Overall, been very happy with this system. I bought it for my son for cross-country meets. He's a part-time DJ, so his bass demands are pretty high. This definitely delivered! We're very pleased with the sound quality and volume out of this. The battery life seems better than advertised, as well. The batteries held up for a bus trip to So. Ca. and back, 7 hours each way, no problem. Definitely go for the handle/strap device. It holds the unit securely and adds convenience, even if it does look like an S&M device...