Michal Ždanský In the crowded market of portable speakers, apart from the quality of reproduction and design, there is not much possibility to stand out from the competition. Another of the small speakers from JBL tries to distinguish itself by the unique possibility of charging an iPhone or other mobile devices from the built-in adapter, which otherwise enables very long music reproduction.
The JBL Charge is a speaker roughly the size of a small half-liter thermos, which is somewhat reminiscent of its shape. Most of its surface is made up of a combination of plastics, only the part with the speakers is protected by a metal grill with the JBL logo in the middle. The speaker is available in a total of five color variants, we had a grey-white model available.
JBL chose a rather strange design for the Charge model. The speaker is composed of variously interwoven colored parts, which combine white color and shades of gray, and together create a complex structure. It is therefore not as elegant as, for example, the Flip model, whose design is significantly simpler. For example, the speaker on the JBL Charge is symmetrical from the front to the back, but instead of a grille at the back, you'll find a separate panel that gives the impression of a flip-up mechanism, but this is only a decorative element.
You can find all the controls on the top of the device: the power button, which surrounds a light ring indicating the status of the device being turned on and pairing via Bluetooth, and a rocker for volume control. Next to the switch-off button, there are three diodes for detecting the status of the internal battery. The battery is one of the main attractions of JBL Charge, as it is not only used for long music reproduction, but also for recharging the phone.
On the side, JBL Charge has a classic USB connector hidden under a rubber cover, into which you can connect any power cable and use it to fully charge a discharged iPhone. The battery capacity is 6000 mAh, so you can charge the iPhone up to three times with a fully charged battery. During playback alone, the Charge can play for around 12 hours, but it depends on the volume.
On the back, you will find a 3,5mm jack input for connecting any device with a cable and a microUSB port for charging. Of course, the device includes a charging USB cable and a mains adapter. What is also a pleasant surprise is the bonus in the form of a neoprene carrying case. Due to its compact dimensions, the Charge is perfect for carrying, only its weight reaches almost half a kilogram, which is the result of a large battery.
Sound
With its sound reproduction, the JBL Charge clearly ranks among the better small speakers in the given price category. Two 5W speakers are assisted by a bass port on the other side of the device. Bass frequencies are thus more pronounced than in ordinary compact boomboxes, including those with passive bass flex. At the highest volumes, however, distortion occurs due to the bass speaker, so for a clear sound it is necessary to keep the speaker in the volume range of up to 70 percent.
Frequencies are generally well balanced, highs are clear enough, but the mids are not unpleasantly punchy, as is the case with small speakers. In general, I would recommend Charge for listening to lighter genres, from pop to ska, harder music or music with strong bass, other speakers from JBL (Flip) handle it better. By the way, the speaker can be placed both horizontally and vertically (just be careful about placing it vertically with the bass speaker facing down).
The volume is a bit lower than I'd expect from a speaker of this size, but even so, the Charge has no problem ringing out a larger room for background music playback.
záver
JBL Charge is another in a series of portable speakers that have a unique function, which in this case is the ability to charge mobile devices. The Charge isn't exactly the most stylish speaker from JBL, but it will offer quite good sound and an excellent battery life of around 12 hours.
The charging option will come in handy when JBL Charge keeps you company at the beach, on vacation or anywhere else where you don't have access to the network. However, expect a higher weight of the speaker, which has grown to almost half a kilo thanks to the large battery.
You can buy JBL Charge for 3 crowns, respectively 129 EUR.
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advantages:
[Checklist]
- Keep holding on
- Decent sound
- Ability to charge iPhone
- Neoprene case included
[/checklist][/one_half]
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Disadvantages:
[bad list]
- Weight
- Sound distortion at high volume
[/badlist][/one_half]
We thank the store for lending the product Always.cz.
I have and I don't mourn. I recommend it to everyone except die-hard audiophiles. It's great for the pool, barbecue, etc...