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I really like the new Sony XB33 cause the new Sony XB33 sounds significantly better than its predecessor the Sony XB32. Specifically, the XB33 has much better instrument separation and a much wider soundstage. But naturally people want to know how the XB33 stacks up to the JBL Charge 4 and the JBL Pulse 4. And ultimately each of these speakers out perform every one of these other speakers in one specific category. So depending on your needs one is going to be better than the other.
Now price wise the XB33 has a retail price of $150… but when it comes to JBL’s speakers things aren’t as simple. A few months ago JBL increased the price on a lot of their speakers but they routinely go on sale to make it look like you’re getting a deal. The Charge 4 has a retail price of $180 but its routinely on sale for $130… but it used to retail for $150, and the pulse 4 has a retail price of $250 but its routinely on sale for around $200 which is what it used to retail for when it first came out. Personally I feel that JBL’s pricing and intentions here are a little questionable, but if you want to pick any of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first off lets go over the designs of these speakers. Both the XB33 and charge 4 have mostly fabric bodies so either of these speakers are good candidates if you’re looking for a speaker to constantly take on the go with cause they both are fairly durable. And both the XB33 and Charge 4 are water proof so you don’t have to worry about getting either of these speakers wet. Now the Pulse 4 is also water proof but personally I would be cautious with the Pulse 4 around water cause my first pulse 4 died from water damage. So personally I play it safe with my second Pulse 4. But over all, I do feel that the Pulse 4 is better left indoors cause its acrylic body could get scratched very easily if you’re too rough on this speaker.
But something the Pulse 4 really has going for it is its light feature. The light feature on the pulse 4 is truly impressive and you’ve got a few unique lighting modes to choose from. If you’re looking for a speaker to liven up your bedroom then the Pulse 4 is the way to go. Now the XB33 also has a light feature. And thanks to it new light up transducers this speaker also looks cool, but you can’t deny that the pulse 4 just looks cooler.
Now when it comes to tech specs, all three of these speakers charge via a USB C port so if you’re an android user you can charge your speaker and phone with the same cable. But it is important to point out that you can only use the USB C port on all of these speakers to charge the speaker. You can’t use these USB C ports as a wired connection and you can’t use them to charge your own devices.
But when it comes to battery life, the pulse 4 has an advertised battery life of 12 hours but at 80% volume and with the light feature on this speaker set to 50% brightness the speaker is good for around 7 hours of playback time. And the XB33 has an advertised battery life of 14 hours while in Extra Bass mode and its also good for around 7 hours of playback time with its volume set to 80% and with the light feature turned on.
But if you need something with a really long battery life then there’s the Charge 4. The Charge 4 has an advertised battery life of 20 hours but at 80% volume this speaker is good for around 10 to 11 hours of playback time. So all of these speakers have decent real world battery lives but if you need something to go for the long haul then the Charge 4 is a good option.
Now even though yeah you can use the XB33 while in stamina to increase its battery life… personally im not a fan of stamina mode cause it really reduces the bass on this speaker making it sound very flat. Where as with the Charge 4 you get that longer battery life but without sacrificing bass.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, all three of these speakers can be connected to two devices at the same time so that you and a friend can both be DJ, but only the XB33 has support for higher audio codecs like AAC and LDAC. Where as both of JBL’s speakers are strictly using SBC.
And its also very important to keep in mind that only the Charge 4 has an audio jack here where as these other two speakers don’t. Now personally I don’t mind not having an audio jack but still do feel that the XB33 should have an audio jack just in case. And also keep in mind that the pulse 4 is the only speaker here that doesn’t have a USB A out port so that you can charge your own devices.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers cause these speakers have very different speaker set ups. Now both the XB33 and Charge 4 are both 30 watt speakers and the XB33 has new dual frontward firing transducers and dual passive radiators shooting out the sides. Where as the charge 4 also dual passive radiators shooting out the sides but it only has a single frontward firing transducer. And then there’s the Pulse 4 which is a 20 watt speaker and it has single upward firing transducer and a downward firing passive radiator. And since this speaker has a single upward firing transducer… if you want to get the best sound out of it you’re better off using it indoors where this speaker’s sound has a ceiling to bounce off of. But with all that being said we’re going to jump into the sound test. Now all of these speakers are playing at max volume and the XB33 is in extra bass mode.
Now first off I want to address the pulse 4… even though the pulse 4 is the most expensive speaker here, if you decide to go with the pulse 4 you’re really paying for the light feature above all else. Now don’t get me wrong the Pulse 4 sounds and performs decent, but the pulse 4 performs more similarly to the JBL Flip 5 than the Charge 4. The Pulse 4 just doesn’t get as loud or have as much bass as these other two speakers. So if you’re really concerned about sound then the real comparison here is between the Charge 4 and XB33. Now the first thing that comes to mind when comparing the Charge 4 to the XB33 is that the Charge 4 sounds much brighter than the XB33. The Charge 4 puts a lot more emphasis on the mids than the XB33 does when its in extra bass mode. When in extra bass mode the XB33 sounds much warmer and its bass also hits a little hard than the bass on the Charge 4 does. But what really makes the XB33 stand out from the Charge 4 is its better instrument separation and sound stage. Where as the Charge 4 can sound a little nasally at higher volumes. So if you’re looking for the speaker here with the best sound quality then the XB33 is the way to go. Cause the XB33 does sound noticeably better than the Charge 4 and it also gets just as loud.
And if you’re someone that wants a more neutral or brighter sound signature similar to the one found on the Charge 4 than you can always just go into the XB33’s app and adjust it Bass, mids, and treble to your liking.
But finally lets address these speakers’ speaker pairing protocols cause all of these speakers have some kind of fragmentation to look out for. The XB33 is now using party connect, meaning to you can only pair it to other speakers using party connect like an XB43, another XB33 or an XB23.
The JBL pulse 4 is using JBL Partyboost meaning that you can only pair it up to JBL’s newer speakers that are also using party boost like a JBL Boombox 2, Flip 5, or another Pulse 4.
And the JBL charge 4 is using JBL connect plus meaning that you can only pair it up to JBL’s older speakers using JBL connect plus like an original boombox, an Xtreme 2, a Charge 3, another Charge 4, a Flip 4 or a JBL pulse 3. So technically the Charge 4 is a last gen speaker cause it won’t pair up to JBL’s newer speakers.
But with all that being said, all three of these speakers are great options for 3 very different people. The JBL Pulse 4 is an amazing looking speaker thats going to look great in your bed room. But if you decide to go with this speaker you’re mainly paying for the light feature and if you want to get the most out of it you’re better off using it indoors where its upwards firing transducer has a ceiling to bounce off of. The Charge 4 is a really good option for someone who needs a speaker thats going to last them a long time on a single charge. If you’re going camping this is a good speaker to bring. But if you want the best sound quality then the XB33 is the way to go. Forget the fact that the XB33 has an adjustable EQ unlike the Charge 4. What really makes the XB33 stand out here is its vastly improved sound stage and instrument separation. And if you really want to stretch out the battery life on this speaker then you can always use it while in stamina mode. But personally out of all of these speakers I do prefer to listen to the XB33.