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So if you’re looking into getting a new bluetooth speaker, JBL is a very popular brand to pick from because they have a lot of options to choose from for people with different budgets and different needs. So today we’re going to be breaking down JBL’s current portable bluetooth speaker line which consists of a Clip 3, Flip 5, Charge 4, Pulse 4, Xtreme 2, and JBL Boombox 2. So lets see which ones right for you.
So as always there’s price… now first off I do want to point out that JBL’s speakers have increased in price over the last few months. The clip 3 is the smallest and cheapest speaker here retailing for $70. Then there’s the flip 5 which retails for $120, the charge 4 retails for $180, the pulse 4 retails for $250, the Xtreme 2 retails for $350 and the JBL Boombox 2 retails for $500. So if you want to pick any of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below and also keep in mind JBL constantly puts these speakers on quote unquote sale.
Now something that all of these speakers have in common is that they’re all meant to be ultra portable and durable. All of these speakers have an IPX7 rating which means that they’re all water proof and almost all of other them have a fabric body so that they can stand up to constant bumps and scrapes whenever you’re lugging any of these speakers around. So if you’re looking for a speaker to use at home and also take it on a camping trip any of these speakers are going to be perfectly fine
Except for the Pulse 4, the pulse 4 is a great at home speaker but its not the greatest in the out doors for a few reasons. First off from my experience even though JBL claims that this speaker is water proof… I wouldn’t chance it cause my first pulse 4 actually died the first time it touched water. Also this speaker has an acrylic body so you could scratch or crack it if you’re too rough on it. And also the battery life on the Pulse 4 isn’t the greatest cause it has that built in light feature to power. Now the light feature on the Pulse 4 looks awesome and you have a few modes to choose from but this light feature looks best either in door or in the dark. In direct sunlight you’re not going to see a thing. But the biggest reason why the pulse 4 is better suited for the indoors and not so much the outdoors is cause its an upwards firing speaker… So this speaker is going to sound best if you have it indoors where its sound can bounce off of the ceiling and walls.
But now lets talk about tech specs… bluetooth wise all of these speakers perform the same. They can all be connected to two devices at a same time so you and a friend can both be DJ, they’re all strictly using SBC, and they all have a slight latency to them so they aren’t to best for watching videos with on your phone.
Except for the clip 3… the clip 3 doesn’t actually have any latency when watching videos but it can only be connected to one device at a time. Now when it comes to ports only the clip 3, Charge 4, Xtreme 2 and Boombox 2 have audio jacks where as the Flip 5 and Pulse 4 don’t.
Now even though the Pulse 4, charge 4 and flip 5 all have a USB C port which is great if you’re an android user… you can only use their USB C port got charging. They can’t be used as a wired connection and you can’t use this USB C port to charge your own devices.
But if you do want to be able to use your speaker as a battery bank for your phone then the Charge 4, Xtreme 2, and Boombox 2 all have a USB A out port so that you can charge your own devices.
But finally to wrap this whole ports thing up keep in mind both the Xtreme 2 and Boombox 2 charge via an AC port which is going to be very important in a little bit and the clip 3 still charges via a micro USB port.
Now when it comes to battery life if you’re looking for the speakers here with the best longevity then I would recommend the Charge 4 and Xtreme 2 cause I’ve found that the charge 4 has a real world battery life of around 11 hours of playback time with its volume set to 80% and the Xtreme 2 is good for around 9 hours of playback.
Where as all of the other speakers here like the Boombox 2, Pulse 4, flip 5, and clip 3 are all good around for 7 hours of playback time with their volume set to 80%. Non the less all of these speakers are going to have no problem keeping up with you for a full day of high volume listening… but if you need a speaker with a longer stamina than I would go with either the Xtreme 2 or charge 4.
But now lets talk about actually listening to music with these speakers. Obviously the larger the speaker the louder its going to get. And for the most part that applies here. The clip 3 has a single transducer and a single passive radiator and its rated at 3.3 watts. Now the Flip 5 also has a single transducer but it has dual passive radiators shooting out its sides and its rated at 20 watts. Now the charge 4 is basically larger and louder version of the flip 5… it also has a single transducer and dual passive radiators shooting out its sides but its rated at 30 watts. But then there’s the Pulse 4… given that its a $250 speaker you would assume that it would at least get as loud as the Charge 4 and be rated at 30 watts… but actually the Pulse 4 performs more similarly to the flip 5 cause its a 20 watt speaker. Now when it comes to its set up the Pulse 4 has a single upward firing transducer and it has a single downward firing passive radiator. So with the Pulse 4 you’re getting Flip 5 sound performance and you’re mainly paying for its light feature. But now we’ve come to the big boys which have more serious speaker set ups. Both the Extreme 2 and Boombox 2 have dual woofers, dual tweeter and those signature exposed passive radiators shooting out the sides. Now when it comes to power rattings… remember how I mentioned earlier that both of these speaker charge via an AC port… well when you use these speakers while they’re plugged in you’ll actually get a little more performance out of them in the way of loudness and more bass. Where as that not the case with all of these other speakers here that charge via a USB port. The extreme 2 is rated at 20 watts when playing off of its internal battery and 40 watts when its plugged in. While the Boombox 2 is rated at 60 watts when its playing off of its internal battery and 80 watts when its plugged in. But now we’re going to jump into a sound test… but for this sound test we’re going to be doing things a little differently, we’re going to compare all of these speakers playing at max volume cause I feel thats what most people are interested in.
So obviously for the most part the larger the speaker is here the louder its going to get and the more bass its going to have. But from a sound signature stand point all of these speakers like to put a slight emphasis on the mids so that vocals are pronounced and the bass comes in when it has to. For the most part JBL’s stock sound signature on all of their speakers should play nice with most music genres out there. But unfortunately none of JBL’s speakers have an adjustable EQ… so if you want something with a neutral sound signature or something with a warmer sound signature you’re going to have to look elsewhere. And personally I think its time that JBL added an adjustable EQ to their speakers cause like ive said in past videos I think the Boombox 2 sounds too bright at higher volumes… but thats not the case with all of the other speakers here. Now like I mentioned earlier, the larger the speaker the louder and the more bass its going to have. But like I mentioned earlier, even though the pulse 4 is more expensive than the Charge 4 and is larger… sound quality wise the Pulse 4 performs like a flip 5. So if you’re looking for a mid sized speaker and you’re really concerned about sound quality then you’re better off with the Charge 4.
Now another reason why JBL is such a popular brand is cause of their speaker pairing protocol. You literally just press one button on each speaker and they’ll pair themselves up. You don’t have to open up any apps and you can pair up to 100 speakers together which is obviously over kill.
But right now in mid 2020 there’s a bit of fragmentation going on. JBL’s newer speakers like the Boombox 2, Flip 5, and Pulse 4 are all using Partyboost and future JBL speakers will also be using Partyboost. Where as JBL’s older speakers here like the Xtreme 2 and Charge 4 are using JBL Connect to plus. So its very important to keep in mind that you can not pair a Partyboost speakers to a JBL Connect plus speaker.
Now I know that this sucks and looks and feels like planned obcelensnes… but I have found that party boost performs better than JBL connect plus specifically cause you get much better range in-between speakers. But ultimately just keep in mind that technically the Xtreme 2 and charge 4 are kind of last gen.
And this finally leads us to speculation territory. JBL has been slowly refreshing their speaker line up. First they released the Charge 4, then the Flip 5, then the Pulse 4, and most recently as of recording this video they released the Boombox 2. And its safe to assume that the next speakers that are going to get refreshed are the Xtreme 2 and Clip 3. And I think the Xtreme 3 and Clip 4 could be announced at IFA 2020 which is supposed to take place in September.
But ultimately here’s my break down of JBL’s speaker line up. I think the Clip 3 is a great little podcast machine cause its tiny and if you want to take it on the go with you then you can just clip it on. The Pulse 4 is a great at home or dorm room speaker cause it has the awesome light feature but remember if you want to get the best sound out of it you should use in doors so that its upwards firing speaker has something to bounce off of and this speaker does live on the charger. But if you are concerned about sound quality then you are better off with the Charge 4 cause it sounds noticeably better than the Pulse 4 and also the Charge 4 has a lot more stamina so if you’re looking for a long lasting speaker for camping then the Charge 4 is a great option. But if you do want to save yourself someone you can always go with the Flip 5. Now if you’re looking into getting a large speaker to constantly take on the go with you then personally I do recommend the Xtreme 2 over the Boombox 2 cause it is significantly easier to travel with and it does get more than loud enough. But more importantly it does have better stamina than the Boombox 2. The only thing to keep in mind about the Xtreme 2 is that it could possibly get refreshed in a couple of months. But do to our global health situation maybe it won’t. But definitely you won’t be able to pair it up with newer JBL speakers using party boost and that also goes for the charge 4. But if you are looking for the loudest speaker here with the most amount of bass then obviously you’ll be better off with the Boombox 2 if you’re willing to pay for it.