Speakers
Is JBL’s Small, Powerful Speaker Upgrade Worth It? The JBL Clip 3 vs Clip 4
The latest ultra-light clippable bike or backpack speaker from JBL is the JBL Clip 4, and it’s as you might expect a slight step up from the previous JBL Clip 3. In a nutshell: A few features have been gained, a few minor features have been lost, and the sound is overall improved and slightly …
JBL Flip 5 vs Flip 6: A Slightly Improved Ultra-Portable Speaker for a Decent Price
We’ve been following the JBL travel speakers closely for years now, and the Flip line is now on its sixth iteration. Once again JBL has made a few excellent, small improvements. We’ll detail what’s different going from the Flip 5 to Flip 6 below in a nutshell and give you our take on who should …
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 …
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 …
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 …
College Dorm Speakers: The Best Sound for Small Rooms, for Large Parties, and for a Shoestring Budget
Out of the hundreds of speakers we’ve reviewed there are a few that are perfect fits for those going off to college. You’re not staying in your university’s dorm or apartment-style housing forever; most people move at the very least from year to year. So it’s important to have a speaker that’s portable enough not …
JBL Flip 4 vs Flip 5: Is the New Version Worth It?
This article covers previous-model speakers. For the latest from JBL, check out our comparison review of the JBL Flip 5 versus Flip 6. The JBL Flip 5 was released August 1, 2019 as an update to the JBL Flip 4 — already one of the better affordable portable Bluetooth speakers out there. While the Flip …
JBL Pulse 4 vs Flip 5 vs Charge 4: What’s Different Between the Celebrated Mid-Sized Bluetooth Speakers
Update as of December 2021: Note that these speakers have been replaced by newer models; see our comparison of the JBL Flip 5 vs. Flip 6 for more, as well as our comparison of the larger JBL Charge 4 and Charge 5. The broad differences between these speaker lines remain the same however, and the …
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 …
JBL Flip 4 vs. UE Boom 2 vs. Bose Soundlink Revolve: The Ultimate Bluetooth Speaker Comparison
Update: All of these models are now replaced by much newer, better options from the respective manufacturers. Head to our review of the best portable travel speaker for the latest recommendations from Ultimate Ears (formerly UE), JBL, and Bose. We’ve analyzed everything said by consumer organizations, tech sites, and audiophile bloggers for the three greatest portable Bluetooth speakers …