JBL Charge 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

THE FOLLOWING IS A REVIEW I LEFT FOR THE CHARGE 5 SPEAKERS. THE COMPARISON WITH THE CHARGE 4 IS AT THE UPDATE NEAR THE END OF THE REVIEW!
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I purchased two of these to work as a stereo pair in my apartment to obtain a nice full sound without having to really crank the volume to have an enjoyable experience and bother the neighbors.

Well it all started out great, the white look clean and are small enough to not take up too much visual space. They also sound fantastic for a battery powered speaker, relatively full low end and crisp highs without needing to be EQed. They are setup roughly 15’ feet from one another in opposing corners of my studio space. They add presence and a fullness that I was missing from my Notabrick Bluetooth speakers.

Now for THE PROBLEMS:
I synced the speakers together and switched them to “stereo” mode from the app with no problem using my iPhone 13 Pro running Bluetooth 5.1. When it was time to connect it to my stationary media hub it was intended for (a 2020 iPad 8th gen) it would only connect one speaker and not allow for a party link or stereo link between the two Charge 5’s anymore. It took my some time of testing and no help from the internet to find out that the Bluetooth 4.2 that the iPad uses means the JBLs could no longer connect in a pair. I figured they had their own connection protocol (perhaps wifi 2.4ghz) for party mode. This shared audio functionality will ONLY work if your device that is sending audio is Bluetooth 5.1.

SECOND ISSUE:
So I put the iPad aside and would only be using my iPhone for music since that’s the only way I could get the Stereo mode to function. But after 15-30 minutes of music playback the speakers will disconnect themselves from one another requiring you to manually go to them and reconnect themselves. Every third time or so they will also drop the Bluetooth connection requiring you to “forget device” on your phone and resync Bluetooth to your host Charge 5 and then relink the speakers.

This is all to say that if you want to use more than one speaker, even using a compatible Bluetooth 5.1 device that they are extremely finicky. Using a single Charge 5 has proved to be very reliable, sound great and look great. I am an audiophile and have many thousands of dollars in pro audio.

The current tested Firmware version is 0.8.6.0 and has not been updated for over a year so this is unlikely to be fixed.

UPDATE: I purchased two Charge 4 speakers to run through all the same testing and scenarios as the newer Charge 5 Models and found that with the exception of the occasional dropout and auto reconnection (perhaps once every two hours or so) these have solved all my issues. In fact, having the Aux plug on this model has also meant I can plugin my DJ decks to them when we are at the park and the primary speaker that is being plugged into will duplicate the signal and send it to the second speaker wirelessly with no issues. There is about one second of lag with this setup so the use of my DJ headphones is a requirement, but I love the added functionality. I also find the battery meters to be much more easy to read on the Charge 4. Finally, I do not know if it’s because the transmission power of the Bluetooth 4.2 in the Charge 4 over the Bluetooth 5.1 in the Charge 5, but I find that I get a longer transmission range with no dropouts with the older Charge 4 model. On paper this should be backwards but testing 4 independent units in different scenarios have shown this to be recurring findings for me. I have used the 2020 iPad, iPhone 13 pro and Macbook M1 pro and a HD Firestick as my test subjects.

I do notice that the Charge 5 has a slight edge in real world testing for maximum volume and clearly has a crisper high end to it where the Charge 4 sounds a little more round but is still very pleasing to the ear. I suggest to save a ton of money and pickup the Charge 4 if you are planning on using them in a multi speaker setup like me.

Initially, my preference was the Bose Soundlink Mini II with its smooth notes and decent sound quality in a small transportable package; that is, until I heard comparison against a JBL Charge 4 on YouTube. Based on that review and others, I purchased this speaker for its waterproof, multi-connect and sound.

Great price: You can buy a Charge 3 direct from JBL for $129 with 12 color options, with price point being on par with Amazon.

Sounds great; EXCELLENT better describes it. If you have a Charge 3 there isn’t enough improvement to justify buying a Charge 4. The Charge 4 went from two smaller speakers to one slightly larger speaker which improved bass frequency from 65Hz to a deeper 60Hz. When the JBL arrived we conducted our own comparison against a Bose Soundlink Mini II and – Wow. The Charge 4 is much clearer, has better frequency response and has better sound presence in the room. It’s a bit larger and heavier than the Soundlink Mini II which might turn some off, but to me; if I’m going to carry any speaker like this then I’m taking the same care and am sure I can find just a little more room.

Good packaging but NO INSTRUCTIONS?! Not that charging and setup are all that difficult, but this is my first device that requires USB C, first anything that arrived with ZERO printed information, and rechargeable device that arrived with ZERO anything to charge it with. /// Setup was easy. I bought a USB C cable from the nearest gas station and plugged it in for 3 hours since it came somewhat charged already. Once charged, press the Bluetooth button then connect to your phone or other device. For settings, I always recommend phone volume to be no more than 1/2 to 3/4 volume then using the Charge 4 volume from there. This affords you plenty of up/down volume adjustment remotely from your phone and doesn’t task the internal sound processor….this, since it’s cheaper to replace/repair a Charge 4 than an expensive smartphone. You and someone else can be Bluetooth paired to this speaker at the same time.

Battery Life: The built-in rechargeable Li-ion 7500mAH battery is strong. Not only does it support up to 20 hours of playtime (at lowest setting, and figure 10 hours at half volume), but it will also charge your phone and other devices via the USB port. I strongly suggest buying a protective case for it which will hold your charger, USB C charging cable AND any spare USB cable needed for cell phones.

It has the same IPX7 waterproof as a iPhone, Samsung or other higher end smartphone. We place it on the deck without any worries of accidents from fluid spills, big splashes, being left in the rain, or even an accidental swim in the pool. Having that peace of mind alone is priceless.

JBL Connect+: With Connect+ you can connect several of these to together for full sound experience. Put 4 in opposing corners of a large room, in different rooms, indoor and outdoors…heck, even in your car if your current stereo or speakers are crap.

Bottom line – this being my FIRST Bluetooth speaker ever, and having friends that have made different choices for the speakers they have, I have zero regrets with my purchase after hearing it beside theirs. Bang for buck is spot on. I have excellent sound in a transportable package in a wireless speaker that is rugged, waterproof and allows multiple speakers as well as people to connect. I now proudly own the party favorite speaker for socials, events and private enjoyment. WIN!

Syncs perfectly with my I phone. Good product. I purchased 2 and use on my patio and really enjoy the sound. I just wish it had an app for equalizing the sound, the base can be heavy at time. Overall a great product would buy again. Jean Montague

Love this speaker so much that we bought another one after our first one was stolen. Very easy to use, super small, and packs a punch. USB charging is nice, it came with a small cord, I wish it was longer but at least it came with one.

I was blown away by the quality of the sound reproduction with this Bluetooth! High energy alternative, classical, new age, folk. It can do it all at all volume levels. I use this around my house, in the yard and its good to know its waterproof. Battery lasts a long time. Super easy and effective blue tooth connection. I down loaded the JBL app and also set my own equalization settings to intensify the bass and high end and it is quite impressive. For the purpose of a portable Bluetooth speaker, this is a rock solid product.