The JBL Flip 6 is one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers designed by JBL that delivers really loud sound performance and is fully IP67 waterproof and durable. Compared with the JBL Flip 5, the Flip 6 delivers several notable upgrades that greatly improve the loudness and clarity on the speaker. The Flip 6 is around 30% louder than the Flip 5 and delivers 30 watts of power output compared with the Flip 5’s 20Ws and comes with a dedicated woofer and tweeter for more defined bass and detailed highs. This is a big improvement over the Flip 5’s single full-range driver, allowing the Flip 6 to deliver deeper bass and much clearer treble ranges from two dedicated drivers. Both the Flip 5 and Flip 6 have a comparable frequency range from 65 Hz to 20 kHz, although the Flip 6 can technically go down to 63 Hz. Like the JBL Flip 5, the Flip 6 speaker comes with a 4800mAh battery that can deliver up to 12 hours of playtime on a single charge and is IP67 waterproof and durable for outdoor use. If you are looking for a portable outdoor Bluetooth speaker that delivers superb sound performance and bass, the JBL Flip 6 is definitely the one you should get.
We tested out the JBL Flip 6 with a couple of EDM and jazz music soundtracks, and the speakers perform exceptionally well, delivering really deep bass and super smooth highs. They are also very loud and have comparable power with the larger JBL Charge 4 speaker at 30Ws. We played a couple of soundtracks including the Bee Gees “How Deep is Your Love” and Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love” and we really liked how this speaker handles bass notes and vocals with distinct clarity. Vocals sounded very smooth and detailed – it feels almost as though the Flip 6s have the quality and detail of the higher-end Marshall Emberton 2 speakers but have much more powerful bass that feels tight and punch down to 63 Hz. The speakers are great for blasting EDM and hip-hop music where you can really enjoy the full bass response of its dedicated woofer.
Sound Performance
Compared with the JBL Flip 5 speaker, the JBL Flip 6 delivers much louder volume output and deeper bass, with crystal clear highs and smooth vocal ranges. We liked the fact that the JBL Flip 6 comes equipped with a 30W power output, which makes it as loud as the JBL Charge 4 speaker in terms of power output. The Flip 6 also delivers much deeper and more impressive bass response, with the ability to capture deep punchy beats in the music with depth and substance; the bass does not muddy into the midrange frequencies. We played a couple of EDM and hip-hop music soundtracks such as Golden Hour by JVKE and it sounded spectacular with crystal clear highs, very good midrange production and exceptionally deep bass. You can hear subtle sounds such as the stroke of piano keys and reverb of the piano keys. The bass is the kind of bass that stays where it should be as bass and does not muddy into the midrange frequencies; the Flip 6 feels almost as though you are listening to a large Charge 4 Bluetooth speaker in terms of volume comparison.
Both the JBL Flip 6 and Flip 5 have roughly equal frequency response from 65 Hz to 20 kHz, although the Flip 6 has a slightly lower frequency bass down to 63 Hz. We also played a few classic jazz pieces from Dusty Springfield “The Look of Love” on the JBL Flip 6 and it sounded absolutely stunning when it comes to the detail and vocals – the highs and treble ranges are crisp and well-defined, and the bass stays where it should be as bass without muddying into the midrange. They sound much louder as compared to the JBL Flip 5’s 20W speaker single driver arrangement, and you get much better sound quality with the JBL Flip 6 speaker with powerful bass from its 30W dedicated tweeter and woofer. There is a level of separation and realism in the vocals that you get with the Flip 5 speakers which makes them very enjoyable to listen to.
Despite the JBL Flip 6 speaker being lightweight and equally portable as the Flip 5 speaker, it sounds roughly 30% louder than the previous Flip 5 speaker and can deliver a maximum 30W output with deep bass notes from the built-in woofer. Both speakers are IP67 waterproof and dustproof which makes them the ideal speaker to take with you outdoors and blasting bass-heavy music outdoors.
Design and Specs
Both the JBL Flip 6 and the Flip 5 speakers share roughly the same specs and dimensions. The JBL Flip 6 is 7” x 2.6” x 2.8” as compared to the Flip 5’s 7.13” x 2.91” x 2.72” and they are roughly the same the same size when it comes to dimensions. The JBL Flip 6 weighs 1.21 lbs while the Flip 5 weighs 1.19 lbs which does not make much of any difference. Both speakers are equipped with a 4800mAh battery that provides a good estimated 12 hours of playtime on as single charge.
Having said that, the JBL Flip 6 comes with improved features such as the latest Bluetooth 5,.1 technology compared with the JBL Flip 5’s 4.2 technology. Both speakers also support A2DP 1.3 and AVRCP 1.6 Bluetooth audio codec for high quality music streaming. Both speakers also support USB-C power input options for quick charging functionality. The JBL Flip 6 is also 10W louder than the Flip 5 which makes a substantial difference in loudness and sound quality.
Comparing with other JBL Speakers
One major improvement that the JBL Flip 6 has compared with other Flip 5 speakers is its 30W Bluetooth power output with its single tweeter and woofer. This means that the Flip 6 has a dedicated woofer and tweeter to handle the highs and bass frequency ranges, instead of using a single full-range driver. This allows the Flip 6 speaker to compete with larger JBL speakers such as the Charge 4 speaker on par in terms of loudness and volume output (the JBL Charge 4 also has a combined power output of 30W), which is a remarkable feat.
One of the things that we definitely liked about the JBL Flip 6 is that this speaker is designed like a tank and can handle virtually any outdoor environment that you throw at it – you can even submerge this speaker for 30 minuntes under water to a depth of 1m without any issues. It’s the perfect kind of people that you would want to take outdoors and never have to worry about getting it damaged. There are also hands-free call buttons on the speaker which are very useful if you need to communicate outdoors with a push of the button without taking out your smartphone device.
Compared with other JBL Bluetooth speakers such as the Charge 5 and Xtreme 3, the JBL Flip 6 is not too far behind in terms of output (30W for JBL Flip 6) and (40W for JBL Charge 5 speaker). It is also a relatively lightweight Bluetooth speaker which weighs roughly at 0.55kg, and can be easily brought around to parties and events while playing really crystal clear music performance, unlike the JBL Xtreme 3 which can be too heavy to bring around and requires a sling to shoulder carry.
Finally, the JBL Flip 6 speaker supports the PartyBoost app where you can link up multiple Flip 6 speakers together to get a much wider soundstage especially if you are using this speaker for a large beach or pool party. It’s very fun to play music in sync with multiple speakers from a single music source, and really adds to the party vibe of this speaker with good bass beats. In terms of pure versatility, it’s definitely hard to go wrong with the JBL Flip 6 considering level of sound output and portability. It fits into the sweet spot of being a very good sounding speaker that’s portable and easy to setup on the go.
The Verdict?
The JBL Flip 6 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers produced by JBL that deliver superb sound quality and a loud 30W volume output. This unassuming and portable speaker can deliver a whopping 30 watts of power output on a single charge, and even comes with its own tweeter and woofer to deliver crystal clear highs and very deep bass response for rock, hip-hop and jazz music performances. We played a couple of music performances including Golden Hour by JVKE and they all sounded spectacularly good – much louder than the previous JBL Flip 5 speakers and almost as powerful as the JBL Charge 4 speakers in terms of their 30W output. The bass on the JBL Flip 6 is also formidable, delivering the kind of bass that you would normally expect from a more powerful or large Bluetooth speaker such as the Charge 5 or the JBL Xtreme 3 speakers. The Flip 6 speakers overdeliver in terms of sound performance and loudness, and really has powerful dual bass radiators at both sides which enhance the lower-bass response for EDM soundtracks. You can also push up the volume on these speakers to maximum without hearing a single distortion; and they are able to blast music outdoors without any hint of distortion or degradation in sound performance.
Overall, the JBL Flip 6 is an exceptionally good sounding portable Bluetooth speaker from JBL that deliver a great combination of vocal clarity, bass and mid-range clarity with a portable design – it is very loud and delivers an incredible 30W of power which is very good considering how compact this speaker actually is at just 7 inches long. Compared with the larger 40W JBL Charge 5 speaker, the JBL Flip 6 is much more portable and delivers really loud sound performance at just a fraction of the size. The difference between the bass and the loudness of the JBL Flip 6 and the Charge 5 is not substantial, and you are able to save more space and carry-on weight with the JBL Flip 6 speaker due to its slimmer design. If you had to a pick a JBL Bluetooth speaker to take outdoors that can deliver the best combination of sound and portability, the JBL Flip 6 will be an ideal choice compared to the larger JBL Charge 5 and Xtreme 3 speakers due to its highly portable design and relatively loud 30W power output.