It’s easily the loudest portable Bluetooth speaker I’ve tested, and even better—one of the best sounding. Considering that it employs waterproof materials and carries an IPX7 rating, something I’ve found often inhibits successful sound reproduction, color me impressed.
Note that while the four outer buttons might appear in a different color in this image, they’re harder to see from this same angle in real life. The Boombox also features an AC port which resides under a sung-fitting water-proofing plug on the back of the speaker.
JBL also provides a phone app that makes it easier to adjust settings and turn on Partyboost or stereo pairing. I was hoping for a graphic EQ, but the Boombox I tested showed only “indoor” and “outdoor” modes.
At lower volumes, I found the Boombox exceptionally sonically well balanced nearly across the board. In addition to the nicely understated mid-range (for JBL, at least), the bass was far tighter and punchier than I was expecting, and there’s just the right amount of high frequency for my ears. I listened outdoors at volume and the Boombox sounded fine, albeit not quite as refined as it did indoors.
The charge indicator was about halfway, so I’ll call the 24-hour figure close to the truth.
JBL Boombox review
The JBL Boombox is a monstrous portable speaker that not only gets loud, but stays pretty crisp when pumping the volume. The JBL Boombox is a monstrous portable speaker that not only gets loud, but stays pretty crisp when pumping the volume.
Fast-forward to today, and JBL has taken its penchant for splash-proof and portable Bluetooth audio into a bygone era with its bombastic Boombox. While there are no extra features, like a built-in voice assistant, and it’s relatively expensive at $449 (£399, AU$549), JBL’s Boombox expertly blends the aesthetics of a bygone era with a sound quality that modern audio enthusiasts will enjoy.
The Boombox follows JBL’s basic design principles in using fabric and plastic to fashion a water-resistant speaker that looks like an extra-large version of everything else the company has launched. There is a built-in mic for voice calls, and the body itself is IPX7-rated, meaning it stay submerged in clear water for up to 30 minutes.
The JBL Connect app for iOS and Android speeds up the setup, but isn’t otherwise necessary to running the Boombox. Skewing the audio spectrum enough to get more bass out of the Boombox, JBL wisely balanced out the mids and highs for an overall sound that was actually clearer than we expected. Sade’s Bullet Proof Soul is a bass-heavy ballad, but it rocked every time we played it, filling the room with both the sultry beat and eerie sax. For action movies and video games with plenty of gunfights and explosions, the Boombox packs the punch of every scene. JBL rated the Boombox at 24 hours of playback per charge, and we found that to be fairly accurate at volume halfway over a mix of Bluetooth or wired connections.
JBL Boombox review: Portable, powerful and very bassy
Nowadays, fashion has drastically changed, but a few manufacturers, like JBL, want to bring back that old-school vibe. The company’s Bluetooth speaker, the JBL Boombox has a built-in handle that’s designed to rest on your shoulders. At around that price, you can buy the incredible Dali Katch for £325 the indoor multi-room Orbitsound Dock E30 and the rather unique-looking Studio19 Solo E500X-EQ for £400. The UE Megablast isn’t as loud and doesn’t have the same physical presence as the JBL, but it does have Amazon Alexa support, which the Boombox does not.
Alas, unlike the “ghetto blasters” of yesteryear, the JBL Boombox is not covered with knobs and ostentatious grilles; its name might be designed with a small nod to the past, but its roughly cylindrical shape, circular side-mounted passive drivers and tough nylon fabric coverings contribute to an altogether more modern look. That’s not a problem per se, and the range is pretty good at around 20 metres outdoors, but as with most such speakers you’ll typically need to keep connected devices in the same room if you don’t want the signal to cut out.
It’s also worth noting that the Boombox doesn’t support the aptX codec, which does hinder the sound clarity somewhat. The outdoor mode rams up the low-frequency part of the audio spectrum, which results in mind-boggling amounts of mid-bass. Unlike other Bluetooth speakers I’ve tested, the JBL’s bass response is a raw, physical thump you can feel in your chest; especially when you crank it up. Rivals such as the UE Megablast and the Dali Katch are a lot more precise and deliver far more accurate audio. READ NEXT: Ultimate Ears Megablast review: The best multi-purpose Amazon Alexa smart speaker
Review: JBL Boombox (bluetooth speaker)
Eigenlijk al tijdens de IFA waar JBL haar Boombox presenteerde. Collega Bas heeft de JBL Boombox voor het eerst uit haar enorme doos mogen halen.
Wat een beetje zonde is van het bier… maar hier op de redactie denken we niet altijd goed over onze acties na :-).
In batterijmodus ligt het totaal vermogen op twee keer 20 Watt.
Er zit een speciale schakelaar achterop waarmee je hem in binnen- en buitenmodus kunt zetten. Één ding dat ik ook mistte bij de JBL Xtreme.
JBL maakt wel producten met ondersteuning voor deze hoogwaardige manier om muziek te streamen, maar hier mis ik het echt. Als audiofiel kun je ook altijd nog terugvallen op een 3,5mm analoge audio aansluiting.
En ja, dat haalt hij op ongeveer 1/3 van het volume. En dat is waar hij in de praktijk ook echt op staat. Met het enorme 74Wh / 20.000mAh accupakket weegt de speaker trouwens 5,25 kilo, dus je voelt hem wel. Met deze JBL speaker aanbiedingen die handig bij elkaar in één overzicht staan vermeld betaal je nooit meer teveel.
De JBL Boombox wekt indruk, waar je hem ook mee naar toe neemt.
JBL Boombox Review
Available in black or forest green models, the Boombox is a hefty cylinder with a large built-in handle for carrying it around (or hoisting it up on your shoulder). The Boombox has an IPX7 rating, meaning it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for a short period of time, so it can definitely be used by the pool and you don’t have to worry about forgetting it outside in the rain.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word we recorded, but like most speakerphones, the sound was a little distant and clipped, and like most Bluetooth built-in mics, it was also a little fuzzy. You can also switch between Indoor and Outdoor modes, disable the speakerphone, turn off the sound effects when powering up and down or pairing, and reassign the playback button to instead summon your connected phone’s voice assistant.
JBL rates the Boombox’s battery life at roughly 24 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels and your mix of wired and wireless playback. We tested the Boombox in Indoor mode—and trust us, it packs plenty of bass punch without the added push Outdoor mode provides.
Those two woofers provide plenty of thump, and you can expect the Boombox to rattle walls and vibrate surfaces on deep bass tracks. Callahan’s baritone vocals get some powerful, rich low-mid presence, while the high-mids and highs are also quite sculpted, giving his voice some treble crackle and the keeping the attack of the guitar strums and higher percussive hits bright and clear.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loops gets some tremendous added thump, beefing up its sustain, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with gusto, as well.
Thankfully, JBL keeps the high-mids and highs crisp and things remain fairly balanced, with clear vocal deliveries that manage to avoid sounding overly sibilant or be overpowered by the bass. JBL Boombox 4.0 Editors’ Choice See It $599.95 at Amazon MSRP $449.99 Pros Exceptionally powerful audio performance with booming bass and crisp highs. The Bottom Line The outdoor-friendly JBL Boombox delivers thunderous bass balanced with solid high frequency presence in a nostalgic design.
JBL Boombox 2 Review
The JBL Boombox 2 is a big, portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers powerful bass depth and high volumes. The speaker’s boosted bass and sculpted highs likely won’t appeal to purists, but fans of a big sound will enjoy its robust output.
While you can certainly find speakers that deliver a more nuanced sonic experience at this price, if you’re looking for an outdoor-friendly, fully waterproof party system, the Boombox 2 won’t disappoint. At top volumes (this speaker can get quite loud), the bass doesn’t distort, though the DSP (digital signal processing) kicks in and thins out the lows slightly. Callahan’s baritone vocals also receive an extra helping of low-mid richness, but thankfully, there’s plenty of high-mid and high-frequency sculpting to balance the boosted lows. The lack of added sibilance is a hard trick to pull off when balancing the highs with lows that are this boosted, but JBL manages to make it happen.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, have a somewhat natural sound despite the added bass depth. Purists won’t be pleased, but for all the boosting and sculpting in the Boombox 2’s sound signature, it delivers a relatively balanced, crisp, rich performance that doesn’t lean too heavily on the lows. When it comes to big, outdoor-friendly speakers, we’re also fans of Braven’s $399.99 BRV-XXL/2, while JBL’s PartyBox 300, also $500, is an even larger system complete with a light show, but is decidedly less easy to move around.
This JBL Boombox 2 fits in with these speakers nicely, providing plenty of power for outdoor parties in a nostalgic design.
Sound signature not for those seeking accuracy The Bottom Line JBL’s Boombox 2 speaker is built for backyard parties, tailgates, and anywhere else you want to bring big Bluetooth audio.
Customer Reviews: JBL Boombox Portable Bluetooth Speaker Black JBLBOOMBOXBLKAM
The sound is so legit that I see no use to increase my home power watt usage just to listen to music. The passive radiators on both sides move in and out when sub sonic bass notes hit and the low end sounds it makes is just incredible for its size!
The battery life on this thing lasts a long time – i got it around 13+ hours (at about 35% volume) and the best part is that it includes two USB ports for charging devices (no data) – and i hooked up a chromecast audio (via 3.5mm to the 3.5mm input on the JBL) so i can wifi transmit music from google easily. There are 5 LEDs to indicate battery capacity and it’s located on the front bottom and is in white and very visible – EVEN when being AC powered.
I will say it can blasts a huge room easily with music and distort ever so slightly based on the type of music you are playing but at max volume it’s so loud your ears are gonna hurt first in a smaller room before you leave it at max levels. The speaker is IP67 rated so it can handle humidity/even being dunked in water (I did not do this myself but watched Jim’s review room on youtube do this).
The size isn’t too big and heavy either and the handle bar is perfect for transporting. I mean I didn’t even get a chance to hear it in the best buy store because the demo unit was not working but after youtube reviewers claim it’s so good, i gave it a chance and i’m telling you this speaker is the best bluetooth speaker bar none!
The stanmore II was nice build but man the performance is not in the same league as this JBL boombox!! So now here are the cons for me personally: * Looks – it doesn’t look like a high end performing speaker – in fact it’s quite ugly design; but having black unit it doesn’t stand out in my black bookshelf so that’s good. This isn’t a con but I wish they had some grille mesh to protect the side passive bass radiators in case of transporting you puncture those by accident! PS – The JBL Boombox has option for TWO BLUETOOTH CONNECTIONS SIMULATANEOUSLY.
JBL Boombox 2 Review
The ‘Camo’ variant has a green handle, and the fabric around the speaker’s body has a camouflage pattern.
JBL Boombox 2 review: luid, luider, luidst
Als je een deadline aan het halen bent, kan het juiste nummer op de achtergrond je dat extra beetje motivatie geven, maar ook na het werk zijn er weinig betere dingen als even ontspannen en luisteren naar je favoriete afspeellijst. Bluetooth speakers bestaan vandaag de dag in alle vormen en maten.
Ook het gewicht van net geen 6 kilogram doet de speaker log aanvoelen als je hem vastneemt.
Verbinding leggen tussen de speaker en je smartphone of laptop is echt kinderspel.
We hebben tijdens onze testperiode op geen enkel moment voorgehad dat de verbinding verbroken werd, dus deze is zeer stabiel en reikt over langere afstand. Door ons getest en goedgekeurd (we hebben het wel beperkt tot twee speakers). Welk nummer je ook afspeelt, het zal in volle glorie weerklinken dankzij de JBL Boombox 2. Wij kunnen alvast geen vrede meer nemen met de audiokwaliteit die onze laptop en smartphone ons zonder speaker geeft. De stevige batterij van 10.000 mAh gaat met één oplaadbeurt moeiteloos 24 uur mee, ook bij intensief gebruik. De mogelijkheid om speakers met elkaar te verbinden via PartyBoost is een absoluut pluspunt, al vonden we het een klein nadeel dat wanneer je één speaker uitzet de rest zich ook uitschakelt. Met een batterijduur van 24 uur zal je de Boombox ook niet zo vaak moeten opladen. Al deze ingrediënten samen maken de Boombox de ideale speaker om je huis- en tuinfeestjes naar het niveau van Tomorrowland te tillen, of om uitstapjes naar het park of strand nog een stukje gezellig ter maken.
499 euro zal je niet snel neerleggen voor een bluetooth speaker.
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