JBL Charge 3 Review – The JBL Charge 3 Speaker
Summary
The JBL Charge 3 is an amazing portable Bluetooth speaker with extreme battery life (up to 20 hours of playtime) and incredible sound quality, and is a vast improvement over its predecessor the JBL Charge 2. The JBL Charge 3 is designed to deliver crisp, solid sound with deep bass in outdoor open spaces. It features a dedicated bass port which delivers good thumping lows and enhances the low end frequency range. Compared with other Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Charge 3 produces better sound and truer bass. While this speaker is designed to be compact and portable, the sound is clean and handles the bass really well without any distortion. The overall sound is richer and does not feel shrill or tiny at all. We found that the JBL Charge 3 has a pretty mature sound which is much rounder than the old JBL Charge. The highs and midrange on the JBL Charge 3 are crisp and detailed, and vocal and instrumental performances sounded almost life-like as if we were standing in front of a live studio. If you are looking for a solid Bluetooth speaker with long lasting battery life that will deliver incredible sound, the JBL Charge 3 is the way to go.
The Pros & Cons
The Pros. The JBL Charge 3 delivers some of the best sound performances from a portable Bluetooth speaker, with rich highs, detailed midrange and deep lows with two subwoofer ports at the side of the speaker. Its comes with a IPX7 splashproof and water resistant design which means you can use it in the rain or on an outdoor adventure without any issues. It also features an incredibly powerful battery which doubles as a power bank – you can charge your USB devices with the Charge 3 on the go, making it the perfect speaker to take with you on mini trips.
The Cons. The JBL Charge 3 is slightly bulky and can cause some weight issues when carried in a backpack. It is also a pricier speaker and is suited only for those who want to invest in a speaker with long lasting battery life to charge USB devices or mobile Bluetooth devices.
Charging Feature
The amazing thing about the JBL Charge 3 is that it has the capability of charging USB devices with its high capacity battery, hence the product name “Charge”. You can take this speaker with you on an outdoor adventure and use it to charge your mobile devices on the go. The JBL Charge 3 has two speaker drivers behind the front grill, and the speaker itself can be recharged via micro USB (cable and power supply included). At full power, the battery delivers 20 hours of playtime with Bluetooth music streaming. To recharge your mobile devices, you simply connect your mobile device to the JBL Charge 3 via the USB ports and they will charge automatically. In addition to the ability to charge your Bluetooth devices, the JBL Charge 3 features two subwoofers at the sides which produce a stunning amount of bass – so much bass that you can see the subwoofers vibrating constantly while playing music.
Sound Performance
The sound performance of the JBL Charge 3 is very well balanced with detailed midrange and stunning vocal performances. Compared to its predecessor, it has a much fuller sound without the need to boost the bass response and the treble. In addition, the JBL Charge 3 can wirelessly connect up to 3 smartphones or tablets and switch between them. You can also connect multiple JBL Charge 3s together to create a wider soundstage and amplified listening experience. It also features a globally synced volume control with a total of 15+ dedicated volume steps. The sound performance of the Charge 3 is consistent and of very high quality at every volume level – it will handle most genres of music very well with high fidelity natural sound reproduction. The speaker also features an integrated microphone which allows you to take hands free calls with noise and echo-cancelling technology; you can take or reject calls using the button controls on the bottom panel of the speaker.
We were particularly impressed by the amount of juice that we got out of these speakers. The bass response is very good and you can place it on the table or even on the floor in the corner of a room and have the bass amplified to a level where it will rattle on the floor. This is very impressive for a speaker the size of the JBL Charge 3 – it’s almost as if the speaker can act as a standalone subwoofer on its own. Furthermore, the JBL Charge 3 features a IPX7 waterproof design which means that you can safely take it outdoors by the beach or poolside and never have to worry about damaging the speaker. It is well and truly a versatile speaker that you can take with you on outdoor adventures for great music – as well as a power bank for your USB devices.
The Verdict?
The JBL Charge 3 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers that delivers very good sound performance, powerful deep bass and can double as a portable power bank for your mobile devices. The speaker is capable of producing very clear and detailed highs and mids, and is suited for almost every genre of music from rock to instrumental music. The bass response and subwoofer ports on the side of the speaker provide that punchy low-end to your music and enhances the overall listening experience. The Bluetooth connectivity on the JBL Charge 3 is also top-notch, and we never experienced any dips in sound performance or lags in connection. We have no doubt that the JBL Charge 3 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers you can find with incredible sound performance and battery life, and we highly recommend them if you need a reliable speaker for outdoor use.
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