The IP67 rating means you dont need to worry about dirt and dust ruining your speaker. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance. The speaker is nice to look at and hold, and it has the shape and approximate weight of a football. Also, while the Flip 4 is compatible with JBL speakers that support JBL Connect+, the Charge 5 can only be paired to PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers. The end caps, which house the passive bass radiators, are cut at a slight angle, similar to the JBL Flip 5. The JBL Charge 5 and the JBL Flip 6 have different strengths. This approach is bad design, and only suitable for backward compatibility. Even up to 30 meters away, it sounds great sitting outside in my backyard. Get the best deals and the best advice dropped right in your inbox. But the Charge 5 ditches the 3.5 mm auxiliary connection that other generations included. However, battery performance can vary depending on your usage, and your experience may differ. JBL has revised the design for the latest version of the Charge speaker, enlarging the JBL logo and making it roughly the same color as the speaker while giving the sides of the raised letters an orange tint. Youre not getting Wi-Fi (which means no Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, etc.) You're all set to get the latest from Reviewed. The Sonos Roam and the JBL Charge 5 are similar speakers, though they have different strengths. I'll revisit this shortly. The following list of JBL speakers doesn't have an AUX input, so the only way to connect them is via Bluetooth. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. I toted the Charge 5 on a trip to northeast Pennsylvania and enjoyed it in a spacious hotel room. Taylor Swifts Mr. It gets as loud as the Sony with less compression at max volume, so audio quality sounds cleaner and clearer when you bump up the volume. It also needs to be paired to another unit to play stereo sound and has to downmix stereo content to mono when using it on its own, which doesn't sound as immersive. Its durable fabric material and rugged rubber housing keep the Flip 5 safe while you let loose in the great outdoors. Just like the Charge 4 and Flip 5, the Charge 5 doesnt overcomplicate thingsits fairly frills-free as features go. The JBL Charge 5 doesnt quite best our current Editors Choice for portable Bluetooth speakers, the Sonos Roam, which boasts Sonoss vaunted multi-room capabilities, a rugged design, and Auto Trueplay room-correction functionality for roughly the same price as the JBL. One day JBL may produce a Charge that can be outdone by a new and plucky rival, but rest assured . it still had of the full charge. Unfortunately, PartyBoost doesnt work with older JBL speakers (like the Charge 4) that use the now deprecated Connect+ protocol. 3.5 mm AUX cable Input. The JBL Charge 5 (available at Amazon for $179.95) is the latest poolside- and outdoors-ready Bluetooth speaker from the portable audio maestros at JBL. check out my partners/sponsor buy trough link helps me out a lotAMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2t4utT1AMAZON DE (ships benelux too) : https://amzn.to/2tha0cUGEAR. That said, this performance is still impressive, and since battery life can vary depending on usage, your real-world experience may vary. It has a longer-lasting battery life. At a more reasonable 85 dB, the distortion disappeared and it was still loud enough to be heard over the din of a party or traffic. So not only are you getting a robust, dust-and-waterproof Bluetooth speaker, youre also essentially buying a portable battery pack. The power on/off and Bluetooth pairing controls are located on a smooth strip in the middle, but each control is easy to select because the shape of the logo is ever-so-slightly depressed into the strip. To contextualize the sound quality a bit more, the JBL Charge 5 has a louder sound than the popular Bose SoundLink Mini and Bose SoundLink Flex. JBL Charge 5 Portable Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker. No, the JBL Flip 5 does not have a USB port. It also has better directivity, so you'll perceive its soundstage as more open and spacious than the Sony speaker. We can tell you that it charges via USB-C and takes 4 hours to completely fill up. According to JBL support, the range can extend to 15 meters if you're in an open environment. Otherwise, youre getting solid audio presentation, plenty of battery to go around, and excellent attention to durability and design, making the Charge 5 a very attractive buy. The Charge 5 is better-built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. If youre looking for a single speaker to use at home and on your outdoor excursions, its easy to find a spot for the speaker on a bookcase or tabletop. We tested the 'Black' variant; you can find its labelhere. It's smaller, making it a bit more portable. Theres also no AUX or USB input, so you cant plug in another music source. The Marshall is smaller, making it more portable. It boasts marginal improvements, both sonically and aesthetically, over its predecessor, the five-star Charge 4. Plus, as you crank up the volume, there's some more compression in the mix, which impacts the clarity of audio reproduction. The data pins on the USB-C go straight to the SoC and are used for servicing/firmware AND they actually do work with audio data, In JBL Displays in stores there is a special JBL USB-A+3.5mm to USB-C adapter that sends audio data to the speaker via the usb-c cable. Party hosts should get the JBL Charge 5 as it produces exceptionally loud sound for a portable speaker. The Charge 5 gets loudlike, really loud. The JBL Xtreme 3 and the JBL Charge 5 are very similar speakers. Keep reading our full JBL Charge 5 review to find out if its still worth your cash. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't great. Though there are no buttons to skip backward on the JBL Charge 5, it has pretty much all the other controls youd need. Unlike the Charge 4, which uses the older Connect+ protocol, the Charge 5 hasa PartyBoost button that you can use to pair it to other PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers like the JBL Xtreme 3. The JBL Charge 5 is alright for music. From left to right across the top of the speaker, youve got raised, tactile buttons for PartyBoost, Volume Down, Power, Bluetooth pairing, Volume Up, and Play/Pause. The cylindrical speaker has a 20-hour battery life and you can set it up for one-touch access to your streaming service of choice. Unlike the Roam, theres also no wireless (Qi) charging, so cables are your only option. That said, as a smaller speaker, it doesn't bring a lot of rumble in the low-bass. We also recommend checking out the UE MEGABOOM 3. The Charge 5 is a tubed-shaped speaker that weighs 2.11 pounds and measures 8.7 x 3.76 x 3.67 inches (WxHxD), with a slight discrepancy in height due to the rubber strips that act as feet for the speaker. It has an IP67 rating, can be paired to another MEGABOOM 3 for a more powerful sound, and has a strong bass response. It wont interface with any of your smart home gear either. The sound you hear out of the box is the sound you get. As a result, it's suitable for listening to lots of different genres, and its graphic EQ allows you to switch up its sound to your liking. The app doesnt let you make any kind of sound adjustments. However, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may differ. JBLs Flip 5 is one of our favorite Bluetooth speakers ever, primarily due to its well-rounded, warm, robust sound qualityand the Charge 5 captures that same efficacy. It also has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. JBL Charge 5. If you really dont think you need the charging ability, you could save some money and get the Flip instead. Transducer: 52 mm x 90 mm woofer, 20 mm tweeter Rated output power: 30 W RMS for woofer, 10 W RMS for tweeter Frequency response: 65 Hz - 20 kHz Signal-to-noise ratio: > 80 dB Battery type: Li-ion polymer 27 Wh (equivalent to 3.6 V/ 7500 mAh) Battery charge time: 4 hours (5 V / 3 A) Music play time: up to 20 hours (dependent on . It doesnt have many frills, aside from being able to charge another portable device, but it delivers impressive vocals and bass, and it can withstand the elements. I'm going to say I doubt it by almost 100%. This speaker has an impressive build quality. Visit Jim Coleman Toyota in Bethesda MD serving Potomac, Rockville and Washington,DC #JTMEB3FV4PD117796 jbl charge fast charge JBL Charge 4 JBL Flip 5. This disappoints me as it's a feature I really enjoy having for the convenience, battery preservation, and versatility, but I suppose the majority of users are listening wirelessly, and the updated Bluetooth version makes up for this loss. That said, the Pulse 4 comes with customizable RGB lights and offers a more natural-sounding soundstage, thanks to its 360-degree design. Below the large JBL logo is a single light that shows the amount of battery power left. Features of JBL Charge 5 Guide app:-+ Contains many pictures to see all designs of JBL Charge 5 Guide . The Charge 5 has a more neutral sound profile than its predecessor and is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It offers a wider and more immersive-sounding soundstage that can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5. The JBL Clip 4 uses Bluetooth 5.1 and has a 10-meter range, which is typical for any Bluetooth speaker. Additionally, it has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage. Otherwise, what really differentiates the Charge from something like JBLs Flip line is the built-in power bank. It can also get slightly louder, though there's some compression at max volume that may affect the clarity of your audio at louder volumes. However, the overemphasis in the treble range can make its soundstage feel a bit uneven. Thick walls will get in the way and cause stuttering, which may limit the connection range for some. Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more. This leads to many compatibility problems that consumers experience today. So, it is an ideal choice for home and outdoor entertainment. Use the same cord that you use to charge the speaker, but plug in the USB-A side into the speakers port under the silicone flap, and the Charge 5 battery will drain to charge up your Android phone or another device with a USB-C charging port.