Aiwa Exos-3 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, 60W Peak Power, 20-Hour Playtime,

3 reviews for Aiwa Exos-3 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, 60W Peak Power, 20-Hour Playtime,

1. 

   Kyle Weldon – 9 December 2024

   Aiwa Exos-3…HiFi & Ultra-rugged…All In One!!
   The Aiwa Exos-3 is one amazing speaker! All in all, a true 10 out of 10 on all aspects…from design, size, portability, ruggedness, firmware update-able, and not to mention quality of sound. The Aiwa engineers have really delivered a very respectable, mid-size offering to compete with (and annihilate in most cases) the Sony, JBL, Altec Lansing, Marshall, & UE big boys of the world. Plus, Aiwa’s customer service just cannot be beat…period!The biggest, first-impression you get when you open the box is that this speaker is built like a tank. Very durable cloth grill covering, with an extremely durable resin chassis. The passive bass radiators are exposed, but extremely durable and feel like they are really well engineered to take a beating. The button layout is clean and simple to follow, and the included carry strap (also easy to install/remove) is quite nice.Connecting to the Exos-3 is super easy and takes only a couple seconds. One item to note…when you do connect to the speaker for the first time (and subsequent times), the speaker / phone pairs at 50% volume. That might be a bit loud for some users…so watch your volume on your phone or tablet. From my iPhone XS Max, the speaker & phone volume is in sync. Pressing and holding the Vol – or Vol + will enable the skip forward / skip back feature. Pressing and releasing the power button is the play/pause feature.Sound: well…it’s amazing! The added tweeter in the center of the speaker gives a nice high frequency clarity that is missing on MANY portable speakers this size. Sound is fuller and more accurate than the Soundcore Motion + and Motion Boom. The two main drivers do a great job with full range sound reproduction, and they still manage a good amount of stereo L/R separation as well. Bass is full and tight, but not over-bloated or over-EQ’d. The Exos-3 is one of the best sounding, most accurate portable speakers in this size range available today. If you truly are wanting accurate sound reproduction…Aiwa knows what they are doing!The Exos-3 uses USB-C for charging, and does have the USB-A out for charging a mobile device. It comes with the USB-C cable and USB charging block as well (unlike others who only throw in a cable). Speaker takes a good 4-5 hours to fully charge. Side note: If you really want a mind-blowing experience, buy 2 of them and put them into TWS, or true wireless stereo mode. OMG! Such great sound, at such a great price point…super portable and super rugged as well.Just buy one…or two. And, backed by Aiwa’s excellent customer support. You just can’t go wrong with this speaker!

2. 

   E.C. – 9 December 2024

   Solid Bluetooth Speaker – 4.5 Stars (Rounded Up 0.5 because I love Aiwa)
   Before buying the Aiwa Exos-3, my collection of portable standalone bluetooth speakers included a Diamondboxx XL2, an Aiwa Exos-9, a JBL Charge 3, and a UE Wonderboom 2. Each serves a purpose and has its pros and cons. I received notification from Aiwa about a promotion on the Exos-3. I love my Aiwa Exos-9, so it felt like a no brainer to buy Exos-3 with a promotion, which I was hoping to fill the gap (in terms of portability and loudness [particularly in terms of bass]) somewhere between the Exos-9 and JBL Charge 3. (My JBL Charge 3 is still going strong after a number of years and, in my opinion, is still an excellent speaker).Sound: I predominantly tested the unit with hip hop and dancehall reggae streaming from Spotify (High Quality Stream selected). The Exos-3 has excellent sound quality, and it can get very loud with minimal distortion. No, not Exos-9 or Diamondboxx XL2 loud, but more than loud enough to be the life of a moderately sized party indoors and, at full volume, might cause a neighboring apartment to complain (I haven’t tested it outdoors yet). I did a sound comparison between it and the JBL Charge 3, and the Exos-3 gets louder, has more bass, and seems to have less distortion when you approach volumes of 80%-100%. That said, the bass is very good at high levels, but not ground-shaking (which I suppose can’t be really expected for a unit this size) – at higher volumes, the Exos-3 gave more than enough to make me say “OK, that’s some decent bass,” but from the company that made the Exos-9 (which, IMO, really kicks for it’s size), I was hoping for something more substantial in terms of bass. The lack of ridiculous bass is not a deal breaker for me – the Aiwa Exos-3 is still a fantastic portable bluetooth speaker in terms of sound and indeed seems to fill the gap between a JBL Charge 3 and Aiwa Exos-9, but closer the Charge 3 than Exos-9.Other features: The Exos-3 is a bit bigger than the JBL Charge 3, but holding the Exos-3, you’ll instantly notice how well built it is. It’s built like a tank and has some weight to it – certainly not enough weight to make me feel like it’s too heavy, but heavy enough to give me impression that this is not a flimsy piece of equipment. As a NYC resident who is always on the go, the strap is a great feature. Also awesome that it has Bluetooth 5.0 and can act as a charger for my phone. I’m definitely keeping this unit, but Aiwa’s 90 day risk free trial and 3 year warranty is fantastic and gives me a some assurance that if this thing malfunctions, it will be supported.

3. 

   Technocrat – 9 December 2024

   Rugged Exos 3
   The Exos 3 arrived in new sealed original box. The speaker itself has a nice bit of heft, as would be due to multiple speakers, drivers. Speakers exterior consists of rugged, burlap type cloth, with the ends consisting of tough impact resistant plastic. However, the box arrived missing both the user manual and all accessories… no usb cable, no audio cable, no carrying strap, no power cable. Seller support is handled thru Amazon, which is automated, with limited directional options based on issue. By this process, I was referred to Aiwa website for support. The problem is that my purchase was not directly from Aiwa website, so they have no record of purchase or warranty, so I don’t see how this will be resolved. The speaker sounds okay, with decent bass for pop and rock, but maybe not so much for bass crazies… also, make sure you listen to a good recording in order to appreciate the speaker’s clarity, and volume potential. Lastly, note that there is a firmware update, already installed on the all black option, and possibly available for the earlier black with red trim option. The firmware update supports enhanced bass, up to maximum volume, an improvement over the original firmware, which only supported enhanced bass at lower volumes.