JBL - Charge 3

Jawbone did start it. They would have been around longer if they didn't do a "Sears" aka instead of sticking with something they are good at they went into different categories. The JBL Charge kinda replaced them but the charge wasn't as good as the Pulse. But I think the Charge 3 was what started JBL to be great. I remember when the Pulses actually sounded great the Pulse 3 still destroys the newer ones and the coolest looking one.

cant help with new speakers, but the charge 3 does that(its nine years old now )

mine holds 14 hours (box says bought in 2016) its actualĺy even stereo( drivers are 5 cm apart)

for a nine year old speaker [its alright i guess](https://youtube.com/shorts/TPyP26r7c8M?si=p8_Xagb2RfqhGxdQ)

it is ipx7(probably 67 as the seal doesnt let water through for half an hour)

Two charges(maybe even the 6)

My JBL charge 3 is waaay more than loud enough to use in the shower, and is totally waterproof (can even be submerged up to several metres). This is why although i now have a Minirig 4 / Sub 3 (2.1 setup) i am going to keep my JBL charge 3 (2.0 setup) for use at the beach, in the rain etc. As Minirigs are not waterproof at all unfortunately. The only thing about JBL’s is they are bass heavy, which is great for electronic / dance / hiphop / reggae music, but not so good for podcasts etc. Still perfectly fine, just not as clear as say, a Minirig

JBL has raised its prices a lot. I remember buying the new Charge 3 for €115. Today, for €115, you can't even buy the Flip...

Charge 3 was peak! It was the last one to have a built in microphone so it could handle calls. I still have two working ones, although one of those is Frankensteined from 3 other ones.

I've had a JBL charge 3 for years, that was enough for me to buy the charge 6. Only complaint is no cover flap on the charging point but it's just as great as the last one

Had my JBL charge 3 for 6 or 7 years. It's still great but the battery needs to be replaced. Just picked up a new charge 6 and I will only recommend JBL now.

Same i got the charge 3 its great

I have a jbl charge 3 that has lasted me almost 10yrs i dont use it all the time but it keeps a good charge and still sounds amazing.

Y'all sleeping on the Tribit, I don't think it would be as much clarity as the JBL, but it would probably be louder. I just sold my Charge 3, and it was decent, but I haven't tried the newer generations. Soundcore Units are notoriously good bang for the buck, but I don't know about that model. There are a few YouTube channels that do comparisons of similarly priced units side by side. You might get lucky and find a couple of these in the same video. What do I personally use? I don't mind lugging around a big-ass speaker on wheels to get room shaking results, So I currently have an Ion Explorer Xtreme which can probably be found in a similar price bracket If shopped cleverly. 🤙

You might consider getting two UBOOM L for that price and I'm only judging by my experience. I have jbl charge 3 and jbl xtreme 2. Xtreme is just way too bassy to be a comfortable listen indoors and I don't really use it outdoors as much as I thought I would. So I barely ever use it. On the other hand two speakers in a stereo mode are incomparably better listening experience than one speaker. My guess is that you would mostly be using the speaker in the apartment so you won't be going crazy with bass and volume because of your neighbours so I feel like even if you got the bigger speaker you wouldn't be using it to its potential. In addition to that a smaller speaker can be easily dropped into a pocket or a small bag with other stuff. Larger one isn't really that convenient to take around. Anyway that was my line of thinking. I just ordered two UBOOM L because my JBLs can't play on battery any longer

Yeah I have a JBL Charge 3 that I've had since 2019, we used it as outdoor sound in a restaurant for 3 years, so was in use every day in that period. Just fixed the charging port that was getting worn out, but the battery is still strong. Also have a 10 year + Bose SoundLink 3 that I wheel out when I want quality sound, I'm using it sparingly as I know the battery can't last forever but the sound quality is soooo good.

I had a Charge 3 for years. The battery failed and I swapped it out with an ifixit kit and it worked great for the last 2 years. I sold it just a few weeks ago and it was working like new and sounding exceptional for its size the whole time

Given that you're here in the BIFL sub, I suspect you'll be happy to get stuff from them even though it's usually more expensive than Amazon. They sell a mix of original and aftermarket parts and are very upfront about that when you browse parts, but they have all been very high quality in my experience I put an aftermarket battery from them in my fiancee's Note 20 a few weeks ago and she said it's at least as good as the original battery when it was brand new and I've had the same experience with my own phone batteries, screens, laptop parts, etc

I have a JBL charge 3 that I’ve had for a few years, no complaints on battery life

Man I remember paying like 250 for the 3 haha $50 is wild

Tell that to my JBL Charge 3

Charge 3 was the first time I was impressed for the size. Before that, there was always some compromise. Now I find it lacking and muddled, funny how it is.

Depends how loud you’re looking for. I like the JBL charge series. I have the charge 3 which is big enough for my use. Battery lasts a long time, waterproof, and floats just in case something happens. They make larger ones, I’m not sure if the big ones also float but you can look online and see what the product descriptions say. They can be linked together (wirelessly) so if you have 2 of them they can both be playing the same thing from the same Bluetooth source.

I have two JBLs, the Clip 3 and the Charge 3, and they both fuckin smack. Had em both for a few years with absolutely zero issues. I've taken them on "camping trips" when I was in the Army and they are pretty resilient.

JBL charge 3 - still rocking after 8+ years

JBL Charge3… I, to this day, still can’t find a better speaker for size and price. Not even the latest models. They switched from dual to stereo with the 4th model and I was done. Got a turtlebox ranger in the mail the other day and even it doesn’t compare but like yeti, I feel like it’s just the next “cool” thing to have. Find you a charge 3 on eBay and you won’t be disappointed. Trust that

I use a JBL charge in my truck and a JBL earbud when walking.

Until it's too hot and shuts itself off. In an ffv, the side window is possibly better

Yeah, realistically that isn't going to happen, replacing 10 speakers with 1-3 is tough as it is, much less when those 10 speakers were designed for the space they are in and those 1-3 are jammed into an enclosure with the amp and battery in a single unit... I mean the closest you will get is a one of the big JBL Party Boxes which honestly isn't very portable at like 75 pounds and 45 inches tall, not to mention they run a grand or so. If you just want decent sound quality -AND- portability the JBL Flip, Charge, or even the Extreme series are pretty decent, but for high end quality you are going to be going well over the $500 mark... KEF, Bowers & Wilkens, Sonos, etc. And Bose... Yeah, I am not a huge fan... I would take the Infinity system in my Hyundai over it in a heartbeat for sound quality.

I've been using the same JBL charge for probably 10 years. When/if it dies, I'll go buy another one just like it.

I wouldn't recommend any Earfun speaker to someone who isn't very tech savy. Every Earfun speaker sounds mediocre out of the box and they need EQing. I really like my UBOOM X, but I just can't recommend it to my mom. That's why my mom has a JBL Charge. Also, any of the stock (normal or OLUV's) EQs are way too focused on deep bass, which isn't the best with classical music. And it's not very portable I think, it's rather huge.

Charge has more bass. Flip is lighter more portable. One of my favorite speaker of all time is the JBL Clip 4. But the 5 is better because the power button doesn’t get hit by accident like the 4. Smaller speaker but it sounds great and extremely portable and great battery life.

I just use a JBL charge. Battery powered, easy to bring places. With units other than the digitakt that are usb powered you can use it to provide power as well.

I have Jbl charge don’t even know which version and it’s really good.

The charge series is usually the sweet spot in the lineup

This is what it's all about. The sweet spot. For me it's the charge, for others it's the flip or the xtreme, depending on what you're ok traveling with.

The charge is a little louder with more low end

Not a tip for a specific speaker but check if the people you want to train with, if you're a group that is, already have speakers. In my local group people generally have JBL-speakers and being able to link multiple ones is superb. I have good experiences with both JBL Charge-models and UE Boom-models in general but mostly older models and I know JBL changed their protocol for linking units so be sure to do your research.

I got the JBL Charge which has both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity at Costco for $139 on sale. I love it!

The charge is great in an LLV, imo putting it between the windshield and dashboard is the best spot for sound quality.

I don’t think the JBL charge boxes do the bass any good. No deep bass at all. Crisp and Clear though. But bass? Nah

Tribit Micro is a great pocket speaker. Earfun Uboom X is a high value bass blaster. Bose soundlink flex is a nice middle ground speaker and the JBL flip & Charge have good bass for the size.

The cylinder are a safer bet with kayaking. The JBL Flip or Charge or UE Wonderboom or Boom. The Soundcore Glow should be good too.

Ah, when you said black and orange I immediately thought jbl. I have a jbl charge and the battery is amazing. My OG Bose soundlink? Still cranking after over 12 years.

Pool owner - have a JBL CHarge - going on 5 years of 3 daughter abuse pool side - splashed, dropped in pool, used as a charger, kicked across deck...drops etc - still sounds great.

I love my old JBL charge. It takes a beating and sits perfectly in a water bottle holder, for biking, taking in your car, etc.  If it dies I’ll likely be looking for another of similar size. 

I’ve owned JBL Charge and Xtreme, and the Stormbox Blast blows them away. Bigger, heavier, but the sound is way more impactful and the battery life is immense.

What is your budget and use case. I chose the Charge because it was smaller and cheaper than the bigger ones, but sounded batter than the flip.

You mean a bluetooth speaker? The JBL lineup is relatively cheap, with the most value for your money a charge, second-hand they go for 50-75 euro, I believe they are new around 100 euro. It's weight is about 1kg (2,5lb), so ideal for a stroll in the woods!

Mine died and I contacted JBL, they sent me a new one for free.

I have the impression that my old JBL Charge has a better sound than my Marshall Stanmore. But NGL, I bought it because the brown "leather" is sexy af.