great customer service and replaced my first two speakers no questions asked. However, this speaker is simply not durable and is doomed to fail. I've contacted the company again due to the fact that the speaker failed on me of third time and they have neglected to respond to any of my messages and it's been almost a week now. So while they're typically good with customer service their generosity only goes so far. The music generated from the speakers or crisp and clear (to be honest there a bit quieter than I would like them to be), it is a great speaker. If you are looking to get this speaker I would highly recommend it getting the 4-year protection plan since the speaker WILL fail on you, but honestly, there are better options for cheaper prices such as a Tailgater active and that speaker is durable and will last you the test of time. I'm not sure if they merely gave me refurbished products and that's why my speakers continued failing but I will say that if your first Speaker fails and they replace the product, do yourself a favor and sell the speaker since the replacement will fail on as well.