The speaker puts out plenty of volume, and the Bass boost is helpful too. I appreciate that the volume control on the speaker is independent of the phone, such that you can set your max volume on the speaker and adjust between zero and that max with the phone. However, I wish that the startup/shutdown sounds could be turned down -- they are very loud. The shutdown sound can wake you back up if you use the speaker to help you fall asleep. Also, unfortunately, you must press-and-hold the volume buttons to adjust the audio level. A short press will skip tracks, rather than intuitively turn the volume up/down.