The JiveBox promises high performance, and according to Logic3 has been engineered to deliver a powerful 90 watts RMS, which is apparently unheard of for a unit of its size. But enough from the press release...

As promised, the JiveBox delivers massive sound for such a small unit – it’s actually surprising just how loud it is. The amount of bass is particularly impressive, too.

We tested out the JiveBox by listening to a range of artists from different genres. ‘Don’t give up’ sung by Alicia Keys and U2 front man Bono was handled superbly, with no distortion or hint of tin at all. Keys’ soft-yet-strong vocals sound as pure as you’d expect them to.

It also coped well with the likes of Justin Timberlake and hip-hop artist Kanye West, as well as some recorded live performances by Michael Buble.

That was particularly welcome, as in the past we’ve found many music players struggle with live music. But the saxophones, trumpets and drums come out more crisper than you’d think for a unit of this size and price. 

Where the JiveBox can suffer distortion is when things start to get a little chaotic. It doesn’t cope quite as well with some kinds of rock music; the sounds of electric guitars tend to crackle somewhat and will likely cause some consternation for choosy audiophiles.

Because all the sound comes from one source rather than separate speakers there are no channels as such to adjust. But this is not necessarily to the detriment of the unit considering its size.

The best thing we can say is it sounds much more expensive than its £129.99 price tag.

Verdict: 8/10