Verdict
JBL reaches into new territory with one among its high speaker designs, making this roving celebration machine snug to quiet down into the typical front room. Does it belong there? That’s up for debate, however it may well definitely ship the house hi-fi items.
Professionals
- Highly effective, deep bass
- Unusually good ruggedisation for its measurement
- Ethereal and clear imaging
Cons
- Fairly heavy to make use of as an on a regular basis moveable speaker
- Costly, notably this Wi-Fi model
- Bullish look received’t go well with some rooms
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IP67 water resistanceThe Boombox 3 is water-proof to an extent it may well deal with submersion in water. -
Multi-roomCan function as a multi-room dwelling speaker, in contrast to the usual Bluetooth-only mannequin. -
As much as 24 hour battery lifeThis speaker’s battery lasts as much as 24 hours, so long as you might be comparatively conservative with the amount
Introduction
The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi have to be one of many largest moveable audio system I’ve ever reviewed.
JBL pushes the envelope right here on what persons are keen to hold round to out of doors occasions, with out pitching an precise PA speaker. The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi continues to be very a lot an everyday wi-fi speaker for folk trying to merely get pleasure from music, although.
It’s a little bit of a star performer to that finish too. Bigger scale lets the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi dig down deep into the bottom bass registers. It has that basic JBL mixture of energy and tasteful tuning. And on this Wi-Fi model the Boombox has half an eye fixed on a semi-permanent spot in your house, and it’s in a position to work as a multi-room speaker.
Design-wise I discover this one among JBL’s least easy-to-recommend wi-fi audio system, as the dimensions, look and £549 price squeeze its mainstream attraction a bit. Nonetheless, that is nonetheless a formidable wi-fi speaker if it fits your wants.
Design
- 482 x 257 x 200mm
- Metallic and plastic design
- Rubber backside foot
The very first thing it’s essential to be certain earlier than shopping for a JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is whether or not you desire a wi-fi speaker this massive. I’ve all the time by way of of the JBL Xtreme as a bigger speaker sequence, nevertheless it’s dwarfed by the Boombox.
Having lived with the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-FI for some time now, although, it’s not the dimensions that continues to face out. It’s the load.
The Boombox 3 weighs round 6.6kg, six instances as a lot because the Cost 5. This isn’t the kind of speaker you’d need to carry throughout, say, a 15-minute stroll to the native park. And in contrast to the step-down JBL Xtreme 3 there’s no shoulder strap, only a large steel deal with with rubbery strips beneath for additional grip.
If this speaker goes to journey a manner, you most likely need to put it in a automotive boot or extra-(additional) giant rucksack.
It’s pretty robust, although. The JBL Boombox 3 is rated for IP67 water and dirt resistance, that means it may be submerged in water.
The primary physique is roofed by a tricky nylon weave, and the passive radiators at every finish are protected by chunky outcrops of plastic. These radiators are much less susceptible than you would possibly guess. They aren’t conventional speaker drivers, and may simply shrug off being flicked, pushed or flippantly punched.
These additionally contribute to the JBL Boombox 3’s aggressive look, alongside the extra-large JBL brand on the entrance. Be sure to are sport for this fashion, in addition to the excessive weight.
Options
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Wi-Fi
- Spotify Join, Alexa Multi-room, Chromecast
Earlier generations of the Boombox, and most JBL audio system I’ve used over time, have been Bluetooth-only. There’s a Bluetooth model of the Boombox 3, however the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi has Bluetooth and, you guessed it, Wi-Fi.
You utilize the JBL One app to set the speaker up, and may then stream audio to it over Spotify Join, Chromecast or AirPlay. It could possibly additionally combine with the Google House for multi-room, though the JBL One app gives multi-room options too. It additionally permits you to pair two of those audio system in a stereo array.
I had no points getting the Wi-FI options to work. However, as a long-term JBL Bluetooth speaker appreciator, I’m glad the on-device controls have been stored easy.
There aren’t any annoying touch-sensitive controls. Every is an precise clicky button, and solely the “coronary heart” is restricted to the Wi-FI options. You may set a favorite playlist of piece of content material to this “favorite” button, as a way to get listening with a single button press.
The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi does lack any strategy to join analogue sources, although. Pop off the rubber-sealed connection flap on the again and also you’ll solely discover a energy connector and USB, which helps you to cost different gadgets.
This isn’t a wise speaker both. There’s no microphone, ruling out speaking to digital assistants or taking calls. I don’t suppose it’s an important loss in a speaker that ought to spend a very good period of time out of Wi-Fi vary, regardless of the identify.
It makes use of a 72Wh battery, related capability to a bigger laptop computer. Used for the speaker alone, JBL says you may count on a cost to last as long as 24 hours at average quantity.
JBL says it takes as much as six hours to cost, which appears an age to attend. A fast top-up isn’t the way in which right here. Nonetheless, based on my energy meter it attracts 25-27W, which isn’t unhealthy for a wi-fi speaker.
Sound High quality
- Deep bass ground
- Excessive most quantity
- Partaking sound with restricted customisation
The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi justifies its measurement with its speaker array. A lot of the entrance is stuffed with speaker drivers. They embody a 19cm lengthy rectangular subwoofer, two 2.75-inch mid-range drivers and two 20mm tweeters that sit simply in entrance of the mid drivers.
That doesn’t embody the 2 massive passive radiators, one at every finish, that give the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi its attribute conga drum-style form. In comparison with the Boombox 2, there’s a further central woofer, which JBL makes area for utilizing the concentric design of the opposite driver pairs.
The Boombox 3 Wi-Fi sound is successfully a scaled-up model of that achieved within the JBL Xtreme 3. And, for essentially the most half, that’s excellent information. This can be a JBL Professional sound speaker. As in different JBL fashions, this results in a extra refined, grown-up and versatile sound signature than the outer look would possibly initially counsel.
Nonetheless, deep bass continues to be its key power. There’s stable bass output proper right down to the 40Hz sub-bass vary, simply as JBL’s spec sheet guarantees. I examined it with a tone generator simply to verify there’s actual deep bass occurring right here.
Bass isn’t all the things, thoughts. There’s a very good sense of airiness and separation within the higher registers, and whereas the bass is highly effective, it doesn’t sit oppressively on the mids, making its manner into locations it shouldn’t be and clogging up the sound.
Most quantity is fearsome, and apparently the speaker beneficial properties much more energy when plugged in. There’s greater than I’d ever want when it’s not. Like several good speaker must be, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is basically genre-agnostic as a result of it has a stable sense of tonal steadiness. And once you play a podcast, it doesn’t sound as if presenters’ voices sit on a sagging inflatable pillow of bass. That is what you’d hear in an excessively bassy speaker.
As within the JBL Xtreme 3, although, present me a touch of a higher-end method and I find yourself wanting extra. The default tuning of the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi does have some extra bass, for added plummy bounce, and the mids can sound a contact pushed again into the shadows.
The JBL app does supply EQ controls to allow you to fiddle with this, however they’re pretty rudimentary and weak. You may tone down the Boombox 3’s bass to make it extra well mannered firm, however bass/mid/treble controls don’t allow you to go all that far in tweaking the “JBL Professional” tone.
I’d advise not placing to a lot weight of expectation on the speaker’s Dolby Atmos cred, displayed on JBL’s web site, both. That is solely obtainable by way of TIDAL, so received’t think about for a lot of.
Nonetheless, this can be a very satisfying hear for all kinds of content material. However, as with all speaker of this fashion, you get a restricted sense of stereo due to how shut the drivers are collectively. Positive, it may well fill rooms, no drawback, however not in the identical method as a correctly spaced stereo pair. I solely carry this up as a result of the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is extra possible for use as people’ foremost dwelling speaker than earlier fashions within the sequence, due to its Wi-Fi options and multi-room chops.
Newest offers
Do you have to purchase it?
Can be utilized indoors and out: This can be a highly effective speaker that can be utilized each as a multi-room dwelling unit and a party-ready speaker with sufficient punch and quantity for use open air.
No strategy to plug in analogue sources: This is able to not be the primary choice for a grown-up, minimalist front room, and you may’t plug in a cabled supply like a document participant as there’s no aux enter with this era.
Remaining Ideas
The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is a wonderful wi-fi speaker that can be utilized each as your major hi-fi, and an out of doors half speaker. It has the bass energy the identify and design appear to vow, with out going too far and ruining what’s a extremely pleasant sound character with some higher-end traits.
This isn’t the mannequin I’d personally select of JBL’s line-up. I discover it a bit too massive and heavy for my type of moveable use. And it’s not the type of speaker I’d need to have rooted in my front room, largely due to the way it appears.
Nonetheless, we’re dealing in among the most subjective areas of the evaluate right here. In case your arms are a bit stronger, your tastes much less pedantic, you’re onto a winner right here.
How we check
We check each wi-fi speaker we evaluate completely over an prolonged time period. We use business customary assessments to match options correctly. We’ll all the time let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to evaluate a product.
Discover out extra about how we check in our ethics coverage.
Examined for greater than per week
Examined with actual world use
FAQs
It has IP67 water resistance.
No, a figure-of-8 lead plugs proper into the again of the speaker.
There’s no aux enter right here, so all connections should be wi-fi.
