JAM Retro Classic Vintage Blutooth Speaker, 16 Hours Play Time, Aux-in Port, USB Charging, Mint

Great vintage look and great sound quality. So far so good.

Let me start by saying this is NOT my first Jam product. I have had several starting back with the original 808 cans.Why have I stayed with them so long? because they just work. The connectivity is never an issue unless I walk to far away from the speaker. The sound is (almost) always on point, and the portability has never failed me... until this one.If you have a moment let me tell you a tale of sadness, then a deeper sadness, then some happiness with a twinge of sadness...I'd bought MANY Bluetooth speakers that met my needs and wants during the early years of BT speakers. Jam was the singular brand that was widely accessible and actually met all of my needs. They were ALWAYS portable, from the Can series on up.Then I found my sweetheart. The Jam Party HDMX. It was AWESOME sound in a tiny re-chargeable box that NEVER failed to perform.One day I plugged it in to charge it and only when it was too late did i realize I was using the wrong cord. It KILLED my speaker. (The Sadness)No worries, I told myself, I'll just jump online and order a new one. (The Deeper Sadness) They had stopped making them years ago (I won't say how many). Seriously; where did time go?Now I have no way of repairing (or replacing) this friend that had been there through so many moments of my life. Always lifting me up with a much needed song at just the right moment.I was crushed and devastated... Not really... Jam kept making speakers even as time marched on.I reviewed and researched and finally decided on this one. SIMPLY because it matched the bird bath I'd bought my wife.I set up the PERFECT moment for when she got home from work... The grill was smoking with a couple of burgers, her bird feeder and bird bath were all assembled in the side yard and then there, on the little table, next to the yard swing i bought her for her birthday, was the most adorable little speaker.This little speaker filled the back yard with one of our FAVORITE songs from a Steve Martin movie... They are both titled "My Blue Heaven"it was pure joy.... When Whippoorwills Call, And evening is nigh, I hurry to my blue heaven...This is an OLD song, and when Gene Austin released it in 1927 they didn't have a care for equalization so the song is what it is. High notes were raw and the bass notes were chaffing.(a bit of sadness was added in right here) The burgers were done just about the same time as the song. I shoveled them and a couple of grilled onions onto a plate and was ready to head inside so we could eat.This speaker has NO handle. NONE... Not only that but the sturdy bass sound we heard is supplied by a large plate on the back of the speaker so that even carrying it around with my gorilla sized hands is a pain in the neck because I have to rest a thumb on that plate to grip it.This CAN'T be good for the speaker.As much as I love it's battery life, it's "happy" sound (for a speaker this size... they did awesome), and it's "retro" look... the lack of a handle to carry it with really breaks my heart a little.I tried to make a little sling out of duck tape but nothing "fits" that retro look.Overall? I'm in love with this little speaker. It's the closest I've found to my Party HDMX in the sound and price category. Responsive bass, clear highs without being "tinny", and mids that just flat out call for attention.WHY? For real... WHY make it a portable size if you aren't going to make it portable by giving it a handle? And even WORSE!!! You made the Bass Reflex plate RIGHT where we have to grab it if we DO want to carry it around. The MOST tender part is where you have to pick it up to move it realistically.Would I buy another one? Most likely not. Do I regret buying this one? Deff not. The sound is great for it's size, and the look is a retro awesome, even the battery life is a huge PLUS. But if you plan to do anything other than sit this on a desk or a mantle in your room...invest in some zip ties or something and create a sling for it.