They're pretty much everywhere. But I can tell you from experience; not all bluetooth speakers are created equal. I can also now tell you from experience, JBL makes some good ones...
Firstly, don't ever let anybody convince you you can get decent sound out of something you can fit in your pocket. There are some mini speakers that sound okayish at low level, but basic physics tells us low frequency waves are bigger and it stands to reason you need something a bit bigger to reproduce them.
In other words, it's all about that bass.
The Flip 4 from JBL actually almost does fit in my pocket (on my baggy shorts) It's certainly compact enough to chuck in a bag or strap to a bike and it's robust enough, with its rubberised ends and controls, to take a few knocks.
What's more, it's literally waterproof. The Flip 4's IPX7 rating means it can withstand being submerged down to a metre for up to 30 minutes. I don't fully understand why you'd want to do this, given it's tricky to listen to music underwater, but good to know you're perfectly safe around the pool or on the beach.
In fact, just between you and me, the Flip 4 has become my personal shower buddy. I can now listen to my mindless podcasts while I wash. What more could I ask for?
Maybe a little mood lighting?
That's where the JBL Pulse 3 comes in. All of those features I just mentioned, plus a 360 degree light display, that's fully customisable, via the JBL Connect app. I have to admit, I'm not a massive fan of devices that light up, but the Pulse 3 offers eight different preset patterns you can modify to your own colour tastes, or you can even design your own from scratch. It's a bit like having a lava lamp you can change to suit your mood. Best of all, you can turn it off and just listen to the music.
And that's really what this is all about right? All very well having pretty lights by the pool, but not if it sounds rubbish.
These speakers sound the opposite of rubbish.
Without getting into decibel response figures and frequency ranges, I can tell you both these speakers out-perform most other devices in their class.
The Pulse 3 produces a 360 degree, surround effect which easily fills a room while the Flip 4 performs best on its side to make the most of its stereo output.
Both speakers feature external passive bass radiators (x 2 on the Flip 4) In layman's (ie: my) terms, there's a wobbly disc that bounces up and down that not only looks impressive, but does real justice to those banging, bassy dance tracks you love pumping out so much. I'm begging you now; do not waste any money on a speaker that doesn't offer bass response as good as these JBLs. You'll regret it.
Of course, perhaps the coolest feature of these devices is their connectivity. With a simple push of a button, the speakers will pair with any other JBL Connect+ enabled device. In fact, according to the website, you can connect over 100 speakers. While that would indeed result in an amazing party, I think Noise Control would be there within minutes. (Some previous models of JBL speakers may require a firmware upgrade before being connectable with the new ones, but this is a straightforward process via the JBL Connect app)
Again, let me assure you, both these speakers really fill a room with great sound across all frequencies and people seem to really enjoy the light show put on by the Pulse 3. Personally, and I can't say exactly why, I prefer the stereo performance from the Flip 4 over its big brother's 360 degree design. Maybe I'm a little O.G. that way.
There are other speakers offering similar audio quality out there, but price-wise, the Pulse 3 and especially the Flip 4 are hard to beat.
Don't go cheap, go good. JBL definitely seems to know what it's doing.
Click here for more information on the JBL Flip 4
Click here for more information on the JBL Pulse 3
No comments:
Post a Comment