INTRODUCTION

   Portable speakers may not be among the most popular wireless devices all year long but their sales seem to explore during the summer period probably because many people are looking for something to accompany them (and their friends) while relaxing in their back yard, camping or even when at the beach or pool. However although quite versatile and useful because of their compact size and thus limited power output the majority of portable speakers out there simply can't cover a large area and so they are not really ideal for people looking to throw a "party" with their friends. The solution to that is rather simple so you can either choose to pair two or more portable speakers to cover a larger/wider area (not many models support pairing but the number continuously increases) or if there's an electrical socket nearby and you want plenty of power you can get your hands on one of the larger "portable" active speakers like the JAD38-B (EL815820) by E-Lektron.

   E-Lektron started its business in 2007, its target to offer DJ & PA electronics online at competitive prices and with premium service. At that time regular suppliers were not so keen on their products being offered online so E-Lektron started developing their own products, starting with speakers and amplifiers. Our products are being manufactured by contract-manufacturers with E-Lektron’s high standards and are shipped to our customers in the EU with DHL from our warehouse in Paderborn, Germany. Our prices are competitive since there's no “middle man” and our products are covered by a 2-year warranty (after which we can still repair them in our own workshop thanks to our large stock of spare parts, also for older products).

   Unlike the majority of portable speakers in the market currently the JAD38-B (EL815820) by E-Lektron is a massive 16Kg heavy 2-way (bass reflex) digital bi-amp active model with an rather impressive maximum power output of up to 250 WRMS at 4Ohm (500 WRMS total) and so to operate it needs to be plugged into an electrical socket. Also thanks to its large 15"/38cm diameter woofer and titanium-dome dynamic tweeter the speaker has a frequency range/response of 40Hz-20KHz with a sensitivity of 104dB. This of course means that the JAD38-B is far from what we'd call compact but since its hard plastic enclosure has a handle with which you can carry it around it's indeed a portable model. Power output however is not what separates the JAD38-B from most portable speakers out there so starting with its audio inputs not only can it be used both wirelessly (via Bluetooth v4.0 connectivity via CSR's BlueCore CSR8635 QFN chip – AVCRP v1.4/A2DP v1.2/HFP v1.6/HSP v1.2/DI v1.3) and wired (stereo RCA) but it also has a built-in FM radio and an MP3/WMA player which can be used with the intergrated USB port and SD/MMC card slot (navigation is rather easy thanks to a small LCD screen). If these weren't enough however the JAD38-B also features 5 individual control knobs (microphone volume/echo/treble/bass/master volume), speaker output (the internal bi-amp can power a second passive speaker with an impedance of at least 4 Ohms), stereo RCA outputs (for connection with another active box or PA system) and two 6.3mm ports which can be used either with two microphones or a single microphone and an instrument like an electric guitar and/or bass. Sounds interesting right?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The JAD38-B arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has a large product picture at the front and the specifications on the right side.

A large plastic bag covers the speaker while two thick foam spacers are placed at the top and bottom.

Along with the JAD38-B speaker E-Lektron also packs a tiny remote control, power cord and the user manual.

THE JAD38-B

The 16Kg heavy hard plastic enclosure of the JAD38-B measures 72cm in height, 46mm in width and 45mm in depth.

The large aluminum grill at the front covers the 15 inch (38cm) woofer.

A small sticker with the company logo is placed at the base of the speaker.

At the top we find two bass reflex ports and the titanium-dome tweeter placed inside the acoustic horn.

The top of the speaker can be used to place various items like your smartphone or the microphones (if you have any).

Moving at the rear we find the control panel which includes the 5 individual control knobs, LCD screen with its 5 control buttons, SD/MMC card slot (E-Lektron states support for SD cards up to 16GB in capacity but we even used 128GB models without issue), USB port (supports only USB flash drives), two 6.3mm ports, stereo line-in/out RCA ports, speaker out port with its selection switch, power on/off switch and the power port with its fuse.

Aside the two feet at the base the JAD38-B has two more allowing it to be placed diagonally as seen above (a 35mm pole socket is also present for use with standard speaker stands).

A single hard plastic handle (extension of the enclosure) is located on the left side of the speaker.

The rear LCD screen may be somewhat small but you can clearly read what it says and it even has an equalizer when music is being played by the SD/MMC card slot or the USB port (from here you can also adjust contrast, check the firmware version, change the time, initiate alarm mode in case of an emergency and more).

Although we prefer using the individual control knobs located at the rear of the enclosure E-Lektron also bundles a tiny remote control with the JAD38-B.

CONCLUSION

   It took no less than 3 weeks for us to test the JAD38-B by E-Lektron (we even had a small afternoon party on the rooftop to test its maximum output) and although its sheer weight (16kg) and available features place it into a whole separate category compared to most wireless speakers we still think that it's a great choice for people who place power output above portability. Of course because of its tremendous power output of 250 WRMS (500 WRMS total output from the two internal amplifiers) E-Lektron advertises the JAD38-B 2-way bi-amp speaker as a professional model aimed towards DJ's and although we do realize that its target audience is indeed somewhat limited just like with many other professional devices it can be used by just about anyone (and we know people who own similar models). Audio quality is also surprisingly good and clear (even at full volume we didn't notice any distortion) and although you shouldn't expect audiophile grade acoustics we were actually very pleased with its overall performance. Bluetooth connectivity worked as it should (we did encounter 3 split second disconnections while using the speaker but that's not something we haven't encountered numerous times in the past) as did both the SD/MMC card slot (we verified support for SD cards up to 128GB in capacity as long as they are formatted with exFAT) and the USB port (can only be used with USB flash drives). Unfortunately since we don't have a compatible extra speaker we can't really comment on the performance of the dual amplifiers when another speaker is connected with the JAD38-B.

   The JAD38-B may not be unique in its class but it’s actually far more affordable than many similar models and to be more specific it currently retails for 178.95Euros inside the EU (directly from E-Lektron). The lack of RGB LED lights is perhaps the only thing we’d like to see with the JAD38-B (could help attract a younger audience) since many manufacturers (large and small) have had such models in their product lines for a while now so we hope E-Lektron follows the same path. That being said the JAD38-B may not be aimed towards people looking for a portable battery operated speaker but it offers much more including many times the power output (thus allowing you to cover a huge area) which is why it has earned our Golden Award.

PROS

- Durable Enclosure
- 2 Way Speaker Output (250 WRMS)
- Bi Amp (2^nd Speaker Connection)
- Bluetooth v4.0
- SD/MMC/USB Player (Compatible With MP3/WMA)
- Microphone/Instrument 6.3mm Inputs
- Stereo RCA Input/Output
- LCD Screen With Controls
- 5 Individual Control Knobs
- FM Radio
- Alarm Mode
- Price (Compared To Similar Models)

CONS

- Size/Weight
- Wall Powered Only
- No RGB LEDs
- Price (For Some)