Best Products > Audio 23 23 people found this article helpful The 7 Best JBL Speakers of 2023 Enjoy the quality sound this brand has delivered for over 50 years By Emmeline Kaser Emmeline Kaser Writer Sarah Lawrence College University of Michigan Emmeline Kaser is a tech writer and former editor for Lifewire. She writes and edits commerce content about consumer technology for Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 6, 2023 Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Tweet Share Email Audio Speakers Headphones Earbuds Home Theater Instruments Accessories JBL is well known for its colorful Bluetooth speakers and ultra-portable designs. The brand’s distinct, bass-heavy audio profile makes it a go-to for party and personal speakers, delivering rich sound and surprising volume even in compact designs. Many of the most popular JBL speakers are rugged—almost all are splash-proof, if not fully waterproof—and designed to be carried or clipped onto backpacks and bikes. Whether you’re in the market for something pocket-sized or powerful enough to shake the room, JBL’s diverse lineup will have something your speed. The Rundown Best Overall: JBL Flip 5 at Amazon Jump to Review Runner-up, Best Overall: JBL Boombox 2 at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: JBL JBL Go 3 at B&H Photo Video Jump to Review Best Portable: JBL JBL Xtreme 3 at Amazon Jump to Review Best Smart Speaker: JBL Link Portable at Home Depot Jump to Review Best Party Speaker: JBL Pulse 4 at Amazon Jump to Review Best Splurge: JBL PartyBox 310 at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall JBL Flip 5 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Home Depot What We Like Waterproof PartyBoost pairing feature 12 hours of battery life What We Don't Like Older Bluetooth specs The JBL Flip 5 pairs bold sound and bold design. Available in a dozen colors and prints, this speaker can be oriented vertically and horizontally, delivering room-filling sound with powerful bass. It can go wherever you go—at 7.1 x 2.7 x 2.9 inches and only one pound; this speaker is travel friendly and can play for 12 hours between charges. Plus, the IPX7 waterproof rating means you can take it to the pool, the beach, or the elements at your next outdoor gathering. The Flip 5 also features JBL’s PartyBoost feature, which allows you to pair it with other JBL Bluetooth speakers for an even bigger sound. The downside is the slightly dated Bluetooth 4.2 technology instead of Bluetooth 5. But this is still our favorite JBL speaker based on sound, design, and versatility. Runner-up, Best Overall JBL Boombox 2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Audioadvice.com View On Guitarcenter.com What We Like Waterproof Very loud Long battery life What We Don't Like Expensive If you have some money to spend, the JBL Boombox 2 is unmatched in sheer power. This speaker is expensive for a device in this category but is also on the loud and powerful side. If volume and bass response are your top priorities, the Boombox 2 is the way forward. This speaker is also pretty big—it weighs 13 pounds and measures almost 22 inches on its longest side. While it’s designed with a nostalgic boombox-style carrying handle, it’s portable but not travel-friendly. That being said, the IPX7 waterproof rating makes it an excellent poolside or outdoor party speaker, and the battery lasts 24 hours between chargers, so you won’t need to bring along a charging cord. Bluetooth 5.0 technology supports a stable connection to your music streaming device. It lets you pair the Boombox 2 with other PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers (if you need even more audio immersion). Best Budget JBL Go 3 Image Source / JBL View On B&H Photo Video View On Dell View On Bhphoto.com What We Like Waterproof and dustproof Very portable Fun color options What We Don't Like 5-hour battery life With an affordable price tag, ultra-compact design, and solid audio performance, the JBL Go 3 lets you take your music everywhere. Whether on the beach, on your bike, or even in the shower—this little speaker has an IP67 rating, which means it’s both dustproof and waterproof, even when submerged. It’s also small enough to fit in a bag or jacket pocket without weighing you down. Even if you aren’t on the go, this speaker still looks great sitting on a table. And despite its compact size, the audio performance is solid and surprisingly loud. Its main weakness is battery life. Five hours of playtime isn’t bad, but it doesn’t stack well against other Bluetooth speakers. If you don’t mind charging up every night, the Go 3 is a durable, fun little speaker that won’t break the bank. It’s available in blue, teal, grey, red, and black. Best Portable JBL Xtreme 3 Image Source / Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Jbl.com What We Like Waterproof and dustproof Included carrying strap PartyBoost compatibility What We Don't Like Expensive JBL's Xtreme speakers fall into an interesting middle ground in the product lineup, bridging the gap between the brand's bigger and more expensive speakers and their ultra-portable offerings. The Xtreme 3 is still pricier, but it packs the power of JBL's more high-end speakers into a portable design: big sound from a compact device. And like many other speakers on this list, it includes JBL's PartyBoost speaker syncing feature. The Xtreme 3 weighs slightly over four pounds and measures 11.75 x 5.35 x 5.28 inches. Two metal rings are built into the speaker's top, and a fabric strap is in the box, allowing you to carry it over your shoulder or across your back like a bag. It's also built to withstand various conditions and is waterproof and dustproof. The 15-hour battery life is good but not great for this price range. Best Smart Speaker JBL Link Portable Image Source / JBL View On Home Depot What We Like Voice control Stream directly from music services What We Don't Like Sound profile is not as rich If you’re looking for something more high-tech or hands-free, the Link Portable adds some fun new features to a classic JBL speaker design. This speaker is a smart hub, an internet-connected speaker that can play music directly from streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music without having to connect to a smartphone or computer. It’s set up using the Google Home app and responds to voice commands through Google Assistant. It’s also compatible with Chromecast and Apple AirPlay when streaming from your devices. The Link Portable has two parts: the cylindrical speaker and the charging cradle. The speaker can be removed from the cradle and carried around. It’s waterproof and has an eight-hour battery life, so you can take it with you on the go and then drop it back in the cradle when you get home. Just note that the internet-enabled smart features will not work if it goes out of range of a Wi-Fi signal—at that point, it would behave like a regular Bluetooth speaker. Best Party Speaker JBL Pulse 4 JBL View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Best Buy What We Like Light show feature 360-degree speaker PartyBoost compatibility What We Don't Like Older Bluetooth specs The JBL Pulse 4 can bring the music and the ambiance to your next party. Its customizable light shows automatically sync up with your music, displaying a brilliant array of colors on all sides of the device. Just choose a theme in the JBL app or create a lighting sequence from scratch, and you instantly have a centerpiece for your room. The 360-degree lights are accompanied by 360-degree sound—powerful drivers and heavy bass make this a fantastic party speaker. You can connect it to another JBL speaker using the PartyBoost feature to enjoy stereo sound (or twice the light show if you have a second Pulse 4). This speaker also functions as a colorful mood lamp even when the music is turned off, so it’s a two-in-one device. Best Splurge JBL PartyBox 310 Image Source / Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Jbl.com What We Like Light show feature Powerful sound Can run on battery or plugged in What We Don't Like Expensive Very large The JBL PartyBox 310 is your ticket to rich, booming sound, even in large spaces. This speaker features 240 watts of JBL Pro Sound, bringing the club to you. With 18 hours of battery life and an included power cord, you don’t have to worry about running out of juice. The built-in light show feature is a bonus providing extra ambiance while the music plays. Customizable settings let you choose a light show that matches the mood. The PartyBox 310 is built like a rolling suitcase, with a telescopic handle and built-in wheels. It’s transportable but weighs about 40 pounds and measures 12.8 x 27 x 14.5 inches, so it’s a serious piece of equipment. That being said, it’s also quite durable. The PartyBox has an IPX4 rating, which means it can withstand splashes and spills and won’t get ruined by an unexpected rain shower. What to Look for Sound Quality - No single spec can tell you how a speaker will sound, and that’s one of the trickiest aspects about buying this kind of device online. Many JBL speakers will mention the brand’s “signature sound profile” in the product description, which refers to how they tune their speakers. For JBL, that sound profile tends to be punchy with a powerful low end. The brand is known for making speakers with solid bass response, so they’re an excellent choice for people who listen to bass-driven music. Like several other audio brands, JBL has a companion app for its speakers that allows you to adjust to audio equalization. Design - Choosing the best wireless speaker design depends entirely on your needs. Several of the speakers on this list look very similar in shape, but some are much larger than others and, therefore, a lot less portable. Think about where you’ll be using it: Are you planning to leave it in one place? Carry it in a bag? Use it outside or in the shower, where it could get wet. JBL makes many interesting travel speakers, including clips, carrying handles, and straps for easy portability or on-the-go listening while hiking or cycling. If you want a powerful sound and don’t need to transport your speaker very far, you may want to look into something bigger and heavier—JBL has a few models that trade portability for premium audio quality and extra features like Wi-Fi connectivity and charging ports. Ensure you get something waterproof (IPX7 rating) if you use it near the pool! Battery Life - It may not be the most glamorous or exciting feature, but let’s be honest—needing to recharge all the time is annoying. Subpar battery life is frustratingly common with cheaper wireless devices, and it can take the fun out of a new speaker. So what is considered “good battery life?” That largely depends on how often and for how long you typically use your speakers. If you work from home and have music playing all day, you will want something that can last for at least 10 or 12 hours between charges. It’s the same for people who host parties or events and don’t want their speaker running out of power in the middle. If you use speakers in shorter bursts, you may not need that kind of battery capacity. But as a general rule of thumb: longer battery life is better. You pay for that in cost and weight. Syncing Features - Some JBL speakers have syncing features like JBL Connect+ and PartyBoost that let you play your music out of multiple speakers at once. Connect+ has you link your speaker or speakers to an app on your phone, and you can control and synchronize the connected speakers from that app. PartyBoost, on the other hand, directly connects speakers. You can use it to listen to your music in stereo or link several together for a significant volume boost. Syncing features can be lots of fun because they allow you to create a multi-speaker setup quickly, but there are restrictions about which speaker models are compatible with each other. If you already have a JBL speaker and want to buy another in a different model, you’ll need to double-check to ensure they can be synced. For example, an old JBL speaker with JBL Connect cannot be synced with a newer speaker that has JBL Connect+. A speaker with PartyBoost can only be synced with other speakers with PartyBoost. If the syncing feature is essential to you, look into this before you buy so you don’t get stuck with incompatible speaker models. FAQ Will the distance of my speakers from the audio source affect my sound quality? Yes. For the best audio quality, you'll want to keep the length of cable from your speakers to your receiver as short as possible. Typically, your sound quality won't suffer very much unless they're 25 feet or more from your receiver. For any wired speakers, you should use a 14-gauge cable. Consider using 12-gauge cables for any speakers extending past 25 feet from the receiver. Where should I place my speakers? This can be a little different depending on if you're using stereo, 5.1, 7.1, or 9.1 setups. However, there are a couple of evergreen rules to follow regardless of how many speakers you're using. This will obviously depend on your room layout, but you should try and have your speakers equidistant from each other with surround speakers placed in the corners around your listening area. You should also try to keep your speakers free of obstructions and if you can safely mount them on a wall, even better. How many subwoofers do I need? This all depends on the size of your room, more subwoofers give you a better bass quality and offer you more flexible placement when looking for the best spot for optimal sound quality. However, having more than a single subwoofer in a small listening area may be overkill. Also, some single speakers provide enough bass as standalone options that an additional woofer isn't required. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit