Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'll preface my review by stating that I've never owned a Bluetooth speaker. Never thought I needed one until I was trying to listen to music in the shower via iPhone (on the vanity counter). Just didn't have the power to punch through the exhaust fan, running water and shower curtain...enter the Omaker M4. I was deciding between this and the $15 Soundbot that suctions to the shower. I opted for the Omaker due to the longer battery life and reviews boasting about the BIG sound. Plus I wanted a rugged speaker that I could use at the beach or backyard and this checked all the boxes. I quickly put the M4 through the paces in order to write this review. I'm sure there are others trying to make a similar decision to mine, so let's cut to the chase...THIS is the speaker to own. That is of course if you're looking for a $35 speaker with $90 specs. At this price, just buy it to have in case you need it. I'm sure you'll find a reason. First thing I did was open the box, begin charging and attempt to connect my iPhone 5. Success...connected within seconds. Side note: This may be common of BT, but I have to disconnect one device before attempting to connect another (i.e ipad). So now I'm connected and playing a song from my Rhapsody app. Sound is clear without distortion and the bass is well above average for this size speaker. Remember, speaker sound is dependent on the source which varies. It had no trouble cutting through the shower noise...either on the vanity counter or on a shelf in the shower surround (different experience entirely). See pic I attached of the speaker working with water splashed all over. The sound was unaffected and the speaker never skipped a beat. The next test was to leave the speaker playing in the shower while I walked around my bedroom and walk-in closet (35' stretch with bathroom situated between bedroom and closet). At this point, I was about 20' away from the speaker at the furthest point and the sound carried with perfect clarity. It was really nice. The last test was for distance of connection on a straight line. At 10', the speaker worked flawlessly. I could walk between the speaker and phone without losing connection. At 20', I could move the phone around without losing connection; but once I walked between the speaker and phone, the connection crackled a bit. At 35', the source had to remain still or the connection was completely lost. If I were to turn the corner at 20' the connection was lost. Since I don't plan to listen to a portable BT speaker from 25' this isn't a problem. But trust me, this speaker is more than loud enough from 25'. I gave the Omaker M4 FOUR stars because the owner's manual cautions not to leave the speaker plugged in charging for more than 12 hours. It's scary to think I may leave this plugged in overnight and burn the house down; or even worse, burn up this awesome speaker. I took another fraction point since answering phone calls results in a bad echo for the other caller...pretty much worthless feature after 2 tests. In case anyone is interested, I included pix of the user's manual. I'll try to remember to update my review at 30 days, but for now, I highly recommend the Omaker M4...and thanks to Amazon and the reviewers for guiding me to this beast! \m/ \m/ ***30 day Update*** Still on the first battery charge. Battery life is a big reason I went for the Omaker and it is living up to expectations...exceeding actually. My son knocked it off a table onto a concrete patio with no affect to the M4. Answering phone calls still results in an echo for the other line so that wasn't a fluke. Haven't had any trouble connecting via Bluetooth from any device (iphone5, 5C and ipad3). After 30 days, I'm still happy with this purchase...still recommended. ***2 year+ Update*** Still recommending!!! What a champ this speaker is. Still good battery life. Still good sound. One commenter stated I had the speaker volume too loud when receiving phone calls. They're probably right. I've had success with phone calls with lower volume. I've upped my stars to 5...deserved. I've purchased other budget BT speakers for different reasons and they DO NOT COMPARE. Actually died on me. This is the budget BT speaker for you. I wish I was paid or provided for free to review. Not the case. Just trusted Amazon reviewers and lucked out with this puppy. My go-to...my precious. Ok, that might be overboard, but me likey.