There are a lot of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market, but not many of them sound good enough for a party, especially if you’re looking for some thumping bass. The Aiwa Exos-9 however, not only sounds impressive but has a strong battery life, a larger than average Bluetooth range and it includes a graphic equalizer (which is not commonly found on portable Bluetooth speakers). That being said, there are a few reasons it won’t be the perfect choice for everyone which I’ll discuss in this review as well.
Now currently the Exos-9 retails for about $300, but you can click here to check price and availability.
ACCESSORIES
Included with the Exos-9 is an auxiliary audio cable, power cable, Bluetooth battery and a manual.
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
Size wise, the Exos-9 is one of the larger portable speakers on the market. It has a mostly a plastic construction with a metal, removable grill on the front. On the front you have 5 drivers which includes: two 1″ silk tweeter, two 3″ neodymium midrange drivers and one 6.5″ dual voice coil woofer.
Has a Bluetooth battery that is removable and replaceable. For example, let’s say you wanted to take this to an all-day even where you’ll be using it for more than 8 hours.
On the back side you have the bass reflex port and the removable Bluetooth battery is located there as 
well. Since this battery is replaceable you can purchase additional batteries to use as backups. This allows you to get a longer playing time if you want to use this all day and not run out of battery life. So instead of running out of power and having to wait for it to recharge, you can just swap out the dead battery and recharge it (if you’re able) while you put in the replacement. The Bluetooth battery is a 6-cell Lithium-ion, 15,600mAh (22V).
Also, at the back, in the bottom right corner you have the power on and off switch, the power input, the auxiliary input (which allows you to connect this to devices that don’t have Bluetooth connectivity), a USB input for charging the battery and a micro usb port for updating the firmware.
On the front you have a blue led display that lights up when you first turn it on. It has a battery life indicator, an EQ indicator and a Bluetooth connection indicator. There is also a volume knob to manually adjust the volume.
On the top of the unit you have a touch sensitive screen which has a play/pause button and you can adjust the EQ settings. There is also a “Link” button you can touch which will allow you to link to another Exos-9 unit. The interface works ok but it’s not as responsive as I would like. Sometimes you have to push the buttons a few times or push them a little firmer to get them to respond. Finally, there is a near-field communication sensor which allows you to easily connect with Android devices.
Overall it has a solid feel and construction to it.
FEATURES
Regarding the features of the Exos-9 you can use this by connecting an auxiliary cable or in Bluetooth mode. The Bluetooth connection uses an APTX codec (for a cleaner signal) and has an impressive 50-foot range which is close to double the average 30-foot range that most Bluetooth speakers have. This pairs easily with any Bluetooth device and the connection stays strong without breaks or drops in the signal.
There is a 5 band EQ that can be turned on or off which allows you to adjust the sound to your liking. It also includes 5 presents to save your favorite EQ settings. You also have a “Save” mode which allows you to play music without using the subwoofer. This saves your battery life and helps it to last longer. Save mode allows you to save battery life by not using the subwoofer. Still sounds great in this mode, just doesn’t have as much bass.
Finally you have the option of using something called “Link Play” which will connect a second Exos-9 wirelessly. This works really well (as long as there’s nothing obstructing the two speakers) and gives you the options of using each speaker as a left and right channel or the second unit can just mirror the first one. Either way, using this feature dramatically increases the potential volume and works really well at settings like an outdoor party where it sounds better to have the sound coming from two difference locations.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound quality is definitely one of the strengths of this speaker. It produces a very full, and dynamic sound with lots of punchy bass. Whether you’re listening to it at a lower or louder volume, it sounds really nice. Overall, I would describe the sound signature as more of a “party” sound as opposed to being more neutral and natural.
The amount of bass this produces is some of the best I’ve heard in a portable Bluetooth speaker. In fact, many portable speakers can’t come close to producing the same level of thumping bass. What’s impressive is even turning this up all the way, the bass doesn’t distort. Any contemporary genres of music like dance, electronic, rap, hip-hop and popular music all sounds really nice.
The mids and highs also have enough clarity to make music really enjoyable to listen to. Though slightly colored, the mids are still natural enough to create a very engaging sound. Voices don’t sound too constricted but the additional bass emphasis can make female voices sound slightly fuller then a more neutral or natural sound signature. But the benefit of this type of sound signature is that you can crank the volume and not have to worry as much about fatiguing your ears.
So overall you have a really nice sound that’s full and satisfying. It’s also particularly effective in a party type environment or for listening to more contemporary types of music genres.
REASONS TO CONSIDER SOMETHING ELSE
Now, even though this portable Bluetooth speaker is an incredible value, there are a few reasons you may want to go with something else.
First, if you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker that’s easier to take with you, then this speaker may be too large. For example, if you’d like to be able to easily carry it with you while riding a bike, or if you need something that doesn’t take up much space then again, there are smaller and more compact options available.
Next, if you’re looking for a portable speaker that’s designed for more rugged use or that has a degree of being waterproof or perhaps can be dropped in water then this wouldn’t be the best choice.
Finally, if you’re after as much sound quality as possible for your money and if portability is not a high priority then you could do much better sound quality wise from a good quality conventional speaker system.
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RECOMMENDATION
What stands out about this speaker is how much value you’re getting for your money. This is one of the best sounding portable Bluetooth speakers under $300. And if you like a sound signature that has a fuller, richer sound with the ability to produce a substantial amount of bass then you’d probably consider this the best sounding speaker in this price range. And besides sounding incredible, you get some very practical and useful features such as being able to replace the Bluetooth battery, adjusting EQ settings and linking to a second Exos-9 for a bigger sound experience. If you don’t mind having a portable speaker on the larger side then you’ll be extremely impressed with the AIWA Exos-9.