The JBL Xtreme 3 is designed to be much larger than the JBL Charge 5 but smaller than the JBL Boombox 3, and is a large portable speaker designed for outdoor pool parties and events. This speaker is great at blasting music, and delivers up to 100Ws of output power which is much more powerful than the Charge 5’s 40W output. One of the biggest advantages that the JBL Xtreme 3 has over the JBL Charge 5 is that it supports full stereo sound performance with dual channels, allowing you to hear music with good stereo separation in the details. It also delivers much more bass than the Charge 5 at louder volume levels, and the bass on the Xtreme 3 is rock solid and punches very hard especially at loud volume levels – they are some of the loudest Bluetooth speakers we have tested. If you are looking for a really powerful portable speaker that can be carried around but is not as large as the Boombox 3, the JBL Xtreme 3 is definitely the speaker you should get.
One of the key advantages that the JBL Xtreme 3 has is its dual channel stereo sound performance. This speaker is fitted with dual 2.75” woofers and dual 0.75” tweeters which deliver really nice highs and deep bass performance, and the dedicated tweeters deliver silky smooth highs with clean vocals. This speaker has up to 100W RMS of power and is also IP67 waterproof and dustproof, making it highly portable and great for poolside or for blasting music outdoors.
If you are deciding between the JBL Boombox 3 or the Xtreme 3, read our full comparative review on the JBL Boombox 3 vs the Xtreme 3 speaker.
Sound Performance
The JBL Xtreme 3 delivers really loud sound performance with up to 100W RMS output power, and has a decent frequency response from 53.5 Hz to 20 kHz. This is much louder than the JBL Charge 5’s 40W output and narrower frequency range from 65 Hz to 20 kHz. We pushed up the volume on the JBL Xtreme 3 and it delivered really powerful sound performance with crystal clear highs and solid bass performance, and we found that the bass sounds progressively better at higher volume levels. At close to 50% volume, the bass sounds really tight and punchy with really nice low-end sub bass that makes EDM, rock and hip-hop music genres really shine. We played a couple of hip-hop music soundtracks including Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and it sounded really nice and punchy with crystal clear vocals.
The JBL Xtreme 3 also performs really well for live jazz soundtracks. We tested out a few soundtracks including Tony Bennett’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and it sounded absolutely stunning with really nice vocal ranges and timbre; you can feel the quality and crispness in the highs. This speaker also provides very good stereo separation between the left and right speaker channels, allowing you to get a detailed soundstage and pinpoint where the instruments and vocalist are. You can also push up the volume on the JBL Xtreme 3 and get very little or close to no distortion – the music sounds crystal clear and consistently clean with crisp highs, detailed midranges and very powerful bass response.
We would say however that the JBL Xtreme 3 performs much better at higher volume levels above 50% volume output. At lower volume levels, the Xtreme 3 still delivers decent sound performance but we felt that the bass starts to taper off and does not have the same level of impact and depth at higher volume levels (the JBL Charge 5 is better than the Xtreme 3 in this regard as the bass does not taper off at lower volume levels). The JBL Xtreme 3 is a speaker that performs much better at higher volume levels, and is one of the best Bluetooth speakers that deliver deep bass performance.
Design
In terms of design, the JBL Xtreme 3 retains its JBL’s signature cylindrical shape speaker with two dual bass radiators at the side of the speaker to improve the bass response. The entire speaker is IP67 waterproof and dustproof, allowing you to bring the speaker virtually anywhere outdoors and not have to worry about the speaker getting wet. The Xtreme 3 speaker also comes with rubberized buttons that light up at the top panel of the speaker for you to adjust the volume and soundtracks, or start Bluetooth pairing.
At the back of the speaker is one USB-C port, a standard USB-A port and aux input for you to play music. Like the Charge 5, the Xtreme 3 allows you to charge your smartphone devices using the JBL Xtreme 3’s power bank which is very convenient especially if you need to play music outdoors. We liked the fact that the Xtreme 3 also comes with a built-in battery that provides up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge. The speaker also comes with an included shoulder strap and has two rings around the top of the speaker where you can attach the strap for easy portability. The straps also come with a bottle opener which can help to keep you hydrated while partying. The JBL Xtreme 3 comes with several design improvements over the previous Xtreme 2 speaker including a massively improved 100W output.
Finally, the JBL Xtreme 3 also comes with JBL’s signature PartyBoost feature which allows you to pair two PartyBoost compatible speakers together for true stereo sound performance, or you can link multiple Xtreme 3 speakers together to create a much wider sound field.
Specifications
The JBL Xtreme 3 is a good improvement over the previous Xtreme 2 speaker, and it delivers up to 100Ws RMS of output power which is a massive improvement over the Xtreme 2’s 40W power output. It comes with dual 2.75” woofers and dual 0.75” tweeters which handle the highs and lower bass ranges separately, allowing the speaker to deliver really good bass and crystal clear vocals at the same time. The frequency range of the speaker is 53.5 Hz to 20 kHz, with the lower frequency band a good improvement over the previous Xtreme 2 as it can deliver lower-end bass notes.
The speaker comes equipped with a 15 hour battery life and supports 3.5mm auxiliary input with the ability to double as a portable power bank for your smartphone devices. The entire speaker weighs 1.83 kg and has a dimension of 13.2 x 7.9 x 7.3”, making it larger than the Charge 5 speaker but still highly portable with the shoulder strap.
The Verdict?
The JBL Xtreme 3 is a really powerful portable speaker that is designed for those who want to blast music outdoors. This speaker has incredible bass output, and the bass becomes noticeably better at louder volume levels where it can really shine and bring out the beats in the music. The Xtreme 3 delivers superb sound performance with really clear highs and low-end sub bass, making EDM, rock and hip-hop music especially enjoyable to listen to on the Xtreme 3 where you can blast music and enjoy the deep thumping bass. Furthermore, the entire speaker is designed to be portable and you can shoulder carry the speaker around with you using the included shoulder straps. The speaker is IP67 waterproof and dustproof, making it perfect for poolside parties and it can withstand splashes of water without any issues. Overall, the JBL Xtreme 3 is one of the most powerful portable speakers we have tested and we highly recommend them if you are looking for a portable speaker with great volume output.