JBL
JBL Charge 3: the bipolar waterproof speaker
Aprox. 99€ - see price -
See specificationsJBL is a very prolific builder in terms of portable speakers. The JBL Charge 3 slips between the Flip3 and Xtreme speakers and offers several evolutions compared to the Charge 2+: improved autonomy, a waterproof design and the JBL Connect. We just have to hope that the sound performance will always be as good, which we will check right away ...
Positive points
Solid, well finished and water resistant.
Very great autonomy.
Comprehensive checks.
Easy to use.
Powerful.
Deep bass and fairly balanced in Bluetooth.
Bad points
Significant difference in sound rendering between wired and wireless.
Imprecise bass in wireframe.
Pinched and aggressive treble in Bluetooth.
Narrow stereo.
Power not fully exploitable.
No NFC chip.
Our review
Ergonomics
JBL harmonizes its new line of portable speakers both in terms of design and finishes. The Charge 3 therefore uses the same materials as the Flip 3 and the Xtreme: very rigid braided fabric, thick plastic and rubber. The fabric covering widely used on the enclosure gives a very good grip despite its size and the part located under the enclosure adheres well on dry surfaces. The set is particularly resistant to shocks and drops, in addition to being waterproof. We can therefore immerse and play with the enclosure in water (without exceeding 1 m deep).
The Charge 3 is very easy to handle and offers multiple commands: it is possible to manage playback, navigate between tracks and set the listening volume. Power on / off and pairing are punctuated by various audible indications. The JBL Connect function and the dedicated application are also there to allow you to pair a second speaker in double mono or stereo, provided you have two identical models. This speaker does not offer an NFC chip.
Protected by a rubber cover, the connector consists of a USB port for recharging a mobile device, a micro-USB port to recharge the speaker and an analog 3.5 mm mini-jack input. to connect the speaker by wire. Unfortunately, this cable is not provided.
With a promise of 20 hours in reading, JBL made a lot of promises, and even stronger in practice since we managed to push Charge 3 until 10:20 pm (volume at 70%). The autonomy drops without surprise when recharging a mobile device, to reach 9:30 am with a constant recharge (and the volume always at 70%). The results are therefore very good and allow you to enjoy long listening sessions at a sufficient level outdoors. The height of happiness, the battery level is displayed by 5 LEDs located in the lower part of the speaker as soon as one of the buttons is touched.
Audio
Between wireless and wired, the JBL Charge 3 offers a versatile listening experience.
In wireless, the bass is very slightly rounded, but overall well balanced and deep. On the other hand, the rendering of the high-mid / treble is much more imprecise and especially more aggressive when we exceed 60% of the maximum volume. The sibilance wakes up regularly, the guitar pick picks are boosted and the cymbals lack definition. However, the phenomenon can be limited by staying below 50% of the volume.
In wireframe, the phenomenon is opposite: the bass is really less well controlled and saturates quickly. This area is much less precise and hides the low-midrange. As in wireless, being below 50% of the volume reduces this problem. The other side of the spectrum is quieter and the rendering seems much less aggressive.
In both cases, the voices are particularly honored if we remain at reasonable listening levels. They are both clear and warm.
Stereophony is not really the strong point of this speaker. Even if the scene is generally readable, it remains very narrow, being really limited to the level of the speakers. Fortunately, the speaker is not ultra-directive and one can benefit from a correct sound at 120 degrees.
The JBL Charge 3 is particularly powerful, even if for the reasons mentioned above, it is strongly recommended not to exceed a certain threshold. Even if it is still possible to benefit from a very reasonable level for listening inside and outside, it must be admitted that it is particularly frustrating.
The real margin of progress compared to the Charge 2+ is the reduction of the communication latency, which this time is a little more than 200 ms, but still limited so as not to perceive the latency between image and sound at all. We recommend that you apply an image delay or an audio advance if your player allows it.
Conclusion
Resistant, easy to use and with great autonomy, the JBL Charge 3 is a real pleasure to use. The pleasure is however less in terms of sound performance, very different in Bluetooth and wired, and imperfect in both cases. Compared to competitors of the same size (Megaboom, BRV-X, BT6600 ...), it remains a companion of choice for those who want a durable, waterproof, powerful portable speaker that can charge a device for long hours.
Specifications
Reviews
Not what we were expecting!!!
Received this item on Friday for my daughters Bday. On Saturday she opened it all excited and within minutes had it ready to play. That's when we noticed something was off. The sound was crap !! Which was hard to believe because my brother has the exact same speaker and he loves it. So we played around with it and noticed something seemed off, so we pulled up the Amazon order and noticed that the item inside the box was what we thought was the charge 3 but it was some crappy looks like knock off speaker. Duffle differences were the logos and once my brother brought his over it was very clear on the switch. This made a great day feel like I got ripped off so back in the box this price of trash went.
If you buy, open first and give it a good looking at.
UE Boom 2 vs. JBL Charge 3
I wanted to get a portable travel speaker in addition to my home Sonos setup. Googling for ratings and reviews, I came up with UE Boom 2, JBL Charge 3 and Bose SoundLink Mini II as the frontrunners from nearly all reviewers. All 3 of these have very high ratings on Amazon both in the US and the UK, so the choice likely comes down to personal preferences.
I decided against the Bose since it can't pair with a second speaker for a stereo setup, is slightly older, doesn't look as attractive (quite a dated look in fact) and the sound quality reviews do not put it above the other two.
Then I couldn't decide between the UE and JBL, so purchased both. I compared them side-by-side for a week with the following observations:
1) Batteries on both last for a ridiculously long time. Yes, JBL lasts longer, but the 15 hour battery on UE is a week of regular use. What other electronics do you charge so rarely?
2) Both speakers are very loud. Assuming you're not hosting an actual dance party, it would be surprising for either to run out of volume. JBL stays composed all the way to the max, maybe keep UE one notch above the very max on the bass-heavy songs.
3) UE has crisper high and mid frequencies, while JBL has a deeper, bigger bass. It took me a week to decide that this constitutes a tie for me, but most people would likely prefer the bigger bass of the JBL. Also, UE gives you the 360 sound, which is quite neat: you can put it in the middle of the room rather than against a wall. This could work as an effective sound multiplier since you reduce the distance to people if using it in a group.
I compared both to a single Sonos 1 speaker (much heavier and non-portable), and Sonos is significantly better across the entire frequency range than either UE or JBL. This is not to say that that UE or JBL produce low quality sound: they both sound surprisingly good for their size. My point is that we shouldn't obsess with the sound quality comparison between the two because neither is close to being a reference sound device.
4) Size is important here. JBL is over 50% larger than the UE, which makes a huge difference. Please see the photos: the JBL is longer, wider and heavier than the UE. This was the main factor in declaring UE the winner by a good margin. The speakers are roughly tied before the size comes into play, and the UE is just a lot smaller. I am simply more likely to take it with me when traveling.
5) Other features. Both speakers are waterproof. Charge 3 will charge your phone, which is not exactly useless, but probably not a deciding feature. UE feels much sleeker design-wise, with fewer buttons and better symmetry.
To summarize: JBL Charge 3 is a great speaker, worthy of a 5 star rating. However, for my preferences, UE Boom 2 was the clear winner given its much more compact size and neater design due to them being close to tied in other areas, including sound quality.
Great speaker, BUT mainly offering a warning to pay attention to the listed seller. !
(Disclaimer: This is not a much a review as it is advice for avoiding getting ripped off.) As for the review on the JBL Charge 3, it definitely does not disappoint! It gets very loud for the size and the mids and highs are very crisp. The bass is decent, but it's not gonna shake any windows. I dont own a flip 3 or 4, so I can't do a side-by-side comparison, but I have used one in the past, and from what I can remember, this one seems to get about 20-30% louder . So that is nice for a $ 20 price difference. I have owned several JBL products over many years and have never had an issue, and I definitely do not anticipate having one with the Charge 3 *** THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT *** There are a LOT of 1 star reviews of this speaker, but if you read through them, you will see that the majority (probably 90%) of the negative reviews are due to the fact they the purchaser received a counterfeit unit. This is easily avoidable. Amazon uses multiple vendors to ship the same product, and these vendors change quite frequently. Once your item is in the cart, you are able to see who is actually selling it. It is extremely important that you make sure the seller is listed on JBL's authorized seller list. I bought mine on Amazon from Acoustic Sound Design, and they are listed on JBL's authorized seller list, as are several others. If the name of the vendor does not show up on their list, chances are, you are going to be receiving a refurbished soon-to-be paperweight or just an outright fake.
I RECEIVED A COUNTERFEIT.
The box looked legit however upon opening, the inside box contents was crushed. I knew something was wrong and listened to it and it just didn't sound right. I decided to do further internet search and discovered that there were counterfeit JBL charge 3 speakers floating around. I looked into the one I received and realized it was a fake. It had green leds not white like the original and the logo (CHARGE 3) was not on the back waterproof door. The unit did not have any serial numbers on it or the box. The top rubber of the power button was raised more than the original one and the JBL logo on the front is bigger than the orginal. I immediately returned the item after discovering it was a counterfeit.