The power-fighting ghetto blaster of yore is reborn. A glossy acrylic face replaces the Reagan-era plastic of old-school jam boxes, while stylishly illuminated touch-sensitive controls, an OLED display, and oversize aluminum knobs add a dose of pragmatic futurism. The dual 10-watt drivers produce surprisingly rich audio, and the relentlessly thumpy 15-watt subwoofer is a noise violation waiting to happen. Still, we would have liked some Obama-era amenities like a remote or Bluetooth.
WIRED USB, RCA, and 3.5-mm inputs pull audio from just about anything. Durable carbon-fiber speaker cones. Rubberized storage tray keeps gadgets secure. Integrated guitar input.
TIRED Mobility costs 12 D-cell batteries, pushing the weight up to a Lloyd Dobler-crushing 30 pounds. Low-rent antenna and lack of wireless functionality are unacceptable at this price.