The Practical, Portable JBL Charge 5 vs. Splurging on the Ultimate Outdoor Party Speaker: The JBL Xtreme 3
JBL’s very loud, bossy, bass-forward portable speakers are great for picnics, tailgating, and—with their complete waterproofing—the pool or beach. The JBL Charge 5 fulfills this role in a speaker about the size and shape of a wine bottle placed on its side—and weighs just a bit lighter than that boozy bottle of pinot magic in …
The Small, Useful Steps Up From the JBL Charge 4 to the JBL Charge 5
JBL has had some ups and downs in its Charge speaker line, and we haven’t always recommended the newest version when JBL makes an “upgrade”. But the JBL Charge 5 is a suitable, minor improvement over the Charge 4, and depending on your specific feature needs and the pricing at the time you read this, …
The Xtreme 3 vs JBL Boombox 2: Choose the Right Size for Your Outdoor Party
Do you want the finest bass and loudest-but-still-smooth sound from a portable speaker for tailgating, yard parties, and beach dances? The two best speakers out right now for these purposes are both from JBL: The JBL Xtreme 3 and Boombox 2. Which should you get? Depends on things like whether you need extreme battery life …
The JBL Xtreme 3’s Small Upgrades from the JBL Xtreme and Xtreme 2: Worth it?
The JBL Xtreme, Xtreme 2, and Xtreme 3 speakers offer an excellent, portable, rugged route to serious bass oomph and to getting a quite loud outdoor party going. This series has long been a favorite in terms of ruggedness among the largest, loudest Bluetooth speakers we review; we think that for people who party a …
Cheap, Small, and Pretty Great: Our Tribit Stormbox Micro Review
Doubts are in order when we see a cheaper speaker like this one promising all the latest snazziness, so we weren’t sure what we’d get when we opened our latest box: the Tribit Stormbox Micro BTS10. But we’re overall delighted that we decided to give this ultra-portable speaker a listen, and in fact it has …
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 vs Hyperboom: Choosing Between the Largest UE Portable Speakers
The largest portable speakers from the often-awesome speaker-crafting company Ultimate Ears are the Megaboom 3 and the Hyperboom. We like and recommend both, but for different reasons and different folks. The Megaboom 3 fits handily in one hand; the Hyperboom is easy enough to lug with one hand via its carry strap. The obvious difference …
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom vs JBL Partybox 100: The Top Brands’ Big Outdoor Party Speakers, Head-to-Head
In the hundreds of speaker reviews and comparisons we’ve done around here, it’s often easy to choose which to recommend. Comparing the JBL PartyBox 100 vs. Ultimate Ears Hyperboom presents a more difficult choice however; it depends on your outdoor-dance-party priorities, and even then it’s not so clear-cut. To be blunt, the JBL Partybox 100 …
Which Speaker for a Huge Outside Bash? The JBL Boombox 2 vs Partybox 100
We generally, though not always, enjoy JBL speakers; let’s take on their big boys. The loudest, bossest JBL speakers that you still might want to carry (lug) around are the JBL Boombox 2 and JBL PartyBox 100. Both have large internal batteries and so can work away from the grid, and both are ideal for …
The Complete Comparison: JBL Charge 4 vs. Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
We’ve reviewed many dozens of Bluetooth speakers and two of our favorites at the moment are the JBL Charge 4 and the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3. These are the speakers you’d go to if you’re looking for something portable, about the size and shape of a wine bottle without its neck; want to spend less …
JBL Boombox vs JBL Boombox 2: Is the Slight Upgrade Worth the Cost?
The JBL Boombox 2 was released in spring 2020 as as an update to the original portable outdoor party companion, the JBL Boombox. Both of these are at the larger, and more outdoorsy end of the biggest, loudest portable speakers we’ve reviewed. And they’re expensive. In this article we go through what all reliable critics—not …