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So if you’re in the market for a large portable bluetooth speaker then chances are you’re probably either looking at the JBL Xtreme 3 or the Sony XB43… 2 very popular speakers that have been updated for 2020. Now even though at the end of the day these are just speakers… they are very different from one another. And depending on your needs you’ll be better off with one over the other. So lets see how the JBL Xtreme 3 stacks up to the Sony XB43.
Now when it comes to pricing this can definitely be a deciding factor for some people. Now the XB43 has a retail price of $250 but can routinely be found on sale for like $200 or even $150. Which is crazy. Where as the JBL Xtreme 3 has a retail price of $350. But I do expect this speaker to also go on sale from time to time. But ultimately I do think the XB43 will always be noticeably less experience than the Xtreme 3. Regardless if you want to pick either of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below and if you want to learn more about either of these speakers please watch their full reviews cause we’re only going over their main differences here.
Now first off we’ve got to talk about the designs of these speakers cause they’re very different from one another. Now both of these speakers are rocking mostly fabric covered bodies which is good cause it means that they’ll both be able to stand up to constant bumps and scrapes without any problems. Both of these speakers are also rocking IP67 ratings meaning that neither of these speakers are afraid of a little water. So both of these speakers are good options if you want a larger speaker to use at home but also want something that you can take on the go with you and not have to worry about it one bit. However when it comes to portability… the Xtreme 3 does have a leg up here. First off there’s the fact that the Xtreme 3 has a shoulder strap which just makes carrying this speaker around much easier than the XB43. And it also doesn’t hurt that this shoulder strap has a built in bottle opener. Which I feel is a nice touch. But more importantly… the Xtreme 3 is much lighter than the XB43 weighing in at 4.3 pounds. Where as the XB43 weighs in at 6.5 pounds. Now I know that this 2.2 pond difference might not seem like a big deal… but you can really feel when youre walking around with these speakers. So if you’re looking for a speaker to constantly take on the go with you either to a cook out, get together with friends, or camping… the Xtreme 3 is going to make life notcibaly easier thanks to its shoulder strap, bottle opener and lighter weight.
But something the XB43 does have going for it is that I does have fairly good looking light feature. Now this isn’t the best looking light feature out there and your customization options are fairly limited… But the XB43’s light feature does help liven up a room.
But now lets talk about tech specs… now one really cool thing about both of these speakers is that they both charge via a USB C port and they both come included with fairly sleek charging cables. Cause both of their predecessors charged via an AC port and their charging cables did have large power bricks. But not anymore.
However, the Xtreme 3’s USB C port is a little different than the XB43’s. With the Xtreme 3 you can actually use this USB C port to charge your own devices where as with the XB43 you can’t. Now I think that this is awesome cause a lot of phones these days are starting to come with USB C cables. But both the Xtreme 3 and XB43 still have a USB A port which you can also use to charge your own devices.
But just keep in mind, even though you can charge your own devices with the USB C port on the Xtreme 3… you still can’t use it as a wired connection. If you want to use a wired connection with either of these speaker you’ve gotta use their audio jacks. Now I do want to point out hat thankfully both of these speakers still have an audio jack cause a lot of speakers these days are starting to remove their audio jacks. Both the sony XB33 and XB23 don’t have audio jacks any more and both the JBL Pulse 4 and JBL Flip 5 also don’t have audio jacks anymore.
But now lets talk about battery lives. Now the Xtreme 3 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours but thats when this speaker is playing at 50% volume. Real world use with this speaker playing at 80% volume this speaker is good for around 8 to nine hours of playback time which is not bad at all.
Where as the XB43 has an advertised battery life of 24 hours but thats when this speaker is playing at 50% volume, while in stamina mode, and with its light feature turned off. And unfortunately while this speaker is in stamina mode it sounds very flat. But this speaker also has an advertised battery life of 14 hours with extra bass mode turned on which is how you should use it.
But real world use with this speaker playing at 80% volume, with its light features turned on, and while in extra bass mode… its only good for around 5 hours of playback time. Which is rather lack luster. And keep in mind if you were to use this speaker at a higher volume then its battery is going to drain even faster. So if you need something that is both super portable and has a lot of stamina then you are going to be better off with the Xtreme 3.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity… both og these speakers can be connected to two bluetooth devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. But the Xtreme 3 is still only using SBC where as the XB43 has support for higher quality audio codecs like AAC and Sony’s own LDAC.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers. Now when it comes to set ups both of these speakers have frontward firing woofers, dual frontward firing tweeters and dual passive radiators shooting out the side. Now this is a set up that JBL has been using for a while now on this other Xtreme speakers… but this is actually a new set up for sony. But now we’re going to be jumping into a sound test… both of these speakers are playing at the same loudness which is 80% volume for the Xtreme 3 and 90% volume for the XB43. Now keep in mind even though the XB43 does have a few different listening modes and an adjustable EQ… the XB43 is playing while in Extra Bass mode with its stock EQ.
So when it comes to sound quality… I gotta give it to the Sony XB43 here. Now both of these speakers have good instrument separation and they both sound fairly open which is good. And therye both putting out fairly the same amount of bass. But the thing about the Xtreme 3 and I also mentioned this in the full review is that the Xtreme 3 does like to put an emphasis on the highs making it sound brighter than both the XB43 and even the JBL Xtreme 2. Now overall the Xtreme 3 still sounds good and should play nice with most music genres… but I do prefer the XB43’s warmer sound signature.
Now one very important thing to keep in mind here is that JBL still doesn’t allow you to directly change its speaker’s EQ. So you are stuck with the Xtreme 3’s rather bright sound signature unless they change it in a future software update. Where as with the XB43 you can adjust its bass, mids and treble. So if you want a bright EQ on the XB43 you can do that. But I do want to quickly address stamina mode and live sound mode. Now all stamina mode does is that it reduces the bass on this speaker to help stretch out its battery life. But while in stamina mode this speaker sounds very flat. And all live sound mode does is that it just adds a bunch of reverb to your music. So plainly said I don’t use either of the “features”. But over all when it comes to sound… I do prefer the XB43 here.
However when it comes to max volume… the Xtreme 3 dominates here. Unfortunately at max volume I do feel that the XB43 leaves you wanting more. It get decently loud, but I just wish it got louder. Where as with the Xtreme 3 it gets noticeably louder than the XB43. And also with the Xtreme 3 if you use it while its plugged in its going to get a little louder as well and its also going to pump out more bass. Where as with the XB43 you don’t get any such performance bump when its plugged in. So over all when it comes to sound quality… its a real toss up here. On one hand I do prefer the XB43’s warmer sound signature and I do like that you can adjust its EQ to your liking. But at max volume it does leave you wanting more. Where as with the Xtreme 3 it gets significantly louder but its brighter sound signature can make it a little ear piercing while in doors. Personally I like listening to the XB43 while im at home but if I were to go to a cook out or something then I would take the Xtreme 3.
But finally lets talk about speaker pairing protocols. Now the JBL Xtreme 3 has been upgraded to JBL Partyboost meaning that you can wirelessly pair it up to other JBL Partyboost speakers like either a JBL Boombox 2, JBL Xtreme 3, JBL Flip 5, or a JBL Pulse 4. But you can’t pair it up to older JBL Speakers using JBL connect plus like an original Boombox, an Xtreme 2, a JBL charge 3, charge 4, a flip 4 or a JBL Pulse 3.
And then there’s the Sony XB43 which is using Party Connect. So you can pair the XB43 up to other Sony Party Connect Speakers like either another XB43, an XB33, or and XB23. But you can’t pair a Sony Party Connect speaker to any of Sony’s older speakers using Wireless party chain like either an XB41, XB32, XB31, XB22, XB21 and the list goes on.
Now if you are looking into picking multi speakers up and constantly pairing them together… personally I do prefer JBL’s party boost over Sony’s party connect. When you try to pair multi JBL speakers together it just works where as with Sony’s speakers it either takes a while or you gotta try a few times.
But with all that being said, if you’re trying to choose between the JBL Xtreme 3 and Sony XB43 there are a few things to consider. Now if the XB43 is on sale by all means pick it up. At $200 or less you can’t go wrong with the XB43. But price aside, personally I do prefer the XB43’s warmer sound signature. And I also like that you can customize its EQ. But the major drawbacks about the XB43 for me is that at max volume this speaker does leave you wanting more, and its real world battery life isn’t all that great. So if want something thats louder, has better battery life or if you want somethings with better portability then you’ll definitely want to go with the JBL Xtreme 3.