JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Black), 1

It sounds better than I expected, especially considering its size. JBL should be proud as it lives up to its brags.

After three days of almost constant use inside, Ive decided this is an okay speaker. But as the headline says, its just okay. Nothing spectacular. I bought this speaker instead of the Charge 4 because of some negatively reviewed aspects of the 4. The Charge 3 isnt a bargain, price-wise, but at $99 its not going to break your bank. And its lots less expensive than a lot of the current garbage Bose has on the market. Sound quality on the Charge 3 is decent, but it sometimes sounds a bit muddy depending on speaker volume and placement. In other words, it needs to be placed in a somewhat open space, not against a wall or on a shelf in a bookcase. Bass is lacking in this speaker. Seriously lacking. And the louder it gets, the more distortion you get. Hard to imagine this speaker providing acceptably clear sound levels at a large outdoor party. Again, for indoor use its pretty good. It makes a nice invisible sound source. I like it that this speaker comes in some vibrant colours in addition to your basic tech-tactical black. I chose the red version because I like bright colours. Two things about this speaker need to change. But of course since this is an older model, it isnt going to change. I understand the newer Charge 4 has these same issues, though. One is that it makes stupid beep-beep-boop-boop noises when you power it on and off. And theres no way to disable these sounds. Its irritating as hell and serves no purpose. The power light lights and turns off when the speaker is powered down...the customer doesnt need dumb noises to prove the speakers on or off. The other thing is that theres no back button. You cant scan backwards to previously played songs. Sure, you can scan backwards with your phone controls, but if the phone and speaker are located in different areas, that function goes out the window. Bottom line? Maybe you could do better for a hundred bucks, but if you arent in the mood to shop around and you get this with free Prime shipping, youll be okay.

First off, I like me Charge 3 and ended up buying a second one to pair for stereo outdoors! If you are trying to connect a mic using the 3.5mm Jack you have to know two things. First: Not all 3.5mm jacks are the same. I believe there are tr, trs and trrs plugs and you need to look at the number of black plastic rings, the tip shape and length of the plug. Hopefully, someone at JBL can advise all of us Secondly the Impedence and resistance of the mic and the length and thickness effect that. Also hope they give advice on that, as well.

A couple years in to owning it, the speakers start to give up. The aftermarket non-JBL options are junk and take modification to fit. JBL needs to offer replacement drivers.

I had been using an old Rigid job site type boom box with an AUX cord in the garage and yard, but my latest Android phone upgrade finally did away with the headphone jack, so it was time for something new. I chose the JBL Charge 3 as it was compact, rugged, and users said it had great sound, and I have to agree. The fact that its waterproof and can charge my phone as an external battery is an added bonus. You would think I had a big setup playing, but its just this one little speaker with dynamic highs, solid mids, and rich bass. I liked it so much that instead of just relegating it to my outside activities, Ive started using it in my home office, as it sounds so much better than my desktop system with separate speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. My wife likes it as I can set it right in front of me on the desk and play it at louder volume levels without being able to hear it all over the house, a problem with my desktop speaker system. All told, this one is definitely recommended, and will not dissapoint.

I bought this bad boy back in 2017, and WOW it is still in perfect condition. I absolutely love this bluetooth speaker - it has survived 120+ degrees in a car for hours, complete submersion in water, and being dropped multiple times. The battery is still in great condition and it holds a charge for seemingly as long as when it was new. I can’t recommend this speaker enough - it sounds great, connects to any device easily, and lasts forever.

Two of us did listening comparison tests between the following models: Sony SRS-X55 30W $149.99 JBL Charge 3 $124.18 Anker Soundcore Boost 20W $79 To break in the units, we ran pink noise (from mynoise.net) @85dB measured at 1m on each unit for ~9,11, and 9 hours on the Anker, Sony, and JBL respectively All but one of the recordings used in the test .aiff form. These were converted to 24 bit FLAC recordings before transferring to a Nexus 5x source device. The one remaining recording was directly recorded to a 96/24 .wav file before transferring to the Nexus 5x. Recordings used for comparison were as follows: Familiar voices: Direct to digital recording of a voice one of the listeners knows well. A Zoom H4N with built in condenser microphones was used for the recording Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, Time looking for clear echo and clearly separate percussion instruments Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni. Concerto Italiano. Naive OP30363 Track 6 - Tempo Impetuoso D Estate43-117: speed test AC/DC Its a Long Way to the Top... about ~1:25 in: bagpipes: how clean? Vivaldi - Vespri per l Assunzione di Maria Vergine. Concerto Italiano. Naive OP30383 Track 5 of CD 2 - Cum dederit: Vocals Should sound smooth, with no harsh resonances Frank Sinatra, Moon River... Track 2 Moon river guitar ~40 before the end YoYo Ma Obrigado Brazil Track six 2:30+? Beethoven - Die 5 Klavierkonzerte - Pollini, Abbado/BPO. DG 439770-2 Deutsche Grammophon 439770-2. 3. Rondo (Allegro) Dynamic test, especially between 2.5 and 5 To make comparisons easier, we listened to these units in pairs. First off was to compare the two most expensive units: the Sony and the JBL. After comparing five different recordings, the difference was clear, so we didnt go any further. The results were as follows: Familiar voices: Sony: distorted the sound like the voice was coming from a box JBL: cleaner. Time: Both: The bass was crushed at 2:12 in the recording JBL: The Toms were more forward Sony: Sounded like something was in the way of the toms Op 30636 @~1:00: Both: Not even close to following this recording. AC/DC: JBL: Missing fullness in bagpipes, but there was no harshness. Sony: Harsh Bagpipes OP30383 (1:07+): JBL: Some finger on chalk board harshness Sony: harshness was worse. --- with the Sony eliminated, we went on to compare the Anker to the JBL: OP30383: Anker: Less harsh than the JBL, but still had the problem. AC/DC: Anker: Cleaner than the JBL Sinatra: JBL: The sometimes hidden guitar was clear and the vocals were full Anker: Guitar not as clear, but still audible Familiar voices: JBL: fuller, but more muffled Anker: clear, but not as full Yo Yo Ma: JBL: Bass has character Anker: missing character in Bass Beethoven turned all the way up: JBL: ~3dB louder than Anker, and any muffling is gone at higher levels. Anker: No obvious clipping, but sound not as pleasant --- Summary: For its price, the Anker was very competitive, but considering we are likely to use these units close to their maximum level a fair amount of time, the JBL was the clear winner overall. The IPX7 waterproof rating of the JBL over the IPX5 of the Anker further confirmed that decision, since these units were likely to be used in uncontrolled environments. The Sony was not only the highest price of the three, but the sound was generally worse than the others, so it was not even considered for the final purchase.

Probably a bit early to rate battery life. Good so far.

All very good accept you sent me 2 I only ordered 1

I enjoyed the excellent Charge 2 plus for 3 years or so. With repeated recharges and frequent use (I am semi retired and listen to a lot of music for multiple hours per day) the battery got tired and would not hold a charge very long. Instead of purchasing a battery, thought I would upgrade to the JBL Charge 3. I opted not to purchase the newest Charge 4. JBL decided on the 4 to go to one larger transducer, and not the left right channel separate drivers. In essence, a mono speaker. Hello 1958. Some pro reviewers say you cant notice the difference anyway but I disagree. Even when there is not a dramatic separation effect due to small distance of the separate transducers in the case, there is an overall improved clarity in the different instruments. So I went with the older but similar and stereo version, the Charge 3. Its bulkier than the 2 plus, but still portable. The battery life is amazing. Im on about hour 11 now and 4 out of 5 led lights (power indicator) are still showing. JBL claims 20 hours. The Charge 2 is about 12. Your mileage may vary of course depending on volume levels, etc. Features include built in phone monitor capability. Also what is called Connect Plus, to pair it with another JBL speaker with the same capability. Unfortunately my older Charge 2 Plus does not offer that feature to my disappointment. Now the important issue: the sound. THE GREAT: If you enjoy a big boomy feel it type bass response this will blow you away, especially if you utilize any of the many free EQ apps for your smart phone. The Charge 2 plus also performs well in this category, but the 3 takes it to another level. Pretty amazing for what can still be called a portable speaker. THE GOOD: The Mid Range tone is very lush and most vocals would be in this category as well as most stringed instruments. THE NOT AS GOOD: Compared to the more bright sound of the Charge 2 plus, the highs are somewhat muted. Not muffled at all, and some might prefer this analog sound as opposed to overly crisp high hat for example. Still, I was a bit surprised at the difference. The casing is very heavy to make it totally waterproof, and perhaps that effects the high end. Not a deal breaker for me, as the overall BIG, RICH sound is impressive considering the size, price. JBL only makes quality stuff and they did it again. WARNING: Make sure the dealer Amazon utilizes is approved by JBL, or you run the risk of getting knock off junk as other reviewers have noted. Just Google the phrase JBL APPROVED DEALER for the list. Finally as I mentioned above, to receive the best sound experience for any blue tooth speaker, download an Equilizer App. They are free with minimally annoying ads. You can add or minimize bass, mids and highs and your music will sound so much more dynamic.