JBL

Charge Essential 2

JBL Charge Essential 2

Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.

Overall

#515 in

Portable Bluetooth Speakers

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score33% positive
1
1
1

Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: Jun 25, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit IconSmokeySFW
about 1 month ago

Mine didn't last quite that long but I was very happy with the 4-5 years I got out of it and I bought essentially the same thing but with a usb-c port afterward. I hang mine from the shower curtain rod and listen to audiobooks during my shower and then bring it into the kitchen while I cook or handle the dishes. Basically I use it several times a day and have no complaints. They don't sound amazing but they don't need to.

Reddit Icon00134chris
11 months ago

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

11 months ago

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

Reddit Icon0sirisRex
about 1 month ago

I bought several of them: JBL charge, Xtrem, marshall emberton 1, Willem, Sony ult. All of them have problems. I don't mean the sound, everything is alright there, I mean how they react. All the JBL start to blink after a while. It's like a Christmas tree in my bedroom. Just annoying and really not necessary. The marshall doesn't blink but switch off by itself if you stop playing music. Annoying again. And both are software related. If they wanted to upgrade it they could. Sony ult is different. It doesn't switch off, it has a microphone. It's great but why they didn't build this speaker accepting two phones connected? If someone has an idea of a perfect speaker that doesn't switch off, don't blink and accept two phones or computers I want to hear 🙉.

about 1 month ago

So it basically offers everything that most of my separate speaker lack... I still don't understand why marshall and JBL can't add that to their software. The not blinking in JBL and the auto shutoff in emberton1

about 1 month ago

Yes I saw that. I paid a lot for my Xtrem 4 but it worth it. It's a true stereo speaker while the charge is mono.

about 1 month ago

Reddit is full of toxic people. Which you are. Don't you have better things to do than saying dumb things about my post. I posted it because I wanted to know I'd some people were having the same issues and if they could propose me other brands. Not to be insulted.

about 1 month ago

Well okay. So tell me how I can stop the JBL to blink using their software? Or my emberton to switch off after not playing anything for 5 minutes. I'm all ears.

about 1 month ago

well they are all blinking after a while when you don't use it. every single JBL

Reddit Iconacejavelin69
11 months ago

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.

Reddit IconAdResponsible5531
8 months ago

Cu banii aia îți cumperi un jbl flip de black Friday acum și ai calitate. Și la 150 de euro găsești jbl charge care deja rupe 

Reddit Iconajwillys
9 months ago

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.

Top Portable Bluetooth Speakers on Reddit

1
soundcore Boom 2

soundcore

Boom 2

81% positive of 178 users

Loud, bassy beast; needs EQ, no aux.

2
Bose SoundLink Flex Series

Bose

SoundLink Flex Series

79% positive of 186 users

Durable, compact, good for size; distorts at high volume.

3
Minirig Minirig 4

Minirig

Minirig 4

87% positive of 79 users

Unrivaled sound, long battery; pricey, flaky Bluetooth.

4
soundcore Motion+

soundcore

Motion+

91% positive of 58 users

Best value, excellent sound with EQ; needs EQ.

5
JBL Charge 6

JBL

Charge 6

79% positive of 170 users

Durable, portable, clear bass; dull vocals, distorts up close.

Rankings by Use Case

Other Reddit Recommendations:

FAQs