Those speakers do have shockingly good sound quality. I was using one on our front patio (synced with the rest of the house through a little HA magic) for years. Just installed some permanent outdoor speakers in the eves a few weeks back but it served us very well for that. And it’s always been an excellent speaker for music before concerts in the parking lot or in hotel rooms etc.
All my way of saying- agreed. Good piece of kit!
I just got a JBL Charge 5 Wifi SE on sale at Costco (if you're in the US) and am pleased with its versatility. It does Apple Airplay 2 in addition to Bluetooth, which is nice if you're in the Apple ecosystem (useless otherwise).
It also supports Auracast, which is a new one-to-many Bluetooth broadcast standard (a.k.a. LC3 or PBP/public broadcast profile). If it had an Aux input, I'd consider it near perfect.
Weirdly, the newer Charge 6 doesn't have the Airplay functionality.
Edit: re-reading your post, I see that you didn't mean versatile in terms of connectivity.. never mind then!
Thanks for posting this! I bought a JBL Charge 5 Wifi from Costco about 4 months ago and was really disappointed that auracast wasn't supported! A previous thread + the HW saying Bluetooth 5.3 led me to believe Auracast was going to work.
I went to Costco today, returned the Charge 5 Wifi (thanks Costco return policy) and bought the Charge 5 Wifi SE! Auracast is now working! This is perfect because now, this speaker has Google cast, airplay, and Auracast support.
Thanks for posting this! I bought a JBL Charge 5 Wifi from Costco about 4 months ago and was really disappointed that auracast wasn't supported! A previous thread + the HW saying Bluetooth 5.3 led me to believe Auracast was going to work.
I went to Costco today, returned the Charge 5 Wifi (thanks Costco return policy) and bought the Charge 5 Wifi SE! Auracast is now working! This is perfect because now, this speaker has Google cast, airplay, and Auracast support.
I really like the WiFi functionality on my Charge 5 WiFi SE’s, if you’re primarily using at home it’s much better to have the WiFi. I’m sure there’s improvement on the however
Bose Soundlink Max for arguably the best sounding speaker that size, or JBL Charge 5 WiFi edition due to streaming capability over WiFi / services like Spotify Connect (which means your phone notifications won't play over the speaker and if you leave the room, it won't cut out, because the speaker is streaming the music vs your phone streaming it and sending it to the speaker over Bluetooth).
If you won't make use of the WiFi capabilities then the max is better. If you do, the convenience is hard to skip. The latest JBL Extreme is the step up between the charge 6 and the boombox 4. The charge 6 just came out but has no WiFi model yet so I would get a charge 5 WiFi or the Soundlink Max.
Charge 5 WiFi or Bose Soundlink flex II (there are two versions) if the charge 5 is too big. The charge 6 is also great but the WiFi capability is pretty significant for quality of life and shouldn't be discounted. I think they sound better than the Soundlink flex but that's due to their size, which is inherently going to dominate the sound.
Bose is the best in its weight class, JBL charge is larger but not much more but you may find more enjoyment out of
JBL Charge 6, JBL Charge 5 WiFi, JBL Xtreme 4 (on sale), Bose Soundlink Flex, Bose Soundlink max (on sale), Soundcore motion +, Boom 2, soundcore X600
But the better answer is a stereo pair of passive bookshelf speakers, then add a subwoofer and get a pair of headphones or a small speaker for outside
Do you need the extra size and volume? Also look at the charge 5 WiFi edition. The quality of life difference in having a sound system that can stream music directly via Spotify Connect etc vs Bluetooth with your phone and notifications going off should not be understated and may be worth the minor sound improvements
Soundcore Motion+ ($100 small and quality)
Bose Soundlink Flex ($120 small and quality)
JBL Charge 6 (popular, loud, travel friendly, has bass and sounds good)
JBL Charge 5 WiFi (can do Spotify Connect etc)
Soundcore Boom 2 ($120ish small boombox sized)
Soundcore Motion X600 (more indoors, quiet high fidelity)
JBL Xtreme 4 (between the charge and boombox)
Bose Soundlink Max (good soundstage and quality but premium pricing)
JBL Boombox 3 WiFi or Boombox 4 (These get Loud and are at the larger end of portable without a vehicle)
I’d get a Charge 6 or Bose Soundlink Max (
refurbished or on a good sale
The max gets shit here because you get diminishing returns trying to increase quality because price goes up faster and makes devices like the max seem like poor value in comparison to the charge. The max is larger but only by 1-2” in each direction. It’s significantly *heavier* (which is often a good thing with speakers) but the charge’s orzo-rice shape is awkward and the speaker takes up a lot of space (also often a good thing to an extent).
If the charge 6 makes you happy though, go for that. Personally, I love the WiFi functionality of the 5 more than the increased sound quality offered by the 6. If I’m going for increased sound quality I’d jump to the max.
dravenstone
