The JBL Boombox 4 has a lot of big changes to it, compared to its predecessors… some good and some not so good. But what is very impressive about the JBL Boombox 4 is its max volume performance and bass… its up there with the JBL PartyBox 120, which is very shocking. But today we’re going to checkout the JBL Boombox 4 and we’re going to compare it with both the JBL Boombox 3 and the JBL boombox 2, lets see if its worth upgrading.
Reading pricing, the JBL Boombox 4 has a retail price of $550, which is a $50 increase from the JBL Boombox 3 when it first came out and its the same as the JBL PartyBox 320. However I do expect the JBL Boombox 4 to go on sale from time to time, nonetheless if you want to pick this speaker up it’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you want to further support the channel then you can always watch some of the related videos in the description below.
So first theres the design of this speaker, now the JBL Boombox 4 is a plus sized large bluetooth speaker, its still roughly the same size as both the JBL Boombox 3 and the JBL boombox 2. It still has a mostly fabric wrapped body so its going to be able to stand up to constant abuse from bumps and scrapes and its still rocking an IP68 rating so its both dust and water proof. So just as you’d expect, this is a great speaker to take on the go with you… however, JBL still hasn’t added any latch points to attach a shoulder strap like how you can on the JBL Xtreme 4 or Sony ULT Field 5. And I do feel that that is a shame cause I think a shoulder strap on the Boombox 4 would have been great addition… so for now, you’re still going to have to get some after market shoulder strap for the Boombox 4. However the Boombox 4 is a notcibaly lighter than the Boombox 3 cause it weighs in at 13 pounds. Where as the Boombox 3 weighs in at 15 pounds. Now two pounds doesn’t seem like much, but you do notice it. But also, the carrying handle on the Boombox 4 is back to being comfortable like the carrying handle found on the Boombox 2 and original. Cause the carrying handle on the Boombox 3, although stylish, wasnt as ergonomic.
But another notable design change on the Boombox 4 is the base, the Boombox 4 has a much sturdier base than the Boombox 3 so its not going to tip over as easily as the Boombox 3. But also theres the new light feature found on the Boombox 4 which is a first for the Boombox family. Now this light feature isn’t like the light feature that you’ll find on your partybox… instead, all this light feature does is that it lights up orange or white, depending on the bass boost mode that you’re using. Now this light feature doesn’t pulse to the beat of your music, but its not color changing or dynamic like JBL’s other light features, and since it is tucked away in the passive radiator, personally I do think this light feature is pointless… now you can go into JBL’s app and turn off this light feature… but I still think its pointless that JBL even added this light feature to begin with.
But then theres the battery life on this speaker… and the JBL Boombox 4 has an advertised battery life of 34 hours… which is crazy and its huge upgrade from the Boombox 3 and Boombox 2 cause these speakers have an advertised battery life of 24 hours… however this advertised battery life of 34 hours is juiced cause that’s with this speaker playing while in stamina mode… which is going to severely reduce your bass so its going to sound very flat.
But if you were to use this speaker with its stamina mode turned off, and with the volume set to 50%, you’re going to have an advertised battery life of 28 hours which is still 4 hours longer than both the JBL Boombox 3 and the JBL Boombox 2… and real world use with this speaker playing at 75% volume and with the bass boost set to deep, for me its been good for about 10 hours of play back time, and 75% volume on the Boombox 4 shockingly loud, but we’ll talk about sound in a little bit.
But the biggest battery upgrade on the Boombox 4 over its predecessors is that you can actually remove this battery if you want. Now removing the battery on the Boombox 4 isn’t as easy as with JBL’s Partybox’s cause you do have to use an Allen key to undo some screws and you do have to remove a rubber grommet, and JBL did it this way so that the Boombox 4 can have its IP68 ratting. But the important thing is, if you want to swap out the battery, you can.
Now the JBL Boombox 4 is using a JBL 600 battery… which is the same battery found in either the JBL PartyBox 520, or 720… so if you want you can actually mix and match batteries between these three speakers. And for those curious, both the JBL PartyBox 320 and Xtreme 4 are using JBL 400 batteries and the JBL PartyBox 120 is using JBL 200 batteries.
And to charge the Boombox 4, it charges via a double barrel AC port just like the Boombox 3, so you dont have to worry about any external power bricks like you do with the JBL Boombox 2 which charges via a DC port and it does have an external power brick that you better not lose. Now with all of these Boombox’s if you were to use them while they are plugged in, you are going to get a performance boost out of them, they’re going to get louder and they are going to have more bass… however, the performance boost that you get out of the Boombox 4 isn’t as big as the boost that you get with these other two speakers. Regardless, the Boombox 4 is still way louder than its predecessors.
But then there are the ports on this speaker… and I do feel that this is sad… the Boombox 4 has a usb C port which you can use to charge your own devices, which I feel is great. And you can use this USB C port as a wired connection… but unfortunately, the Boombox 4 doesn’t have an audio jack like either the Boombox 3 or Boombox 2. Now I like that the Boombox 4 has a USB C port… but I still wish it had an Audio jack and I wish this speaker also had a quarter inch input so that you could plug in at least one mic for karaoke.
But when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, this speaker is pretty standard, the Boombox 4 can be connected to 2 devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. Latency is not an issue for this speaker so you can use it to watch videos with on your phone, and when it comes to audio codecs, it has support for SBC and AAC.
But with all of that out of the way, lets talk about sound. Regarding speaker set up, all three of these speakers are very different. The JBL Boombox 2 has your standard dual frontward firing woofers, dual frontward firing tweeters and dual passive radiators that shoot out the sides. But then theres the Boombox 3 which has a very different set up of a frontward firing subwoofer, dual frontward firing mid range rangers, dual frontward firing tweeters which are stacked on top of the drivers, and dual passive radiators that shoot out the sides. And then theres the JBL Boombox 4 which has gone back to dual frontward firing woofers, dual frontward firing tweeters and dual passive radiators that shoot out the sides, just like the Boombox 2… but what is new is that it now has a third passive radiator that shoots out the back. Another new feature on the Boombox 4 is that it also now has a bass boost button just like JBL’s party boxes, and just like the party boxes you have two settings, deep and punchy. And personally I do prefer deep cause you get more kick in your bass, where as with punchy you get more of a resonances, which personally I don't like cause I feel it messes with the rest of your music. But now we’re going to jump into the sound test, all of these speakers are playing at 75% volume while unplugged and we’re going to use the Boombox 4 with Bass boost turned on an off.
SoundTest
So when it comes to sound quality, I feel that the Boombox 4 is a very violent sounding speaker. The JBL Boombox 4 gets way louder than both the JBL Boombox 3 and especially the Boombox 2. The Boombox 4 also has a lot more kick in its bass than these other two speakers thanks to that new rear firing passive radiator. The kick that you get out of the Boombox 4 is up there with lets say the Partybox Encore 2. However, I cant help but feel that the instrument separation on the Boombox 4 isn’t as good as the instrument separation on the Boombox 3… and at times, the highs can be a little too over emphasized… making the Boombox 4 sound nasally. So thats why I say the Boombox 4 sounds very violent, it has lots of bass, a lot of volume, but the highs are a little too in your face and the Boombox 4 sounds little narrow compared to the Boombox 3. Now im not getting distortion in the highs, but the highs are over emphasized.
And then theres the max volume performance on this speaker. Like I said, the Boombox 4 gets way louder than the Boombox 2, its not even close. And the Boombox 4 gets noticeably louder than the Boombox 3. But I feel the Boombox 4 is going to have no problem with a 20 person party cause it has both the volume and kick in its bass… but like I said earlier, if you were to use this speaker while its plugged in, you are going to get a performance boost out of it, its going to get louder and its going to have more bass. Overall, the JBL Boombox 4 sounds good, it has a lot of bass and it has a very high max volume for its size, and this speaker is going to be. Great for either indoor or outdoor use. But like I said, this is a violent sounding speaker cause it has a lot of bass and it has a lot of highs… but it does lack in its openess and detail in the mids.
But finally lets talk about paring this speaker with other speakers. Now if you have two JBL Boombox 4’s then you’ll be able to wirelessly pair them up and get them to play in left and right stereo mode. But you have to have 2 of the exact same speakers.
Now the JBL Boombox 4 is now using Auracast, so you can pair it up to other aura cast speakers like lets say the JBL Charge 6, or Flip 7, Clip 5, go 4 or to the grip and you can get them to all play in sync… but you can also pair up your JBL Boombox 4 to any of JBL’s party boxes that are also using Auracast like lets say the JBL PartyBox Encore 2, Partybox 120, 320, 520, 720, or to the ultimate and you can get them to play in sync as well.
But unfortunately, since the JBL Boombox 4 is using aura cast, you cant pair it up to any of JBL’s older speakers that are using Partyboost like either the JBL Boombox 3, Boombox 2, Xtreme 3, Charge 5, Pulse 5, Pulse 4, Flip 6 or Flip 5.
The JBL Xtreme 4 is the only JBL Auracasrt speaker that can connect to both Auracast speakers and Partyboost speakers. And also, even though the JBL Boombox 4 is using aura cast, you cant pair it up to JBL’s Partylight sticks and get them to play in sync like you can with a partybox. But nonetheless, if you are planning on going your collection of speakers, the Boombox 4 gives you a lot of options… but just keep in mind, if you’re upgrading from a Boombox 3 or any other Partyboost speaker… you cant pair them up.
But with all of that being said, the JBL Boombox 4 gets imrepssivly loud for its size and it has a lot of physicality in its bass thanks to its new rear firing exhust port. However I feel that this is a violent sounding speaker cause yes it gets very loud and it has a lot of bass… but I feel that the highs are a little over emphasized and I feel that it just doesn’t sound as open as the Boombox 3. But regardless, this is still a good sounding speaker. Now what I really like about the Boombox 4 is that it does have a longer lasting battery life, plus you can remove it if you want or need to. And the Boombox 4 has now been upgraded to Auracast so you can pair it up to JBL’s newer speakers that are also using aura cast. But I still wish that the Boombox 4 could be used with a mic for karaoke, and it a shoulder strap would have been nice as well.