Jbl charge 4 vs 58/16/2023 ![]() ![]() The Flip 6 puts on a zippy, agile and fun show for us. We cue up British Sea Power’s melancholy soundscape, Tiger King, an are treated to detailed and accurate cymbals and drum crashes, proving the Charge 5 is capable of delicacy and nuance as well as oomph and bass clout. The Charge 5 delivers an agile sonic performance – tracks have plenty of impact, vocals are energised and feel well-placed in what is an expansive mix for a portable speaker of this size. Having spend many hours with both the Charge and Flip 6, we can vouch for their abilities, although there are some subtle differences. What Hi-Fi? test regularly tests the world's most advanced (and expensive) hi-fi loudspeakers, so we know a thing or two about exceptional sound. ![]() This expands the wireless range from 10 metres to about 40, which is quite some improvement. It’s a neat feature, although some existing JBL owners may be irked by PartyBoost’s lack of support for JBL's older Connect+ tech.īoth speakers have the same Bluetooth 5.1 wireless tech, up from Bluetooth 4.2 on their predecessors. We press the PartyBoost button on the Charge 5 and on the Flip 6, and sound dutifully comes from both, clearly and with no notable lag. Both feature separate bass drivers and tweeters, and both have the same PartyBoost feature (which lets you wirelessly pair them with other JBL speakers for a louder sound). They both have impressive audio specs, too. So if you're heading to the beach, pool, or, er, desert, they can happily go along for the ride. Its battery is also smaller, delivering 12 hours of run time before needing a charge.īoth share the same rugged build and the same IP67 rating – this means they're dust-tight, and can withstand being submerged in up to 1m of water for 30 minutes. It even has a USB-A port that can be used to charge up your mobile devices – handy if you get caught with a low battery far from home. It gives you enough juice for 20 hours of playing time. Mids are clear with vocals given good presence, and highs are rolled off for a warmer presentation, until you start pushing the volume up and up.The main selling point of the Charge 5 is its battery. We’ve heard bookshelf speakers that produce less bass than the Charge 5. Bass is impactful and deep, which is surprising for a speaker of this sound. Tonally, the JBL Charge 5 sounds balanced at medium to low volume. There’s an additional tweeter in the Charge 5 that helps with overall clarity, and bass is slightly more impactful than the Charge 4, too. Overall, the sound quality of the JBL Charge 5 hasn’t changed much from the Charge 4. If you’re pushing the speaker at higher volumes or are using it as a battery bank to top off your phone, expect that number to drop. In terms of battery life, the JBL Charge 5, like the Charge 4, is rated for 20 hours of playback, which we had no problem reaching while playing at 50% volume. JBL offers a nice mobile app that allows you to customize its speakers and to download software updates, though it's worth noting that firmware updates can take upwards of 15 minutes. It’s also nice to get true stereo playback out of a pair of speakers. The feature is great if you want to play music across a large area where multiple speakers can help amplify sound. However, like other JBL portable speakers, the Charge 5 features the “PartyBoost” mode, which allows users to pair a second JBL speaker to either amplify music or use as a stereo pair. In terms of technical specs, the Charge 5 includes Bluetooth 5.1, a 7500 mAh battery capacity, and a frequency response rated 65 Hz - 20k Hz. We preferred the stability of the Charge 4’s square design to allow for easier vertical placement. This difference isn’t a big deal until you want to set the speaker up vertically, allowing the speaker to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. One subtle change is that the JBL Charge 5 is shaped like a trapezoid with the sides tilting inward. The drivers are protected by a lip around the speaker, but you’ll still be able to touch the drivers without damaging them. The Charge 5 retains the exposed bass drivers on the left and right of the speaker, which lets you see the woofers moving in and out. The Charge 5 drops support for the 3.5mm aux jack from the JBL Charge 4, which is a bummer for some who have legacy devices they want to hook up. Around the back, the JBL Charge 5 has a waterproof USB-C charging port as well as a flap hiding the USB-A port that can be used to charge up your smartphone. ![]()
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