Amethyst Innovations M175GR Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Gray

I looked at about 30 bluetooth speakers and this one takes the cake. Most bluetooth speakers either sound terrible, cost way too much, have few features, or the speakerphone does not work well enough to be usable.This one is medium sized, has excellent sound, and the user can jump to the next song or pause/replay a tune. The battery life is as good as it gets. It gets real loud without distorting. Tone quality is excellent and not tinny or muddy. In the 70's I was a buyer and audiophile for a leading hi-fi store chain and am real picky about sound. The problem with most of these speakers is that the tinny/glassy sound is like Chinese water torture and you end up having to turn it off to give your ears a break. This speaker is smooth and you can run it all day without your ears getting fed up.This is the only unit I have found with a useful speakerphone. The Auvio 1000 (which was the only serious competitor) looks great and sounds great but the speakerphone is useless.I also credit JM Prime with a prompt response and replacement of a defective unit.My only gripe with this unit is that the shallow bas-relief lettering on the top and back is impossible to read. It is molded into the gray rubber shell

After the first 3 hours of the first time i charge the speaker the thing started to throw black smoke, it was so much smoke that i had to get of the house and open all the windows, it almost burns down my house, thanks god i was there the moment it started. The bottom of the speaker melted. Look the pictures an video.

Works better than I expected.... Extremely loud and very useful!!! I recommend this to everyone!!!!

It came with no power cable !

The media could not be loaded.  I've listened to and tried out a many, many different Bluetooth speakers, but there were a couple of features that does separate the Amethyst from some of the others. The large buttons on the top of the Amethyst M1, if they could speak, they wouldn't mince words. They are thumb-sized and make it much easier to work with. Instead of a symbol to indicate "this is where you pair," it simply says "Pair." Two others say Input and Phone. The manual is actually a folded over piece of paper, but there are visuals to work with, something the neophyte to Bluetooth technology will appreciate.I'll get to the sound in a minute, but it's recently come to light that many people are actually preferring a Bluetooth speaker with something other than a small footprint. They actually want something for their money and if that's what you want, the Amethyst will do just that. It's a full 13.1 x 5.2 x 3.6 inches and weighs 2.4 pounds. The design is sleek with a silicone top and plastic housing. The grill is metal and has a raised brick-like pattern design. Rubberized feet will keep it from sliding and will prevent the speaker from sounding as if its vibrating.The Amethyst is intuitive in that it talks to you. It says "Power on" as soon as you flip the switch. It almost guides one through the process, however if you aren't familiar with Bluetooth technology, you may wish to have someone guide you through it the first time. Once someone does, you'll be infinitely more comfortable. You need to charge up your phone, Kindle, or other small device? There's a USB port in the back. Listen and power up at the same time. There's an AUX-in port if you simply want to use it as a speaker.And soooo, how does it sound? Awesome. It has a decent range and soundstage. The clarity is awesome and any kind of music I tried from Handel to Hardwell, pop, rock, country, and hip hop sounded great. The control buttons on the top only need a light touch to work. Oh, and if you are visually impaired the large controls are a real plus. Great speaker, sleek look, and nice all around multi-purpose Bluetooth speaker.FEATURES:► Wireless Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone system► Includes Bluetooth version 3.0 for at least 23' connectivity range► Portable & Rechargeable built-in Lithium Ion Battery for up to 10 hour continuous play► 2.1 channel 2-Way 3-Speaker with 6.5 total wattage output power. Includes twin 1.5 watt tweeters and a real 3.5 watt front firing subwoofer.► Hands free communication with its built in microphone speakerphone system. Enjoy clean, crisp inbound or outbound phone call conversations.► Touch Sensitive Control with nine interface functions.► Rear panel USB charge out port - to charge all your Smartphones and digital devices (up to 1 amp).► AUX-In port and included 3.5 mm audio cable to play all your non-Bluetooth devicesDC-In port to connect your AC adapter and to recharge the built in Lithium-Ion batteryWHAT'S IN THE BOX:☼ Amethyst M1☼ AC Power adapter☼ Audio cable☼ User manualSPECS:► Amplifier output power: left/right 1.5Wx2, subwoofer 3.5Wx1► Amplifier input sensitivity: <400m V► Amplifier SNR: 70dB► Frequency response: 70Hz-20KHz► Power voltage: AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz► Battery: 7.4V 1800mHA► Battery time: 10 hours► Battery charging time: 4 - 6 hours► Bluetooth range: 7 - 10 meters (23 - 33 feet)► Bluetooth version: 3.0 2.4G Support A2DPCERTIFICATIONS:☼ CE FCC RoHsMusic © Missy Higgins

This Amethyst 2.1 is a really nice bluetooth speaker for the money. It pairs nicely with my wife's iPhone 5 (uploaded pics for size reference here too). The sound is really good too. It sounds better than my prior speaker docks that I've had for my iPods!Upon opening, initial charging probably took 5 or 6 hours. Note that when charging the power switch needs to be turned to "on" (which is a little odd). It comes with an easy-to-use charger that plugs into the wall. It also comes with a standard aux jack (headphone-sized one) which is good if you want to use a traditional older iPod Classic with it.Visually, it kind of looks like a Lego design (which I think is cool). The gray color is nice and understated. The size is good. It feels sturdy and solid.The only negatives are the instructions are horribly written. It was clearly written in a foreign language and then poorly translated into English. But honestly you probably don't need the instructions. It's pretty easy to hit the "Pair" button and link it to your device. We were able to quickly switch from iPhone 5 to iPad using the Pair button.I had never heard of Amethyst bluetooth speakers before but am really happy with it. I hope it lasts a long time.