JBL CHARGE 5 – Portable Bluetooth Speaker with IP67 Waterproof and USB Charge out – Gray, small

We were in need of a portable Bluetooth speaker for our poolside music, and trips to the beach (and other outings). While size and weight were both somewhat important, there was no requirement for it to fit into a cup holder or anything like that.I have been a live sound audiophile for decades and I have my own high end PA, play in a band, and do DJ’ing for select family and friends as a hobby with my equipment. I mention this just to let you know that I know good sound when I hear it.Ergonomics: The unit can be easily carried in one hand and it is very light. The unit sits firm when you set it down. The controls are both easy to use and obvious to find.Sound quality: This thing can fill a private pool area with music EASILY. The bass response indoors seems a bit much when you turn it up a little (seems OK at lower volume inside); but outside, it is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. Outside, the Charge 5 sounds full, warm, and articulate. You can easily hear the various instruments in the mix. Personally, I wouldn’t use a bluetooth speaker indoors …. or if I did, I would opt for one that was made for that specific purpose (higher quality codec, more balanced eq, etc). It is clear that the Charge 5 was made for going outside (IP67 rating, super long battery life, etc). It isn’t a bad speaker for indoor listening (especially if you aren’t an audiophile as I am and just want something to listen to while you do dishes/laundry/etc, etc). Listening indoors, I was pleased enough (although my PA has nothing to worry about ;). One would certainly hope that a 10K front of house PA would sound better than a $180 bluetooth speaker). With respect to output volume, this little speaker can get quite loud. Unless I was hosting a huge party (where I would use my real PA anyway), this speaker has more than enough output for anyone. To sum up the sound quality, it is very good indeed.Bluetooth connectivity: Simple and easy to connect to. I had no issues. The speaker appears to have a greater range than my house area! My wife left in her car, and even in her car, it continued to play until she got out of the driveway. Pretty impressive. More than enough range to cover an outdoor area, or an entire floor in your house (maybe even 2 floors ….. but why wouldn’t you just carry it upstairs with you?).Features: Ok, one minor quibble that I have eluded to. The unit doesn’t have an adjustable EQ as of the current firmware. I am really hoping that JBL gets on the ball and corrects this. This would be particularly useful for trimming the bass at higher volumes inside where the bass is a bit too much with the standard eq it comes with. Of course, most people will not play it that loud indoors, and some will love the emphasized bass response exactly as it is (perhaps not the audio purist :)). The rest of the features are very good and well thought out.For $180.00 USD, this speaker is as good as it gets.

In the price range for this product, it’s hard to beat. There are definitely better sounding portable speakers out there but you are going to pay for it. I bought this JBL and a UE Megaboom. The UE Boom is capable of louder volume but at the sacrifice of detail.At higher volumes, the JBL speaker loses come of its clarity but it remains well balanced. In general, the speaker isn’t overly treble heavy like the Bose, and isn’t bass heavy like the UE Boom.Battery life is good and it will play all day at moderate volume levels plus charge your phone. Also, it uses USB-C to charge. The UE Boom still uses micro.All in all it’s a great product. Happy enough with it that I bought a second one.

JBL has a reputation. From the studio, to concert, business establishments (this includes churches) and the home. They have been in the music industry for a few decades now. This review is not about how good the speaker is as a standalone sound source. Rather, this is about the speaker’s ability to produce “True Wireless Stereo” or stereo sound. As a standalone and in party mode, the speaker produces a mono sound image (localized music), in that each speaker play the exact same sound. This (mono) is great for parties, gatherings, etc.TWS require that You have two speakers, and I suggest identical. So, with two (2) Charge 5s, the listener will create a balanced stereo image. Separate the speakers between 4 and 6 feet at a minimum, and at the same height if possible. In stereo mode, there are two channels, a left and right. Each channel, in this case, each C5 will produce different sounds (different instruments in most cases) that blend together to create a more vibrant sound stage. Less volume is needed for sure. The music that You play will sound more realistic, vibrant and easily fill a room. I have two of these setting on My computer desk. I don’t need a lot of volume and the music sounds a lot better. The mids are fuller, richer, the bass is tight, punchy and adequate, no matter the genre of music. The ONLY music that I absolutely WILL NOT listen to is elevator music or the music You get when a bank or business places You hold! These speakers were NOT designed to shake the room, but but if You live perhaps in an apartment, at the right volume, I’m sure You will get a door knock or two!When I’m on the go, I’ll take one. If I’m going to visit someone out of town, I’m taking both (options.) At home, I listen to both. Pairing two of any of JBL’s wireless speakers is relatively easy and straight forward. I would recommend these to anyone, especially when they’re on sale. The deeper the discount, the better sounding the music!!! Seriously!

So let start off by I’m old school when it comes to selecting speaker. I have a massive surround system that sound great! I stumbled across the little speaker by accident. So I was doing a cell phone upgrade and they asked if I wanted a Bluetooth speaker versus 2 wireless stands… I opted for the Bluetooth speaker as I had 2 wireless stands that work great. So I hooked this little flip 6 up and was amazed by the sound of this little thing. So I was doing a bit of research and finding that I could hook other speakers. So I opted to pick up another flip 6 and put them into stereo mode. I was floored by the sound out of these little speakers and the stereo field was amazing too!!! So then I was wanting to see how the charge 5 would stack up and then combine them. The one charge 5 has an edge on the bass but the mids and highs of the flip 6 held there ground and sounded a bit better to me. Now I starting thinking of 2.1 sound and this is where everything just shined very bright. Have the best of both worlds highs mids and lows in 3 small speakers!!! Some of the music that I demonstrate in this set up was Rush – The Weapon.. this has some really nice percussion section with some stereo left to right separation. I also played Led Zeppelin’s- Stairway To Heaven for the same reasons or the stereo left to right separation and over rounded sound. Great news it passes with flying colors and I give these 5 stars all day long. I’d like to pick up the extreme 3 and give it a go in this set up as it has the AUX jack that would make it useful enough to hook up external AM/FM with USB and SD card. In closing don’t overlook these speaker I really enjoy my little speaker and I’m sure you’ll love too!!!!

Since I have a curved metal backing on my desk at work, it makes a natural speaker cabinet all by itself. Put a well designed speaker in its bowls and I have music that can be enjoyed in a warehouse environment. Heck, I’ve been asked to turn it down. The bass is incredible under my desk but the speaker itself has limits. I mean, it rocks out pop music and rock n’ roll like nobody’s business but as soon as you start pumping some hip hop or dubstep into it, you get your peaking and crackling. Don’t push it.With appropriate music, the girl in the center of the warehouse that owns one of these pretty much controls the tunes in the entire warehouse. She forgot her speaker one day and I just happened to have my JBL Charge 3 under my desk, though I almost never bring it to work, so I lent her mine but warned her that it is a 3 and not a 5; please don’t blow it out. Lo and behold, she immediately attempted to go to the volume she is accustomed to. It sounded like crap. That was my first indication that I needed to upgrade to a JBL Charge 5.If you’ve been looking at this thing and wondering, “Can it really be that much better than my current, perfectly fine, bluetooth speaker?” Yes, it quite possibly can be. I was lucky, I got a first hand experience to show me the difference in person. I love JBL so it was a nice test, the 3 against the 5. I got a great deal on Black Friday or Cyber Monday but I now realize that it’s totally worth the original $179.95.Totally.